BERT HOWE
  • Nationwide: (800) 482-1822    
    Subterranean parking building expert Seattle Washington high-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington landscaping construction building expert Seattle Washington institutional building building expert Seattle Washington custom homes building expert Seattle Washington casino resort building expert Seattle Washington condominium building expert Seattle Washington production housing building expert Seattle Washington industrial building building expert Seattle Washington concrete tilt-up building expert Seattle Washington Medical building building expert Seattle Washington condominiums building expert Seattle Washington multi family housing building expert Seattle Washington office building building expert Seattle Washington tract home building expert Seattle Washington housing building expert Seattle Washington townhome construction building expert Seattle Washington parking structure building expert Seattle Washington mid-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington structural steel construction building expert Seattle Washington retail construction building expert Seattle Washington custom home building expert Seattle Washington
    Seattle Washington building consultant expertSeattle Washington structural concrete expertSeattle Washington consulting engineersSeattle Washington hospital construction expert witnessSeattle Washington civil engineering expert witnessSeattle Washington building expertSeattle Washington engineering consultant
    Arrange No Cost Consultation
    Building Expert Builders Information
    Seattle, Washington

    Washington Builders Right To Repair Current Law Summary:

    Current Law Summary: (SB 5536) The legislature passed a contractor protection bill that reduces contractors' exposure to lawsuits to six years from 12, and gives builders seven "affirmative defenses" to counter defect complaints from homeowners. Claimant must provide notice no later than 45 days before filing action; within 21 days of notice of claim, "construction professional" must serve response; claimant must accept or reject inspection proposal or settlement offer within 30 days; within 14 days following inspection, construction pro must serve written offer to remedy/compromise/settle; claimant can reject all offers; statutes of limitations are tolled until 60 days after period of time during which filing of action is barred under section 3 of the act. This law applies to single-family dwellings and condos.


    Building Expert Contractors Licensing
    Guidelines Seattle Washington

    A license is required for plumbing, and electrical trades. Businesses must register with the Secretary of State.


    Building Expert Contractors Building Industry
    Association Directory
    MBuilders Association of King & Snohomish Counties
    Local # 4955
    335 116th Ave SE
    Bellevue, WA 98004

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of Kitsap County
    Local # 4944
    5251 Auto Ctr Way
    Bremerton, WA 98312

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of Spokane
    Local # 4966
    5813 E 4th Ave Ste 201
    Spokane, WA 99212

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of North Central
    Local # 4957
    PO Box 2065
    Wenatchee, WA 98801

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    MBuilders Association of Pierce County
    Local # 4977
    PO Box 1913 Suite 301
    Tacoma, WA 98401

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    North Peninsula Builders Association
    Local # 4927
    PO Box 748
    Port Angeles, WA 98362
    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Jefferson County Home Builders Association
    Local # 4947
    PO Box 1399
    Port Hadlock, WA 98339

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10


    Building Expert News and Information
    For Seattle Washington


    Traub Lieberman Partner Lisa M. Rolle Obtains Pre-Answer Motion to Dismiss in Favor of Defendant

    Oregon Supreme Court Confirms Broad Duty to Defend

    Texas Shortens Its Statute of Repose To 6 Years, With Limitations

    Subcontract Should Flow Down Delay Caused by Subcontractors

    Termination of Construction Contracts

    Adjuster's Report No Substitute for Proof of Loss Under Flood Policy

    Beware of Statutory Limits on Change Orders

    Statute of Frauds Applies to Sale of Real Property

    Why’d You Have To Say That?

