Fairfield Connecticut Building Expert Directory

Construction Up in United States

November 27, 2013 — CDJ STAFF
Across the country, construction was up 5% in October, smaller than September’s 13% increase over August, but continuing the trend of escalating construction. The increase in October was largely due to non-residential construction, which was the case in September as well. The projects that drove the increase were described as “large and unusual,” and as such perhaps cannot be counted on to sustain the growth of the construction industry. The $1.7 billion fertilizer plant being built in Iowa cannot be viewed as typical. Read the court decision
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Safety Versus a False Sense of Security: Challenges to the Use of Construction Cranes

March 18, 2019 — Christopher Machut - Construction Executive
The history of safety is, in part, the history of resistance to safety. From transportation and travel to sports and entertainment, the safeguards taken for granted were once too allegedly controversial or costly for companies to grant to consumers. Imagine driving a car without a seatbelt or being a passenger in a minivan without side-impact airbags or anti-lock brakes, or playing football without a helmet or riding a roller coaster without a shoulder harness. Imagine, too, pulling out of parking space without a rear-view camera, unable to see passing cars or pedestrians. Cameras are now as common among compact cars as on the most uncommonly expensive sports cars and sedans. And yet, the technology that earns drivers a discount on car insurance is the same or mostly similar technology that insurers refuse to cover elsewhere. The technologies that makes parallel parking easier or easing a car into traffic a cinch is considered an extravagance on construction equipment, despite the dangers crane operators face but cannot see, despite what workers on the ground can see but not forecast, despite what cameras can record and capture. Reprinted courtesy of Christopher Machut, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the court decision
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Hanover, Germany Apple Store Delayed by Construction Defects

July 23, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
A new Apple store in Hanover, Germany is scheduled to finally open in September after construction problems created delays, according to AppAdvice. Rumor has it that the store may open on September 19th, the same day of the iPhone 6 is expected to go on sale globally. Construction issues included “physical defects, mold, and ventilation issues,” according to AppAdvice. “Black barricades appeared around the Hanover store location in April 2013.” Read the court decision
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New Utah & Colorado Homebuilder Announced: Jack Fisher Homes

July 23, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
Henry Walker Homes announced the creation of Jack Fisher Homes, “a new venture that will continue their tradition of homebuilding excellence in Northern Utah, Southern Utah and Colorado,” according to a press release on PR Web. “Colin Wright, Owen Fisher, Chad Bessinger and Steve Sandholtz founded Jack Fisher Homes to focus on areas of their proven expertise in real estate, including residential land development and homebuilding, commercial assets in multifamily development and seniors’ housing,” PR Web reported. Jack Fisher has “1,300 single-family residential units in its pipeline” and “anticipates closing more than 230 homes in the remainder of 2014 with sales expected to exceed $70 million.” The homebuilder expects those numbers to double in 2015. “All of the original elements that made Henry Walker great are incorporated and improved upon with Jack Fisher Homes,” Wright said, according to the press release. “The influx of new capital, our years of experience, and the improved real estate landscape have us very excited about the future of Jack Fisher Homes.” Read the court decision
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Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks: The Spearin Doctrine and Design-Build Projects

October 30, 2018 — John Castro - Gordon & Rees Construction Law Blog
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California has now held that the Spearin doctrine applies to design-build subcontractors where the subcontractor is expected to design a portion of their work. The case is United States for the use and benefit of Bonita Pipeline, Inc., et al. v. Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC, et al. (“Bonita Pipeline”) (Case No. 3:16-cv-00983-H-AGS). In Bonita Pipeline, a subcontractor sued the general contractor and its sureties alleging breach of contract, breach of implied warranty, declaratory relief, and recovery under the Miller Act. The subcontractor then filed a motion for partial summary judgment against the general contractor on its declaratory relief cause of action, seeking a finding that the general contractor could not shift legal responsibility for its defective plans and specifications to the subcontractor. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of John Castro, Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani
Mr. Castro may be contacted at jcastro@grsm.com

Housing-Related Spending Makes Up Significant Portion of GDP

February 05, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
According to Molly Boesel on the Insight Blog, “housing-related spending makes up 17.3 percent of the GDP.” Boesel explained: “To calculate the portion of domestic spending that is related to housing, CoreLogic looks at three expenditures from the release: residential investment (the construction of new single- and multi-family houses), spending on housing services (rent, owner’s equivalent rent and utilities) and spending on furnishings and durable goods. Together, these expenditures made up 17.3 percent of total real GDP in the fourth quarter of 2013.” Read the court decision
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Will AI Completely Transform Our Use of Computers?

July 22, 2024 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
Last November, I received a newsletter from Bill Gates titled “AI is about to completely change how we use computers.” Gates begins his letter with a prediction: “Five years from now, you won’t have to use different apps for different tasks. You’ll simply tell your device, in everyday language, what you want to do—whether it’s drafting a document, making a spreadsheet, scheduling a meeting, analyzing data, sending an email, or even buying movie tickets.“ Gates dives deeper into the topic in his blog post. Revolution in Computing Gates discusses the revolutionary impact of AI on computing, comparing it to the transformative effects of mobile phones and the Internet. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

Real Case, Real Lessons: Understanding Builders’ Risk Insurance Limits

August 12, 2024 — David McLain - Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC
In the recent case of 5333 Mattress King LLC v. Hanover Insurance Company, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado provided significant insights into the limits of builders’ risk insurance policies. Mattress King LLC, a warehouse owner, faced a substantial loss when a subcontractor drove a crane over and damaged the warehouse’s concrete floor slab during construction. Despite having a builders’ risk insurance policy with Hanover Insurance Company, coverage was denied, leading to litigation. Applicable Policy Provisions The policy in question was a Commercial Marine/Commercial Lines Builders’ Risk insurance policy. Builders’ risk insurance is designed to cover direct physical loss to covered property during construction unless the loss is excluded or limited by the policy. Key exclusions of the policy at issue included losses caused by faulty, inadequate, or defective:

Planning, zoning, surveying, or development
Design, specifications, workmanship, repair, construction, renovation, remodeling, grading, or compaction
Materials used in construction or renovation
Maintenance of the covered property

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Reprinted courtesy of David McLain, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC
Mr. McLain may be contacted at mclain@hhmrlaw.com

FAIRFIELD CONNECTICUT BUILDING EXPERT DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES