BERT HOWE
  • Nationwide: (800) 482-1822    
    retail construction building expert Seattle Washington concrete tilt-up building expert Seattle Washington housing building expert Seattle Washington high-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington industrial building building expert Seattle Washington townhome construction building expert Seattle Washington casino resort building expert Seattle Washington custom home building expert Seattle Washington institutional building building expert Seattle Washington Subterranean parking building expert Seattle Washington parking structure building expert Seattle Washington office building building expert Seattle Washington Medical building building expert Seattle Washington condominium building expert Seattle Washington production housing building expert Seattle Washington custom homes building expert Seattle Washington hospital construction building expert Seattle Washington tract home building expert Seattle Washington mid-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington landscaping construction building expert Seattle Washington low-income housing building expert Seattle Washington structural steel construction building expert Seattle Washington
    Seattle Washington construction cost estimating expert witnessSeattle Washington building expertSeattle Washington structural engineering expert witnessesSeattle Washington defective construction expertSeattle Washington building code compliance expert witnessSeattle Washington construction defect expert witnessSeattle Washington architectural expert witness
    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


    California Court Holds No Coverage Under Pollution Policy for Structural Improvements

    Consumer Protections for California Residential Solar Energy Systems

    Court of Appeals Discusses Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing in Public Works Contracting

    Brenda Radmacher to Speak at Construction Super Conference 2024

    Fatal Crane Collapse in Seattle Prompts Questions About Disassembly Procedures

    Williams v. Athletic Field: Hugely Important Lien Case Argued Before Supreme Court

    Illinois Court Addresses Coverage Owed For Subcontractor’s Defective Work

    Developer Boymelgreen Forced to Hand Over Financial Records for 15 Broad Street

    Don’t Ignore a Notice of Contest of Lien

    Court Finds That SIR Requirements are Not Incorporated into High Level Excess Policies and That Excess Insurers’ Payment of Defense Costs is Not Conditioned on Actual Liability

    Texas Court Construes Breach of Contract Exclusion Narrowly in Duty-to-Defend Case

    2017 California Construction Law Update

    Home Prices on the Rise

    Navigating the New Landscape: How AB 12 and SB 567 Impact Landlords and Tenants in California

    Insurer Not Entitled to Summary Judgment Based Upon Vandalism Exclusion

    The ‘Sole Option’ Arbitration Provision in Construction Contracts

    Seattle Developer Defaults on Renovated Office Buildings

    Surge in Home Completions Tamps Down Inflation as Fed Meets

    Washington Supreme Court Sides with Lien Claimants in Williams v. Athletic Field

    The 2021 Top 50 Construction Law Firms™

    Haight Proudly Supports JDC's 11th Annual Bike-A-Thon Benefitting Pro Bono Legal Services

    Quick Note: Expert Testimony – Back to the Frye Test in Florida

    Are You Taking Full Advantage of Available Reimbursements for Assisting Injured Workers?

    Brookfield Wins Disputed Bid to Manage Manhattan Marina

    Chambers USA 2020 Ranks White and Williams as a Leading Law Firm

    Client Alert: Service Via Tag Jurisdiction Insufficient to Subject Corporation to General Personal Jurisdiction

    Home Prices Up, Inventory Down

    The Prompt Payment Act Obligation is Not Triggered When the Owner Holds Less Retention from the General Contractor

    Developer’s Fraudulent Statements Are His Responsibility Alone in Construction Defect Case

    Parking Reform Takes Off on the West Coast

    Keep It Simple: Summarize (Voluminous Evidence, That Is...)

    Design-Build Contracting: Is the Shine Off the Apple?