    Water Intrusion Judged Not Related to Construction

    Cherokee Nation Wins Summary Judgment in COVID-19 Business Interruption Claim

    Haight Expands California Reach – Opens Office in Sacramento

    Quick Note: Insurer Must Comply with Florida’s Claims Administration Act

    Missouri Protects Subrogation Rights

    Colorado Homebuyers Must be in Privity of Contract with Developer to Assert Breach of Implied Warranty of Suitability

    California Supreme Court Declines to Create Exception to Privette Doctrine for “Known Hazards”

    Colorado Springs may be Next Colorado City to Add Construction Defects Ordinance

    Court of Appeals Issues Decision Regarding Second-Tier Subcontractors and Pre-Lien Notice

    The Contingency Fee Multiplier (For Insurance Coverage Disputes)

    Venue for Miller Act Payment Bond When Project is Outside of Us

    California Supreme Court Finds that When it Comes to Intentional Interference Claims, Public Works Projects are Just Different, Special Even

    Best Lawyers Recognizes Fifteen White and Williams Lawyers

    Legislative Update – The CSLB’s Study Under SB465

    Sources of Insurance Recovery for Emerging PFAS Claims

    Finalists in San Diego’s Moving Parklet Design Competition Announced

    Hotel Claims Construction Defect Could Have Caused Collapse

    Settlement Payment May Preclude Finding of Policy Exhaustion: Scottsdale v. National Union

    Contractor Entitled to Continued Defense Against Allegations of Faulty Construction

    Retaining Wall Contractor Not Responsible for Building Damage

    Florida Passes Tort Reform Bill

    More Thoughts on “Green” (the Practice, not the Color) Building

    There Was No Housing Bubble in 2008 and There Isn’t One Now

    School’s Lawsuit over Defective Field Construction Delayed

    Terminator’s Trench Rehab Drives L.A. Land Prices Crazy

    Question of Parties' Intent Prevents Summary Judgment for Insurer

    Texas LGI Homes Goes After First-Time Homeowners

    Mexico’s Construction Industry Posts First Expansion Since 2012

    Can You Really Be Liable For a Product You Didn’t Make? In New Jersey, the Answer is Yes

    ASCE Statement on The Partial Building Collapse in Surfside, Florida

    S&P 500 Little Changed on Home Sales Amid Quarterly Rally

    Lawmakers Strike Deal on New $38B WRDA

    Discovery Requests in Bad Faith Litigation Considered by Court

    Can Your Employee File a Personal Injury Claim if They’re Injured at Work?

    Making the Construction Industry a Safer place for Women

    Evolving Climate Patterns and Extreme Weather Demand New Building Methods

    Colorado Abandons the “Completed and Accepted Rule” in Favor of the “Foreseeability Rule” in Determining a Contractor’s Duty to a Third Party After Work Has Been Completed

    Caterpillar Said to Be Focus of Senate Overseas Tax Probe

    Arizona Supreme Court Confirms a Prevailing Homeowner Can Recover Fees on Implied Warranty Claims

    Vacant Property and the Right of Redemption in Pennsylvania

    Effectively Managing Project Closeout: It Ends Where It Begins
    Corporate Profile

    SEATTLE WASHINGTON BUILDING EXPERT
    DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

    The Seattle, Washington Building Expert Group is comprised from a number of credentialed construction professionals possessing extensive trial support experience relevant to construction defect and claims matters. Leveraging from more than 25 years experience, BHA provides construction related trial support and expert services to the nation's most recognized construction litigation practitioners, Fortune 500 builders, commercial general liability carriers, owners, construction practice groups, and a variety of state and local government agencies.

    Building Expert News & Info
    Seattle, Washington

    Hospital Inspection to Include Check for Construction Defects

    October 08, 2013 —
    The Temecula Valley Hospital is almost ready to be opened. One last step is an inspection from the California Department of Public Health’s Licensing and Certification Division. The inspection will take place over three to five days and will include not only building defects, but will also seek to identify problems that could compromise patient care. Any problems identified by the inspectors will have to be remedied before the hospital can open. Darlene Wetton, the CEO/president of the hospital said that the hospital worked with both the state and contractors to assure that the construction met the state standards. Currently, the city of Temecula does not have a hospital. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Business and Professions Code Section 7031, Demurrers, and Just How Much You Can Dance

    February 14, 2022 —
    Fights between owners and contractors under Business and Professions Code section 7031 can get nasty and detailed. An owner’s remedy under Section 7031, as courts have stated, can be “harsh[ ],” “draconian” and even “unjust” and damages can be significant. Panterra GP, Inc. v. Superior Court, 2022 WL 289216 (2022), a case decided this past month, is no different. It even involved a disagreement between the very justices deciding the case. The Panterra GP Case Panterra GP, Inc. was a licensed general contractor. Rosedale Bakersfield Retail VI, LLC and Movie Grill Concepts XX, LLC intended to hire Panterra GP to perform renovation work at the Studio Movie Grill in Bakersfield, California, but drafted a construction contract mistakenly listing Panterra Development Ltd., LLP as the contractor on the project. Panterra GP was the general partner of Panterra Development. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Garret Murai, Nomos LLP
    Mr. Murai may be contacted at gmurai@nomosllp.com

    Downtown Sacramento Building Riddled with Defects

    July 23, 2014 —
    The Board of Equalization tower in Sacramento, California has gone through $60 million in repairs to deal with issues such as bats, floods, leaky windows, mold, and glass panels that would “pop off the building with no warning and shatter on the sidewalk,” according to Insurance News. However, an additional $115 million in repairs are planned to deal with “crumbling core plumbing” and “concrete-and-glass exterior,” among other problems. Now, “a Sacramento attorney filed a $50 million tort claim this month, a first step toward suing the tax-collecting department on behalf of employees who say their bosses downplayed the building's ailments and put workers' health at risk.” "Even though my lawyers told me not to say this, I don't think it's safe," board Chairman Jerome Horton told Insurance News. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Delaware Strengthens Jurisdictional Defenses for Foreign Corporations Registered to Do Business in Delaware

    April 28, 2016 —
    The days of companies being sued in Delaware based solely upon their compliance with Delaware’s registration statutes appear over. Recently, the Delaware Supreme Court, in Genuine Parts Co. v. Cepec[1], held that Delaware Courts cannot exercise jurisdiction over a foreign corporation registered to do business in Delaware for claims unrelated to its conduct in Delaware. In Delaware, foreign corporations must register to do business and designate a registered agent in Delaware to accept service of process to sell its products or services.[2] Since 1988, Delaware has construed these registration laws as foreign corporations’ express consent to general jurisdiction.[3] Reprinted courtesy of White & Williams LLP attorneys Randall MacTough, Timothy Martin and Christian Singewald Mr. MacTough may be contacted at mactoughr@whiteandwilliams.com Mr. Martin may be contacted at martint@whiteandwilliams.com Mr. Singewald may be contacted at singewaldc@whiteandwilliams.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Digitalizing the Hospital Design Requirements Process

    April 02, 2019 —
    Decisions made at the early stages of a hospital project can have a huge impact on its life cycle value. To make sure that a hospital will be a good investment, its future users should be involved in helping set out the design requirements. A Finnish team of experts wanted to see if they could improve the process and set up an experiment to see how it could be done digitally. Currently, over one billion euros are budgeted to hospital construction and renovation in Finland. Globally, the sum is around US$400 billion. You would imagine that the design for such large investments would be very efficient from the start. Unfortunately, that is not the case. During the design phase, doctors, specialists, nurses, and other stakeholders take part in workshops in which they express their needs and requirements. For a large hospital project, 40 to 100 workshops are the norm. The work is done with a variety of tools, with sticky notes being the predominant technique. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
    Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

    California Homeowners Can Release Future, Unknown Claims Against Builders

    June 10, 2015 —
    In Belasco v. Wells, 183 Cal. Rptr.3d 840, 234 Cal. App. 4th 409 (2015), the California Court of Appeals for the Second District addressed the question of whether a homeowner, when settling an administrative complaint against a licensed homebuilder, can release future, unknown claims. Despite the presence of a California statute, Cal. Civ. Code § 1542, stating that a general release does not extend to claims that the releasor does not know about, the court held that the homeowner’s express release of future claims was enforceable. Thus, the homeowner’s release - signed as part of a 2006 settlement of the homeowner’s construction defect claims against the defendant, a homebuilder - barred the homeowner’s 2012 claims against the builder based on latent defects in the roof of the home that the homeowner discovered in 2011. Background The plaintiff, David Belasco, a patent attorney, bought a newly-constructed home from the defendant-builder, Gary Wells, in 2004. Wells holds a Class B General Building Contractor license issued by the Contractors State License Board (the Board). In 2006, Belasco filed a complaint against Wells with the Board based on alleged construction defects in the home. As a result of Belasco’s complaint to the Board, the parties engaged in arbitration. At the arbitration, both parties were represented by counsel. Wells offered to settle the dispute for the sum of $25,000 and Belasco accepted Wells’ offer. Reprinted courtesy of Edward A. Jaeger, Jr., White and Williams LLP and William L. Doerler, White and Williams LLP Mr. Jaeger may be contacted at jaegere@whiteandwilliams.com; Mr. Doerler may be contacted at doerlerw@whiteandwilliams.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    New York Assembly Reconsiders ‘Bad Faith’ Bill

    May 17, 2021 —
    The New York State Assembly is considering A07285, which creates a private right of action for bad faith “if the insurer unreasonably refuses to pay or unreasonably delays payment without substantial justification.” The bill was first introduced in 2013 but was reintroduced on May 3, 2021 and has received some recent attention. According to the bill, an insurer acts unreasonably when it (among other things):
    1. Fails to provide the claimant with accurate information regarding policy provisions relating to the coverage at issue; or
    2. Fails to effectuate in good faith a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim or portion of a claim and where the insurer failed to reasonably accord at least equal or more favorable consideration to its insured's interests as it did to its own interests, and thereby exposed the insured to a judgment in excess of the policy limits or caused other damage to a claimant; or
    3. Fails to provide a timely written denial of a claimant's claim, or portion thereof, with a full and complete explanation of such denial, including references to specific policy provisions wherever possible; or
    Reprinted courtesy of Copernicus T. Gaza, Traub Lieberman, Adam Krauss, Traub Lieberman, Robert S. Nobel, Traub Lieberman, Craig Rokuson, Traub Lieberman and Eric D. Suben, Traub Lieberman Mr. Gaza may be contacted at cgaza@tlsslaw.com Mr. Krauss may be contacted at akrauss@tlsslaw.com Mr. Nobel may be contacted at rnobel@tlsslaw.com Mr. Rokuson may be contacted at crokuson@tlsslaw.com Mr Suben may be contacted at esuben@tlsslaw.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Meet the Forum's ADR Neutrals: LESLIE KING O'NEAL

    January 29, 2024 —
    Company: JAMS Office Location: Orlando, FL Email: lkoneal1117@gmail.com Website: https://www.jamsadr.com/oneal/ Law School: University of Florida, J.D. (1977) Types of ADR services offered: Mediation, arbitration, neutral evaluation Geographic area served: Nationwide Q: Describe the path you took to becoming an ADR neutral. A: Florida was one of the first states to allow judges to send civil cases to mediation. When I was an advocate, nearly all my cases went to mediation at least once—sometimes more than once! I became a firm believer in the value of mediation and other ADR methods. I became a Florida certified circuit court mediator in 2021 and I joined JAMS in 2022, after retiring as in-house counsel with Brasfield & Gorrie, a large commercial general contractor. I am also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Law School, teaching arbitration theory and practice in its master of dispute resolution and master of laws programs. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Marissa L. Downs, Laurie & Brennan, LLP
    Ms. Downs may be contacted at mdowns@lauriebrennan.com