    Final Rule Regarding Project Labor Agreement Requirements for Large-Scale Federal Construction Projects

    Awarding Insurer Summary Judgment Before Discovery Completed Reversed

    The "Dark Overlord" Strikes The Practice Of Law: What Law Firms Can Do To Protect Themselves

    Beyond the COI: The Importance of an Owner's or Facilities Manager's Downstream Insurance Review Program

    Indiana Court of Appeals Rules Against Contractor and Performance Bond Surety on Contractor's Differing Site Conditions Claim

    U.S. Supreme Court Allows Climate Change Lawsuits to Proceed in State Court

    A Property Boom Is Coming to China's Smaller Cities

    Harvey's Aftermath Will Rattle Construction Supply Chain, Economists Say

    How Helsinki Airport Uses BIM to Create the Best Customer Experience

    My Construction Law Wish List

    Federal Judge Vacates CDC Eviction Moratorium Nationwide

    Video: Contractors’ Update on New Regulations Governing Commercial Use of Drones

    The Almost-Collapse of a Sarasota, Florida Condo Building

    A Contractual Liability Exclusion Doesn't Preclude Insurer's Duty to Indemnify

    Sustainable, Versatile and Resilient: How Mass Timber Construction Can Shake Up the Building Industry

    Developer’s Failure to Plead Amount of Damages in Cross-Complaint Fatal to Direct Action Against Subcontractor’s Insurers Based on Default Judgment

    General Contractor/Developer May Not Rely on the Homeowner Protection Act to Avoid a Waiver of Consequential Damages in an AIA Contract

    Traub Lieberman Attorneys Recognized as 2024 New York – Metro Super Lawyers®
    Corporate Profile

    SEATTLE WASHINGTON BUILDING EXPERT
    DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

    The Seattle, Washington Building Expert Group at BHA, leverages from the experience gained through more than 7,000 construction related expert witness designations encompassing a wide spectrum of construction related disputes. Leveraging from this considerable body of experience, BHA provides construction related trial support and expert services to Seattle's most recognized construction litigation practitioners, commercial general liability carriers, owners, construction practice groups, as well as a variety of state and local government agencies.

    Building Expert News & Info
    Seattle, Washington

    One Colorado Court Allows Negligence Claim by General Contractor Against Subcontractor

    December 20, 2012 —
    Judge Paul King of the Douglas County District Court recently confirmed that subcontractors in residential construction owe an independent duty, separate and apart from any contractual duties, to act without negligence in the construction of a home in Colorado. See Order, dated September 7, 2010, Sunoo v. Hickory Homes, Inc. et al., Case No. 2007CV1866; see also Cosmopolitan Homes, Inc. v. Weller, 663 P.2d 1041 (Colo. 1983); A.C. Excavating v. Yacht Club II Homeowners Ass’n, Inc., 114 P.3d 862 (Colo. 2005). He also verified that the holding in the B.R.W. Inc. v. Dufficy & Sons, Inc., 99 P.3d 66 (Colo. 2004)[1] case does not prohibit general contractors, such as Hickory Homes, from enforcing a subcontractor’s independent duty to act without negligence in the construction of a home. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Heather Anderson, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC.
    Ms. Anderson can be contacted at anderson@hhmrlaw.com

    Using the Prevention Doctrine

    April 22, 2019 —
    The following scenario happens regularly in the construction industry. A contractor on a project reaches out to a subcontractor to perform work. Excited about the prospect of performing the work, the subcontractor signs a contract and puts it nose to the grindstone. After dutifully completing the work the subcontractor turns to the contractor and asks to be paid. But, the contractor refuses saying that there is a provision in the subcontract that says the contractor is only obligated to pay the subcontractor if the contractor receives payment from the owner. So the contractor has completed the work, but has no money to show for it. One potential remedy for a subcontractor in this situation is the use of the prevention doctrine. “Under the prevention doctrine, ‘if a promisor prevents or hinders fulfillment of a condition to his performance, the condition may be waived or excused.’” Cox v. SNAP, Inc., 859 F.3d 304, 308 (4th Cir. 2017) (quoting Moore Bros. Co. v. Brown & Root, Inc., 207 F.3d 7171, 725 (4th Cir. 2000)). “Put simply, ‘where a party to a contract is the cause of the failure of the performance of the obligation due him or her, that party cannot in any way take advantage of that failure.’” Haddon Hous Assocs v. United States, 711 F.3d 1330, 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2013) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 245; Williston, § 39:4). Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of David Erhart, Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani
    Mr. Erhart may be contacted at derhart@grsm.com

    You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto. But When it Comes to the CalOSHA Appeals Board, They Can Say it Any Way They Please

    January 08, 2024 —
    We lawyers do a fair amount of reading. Documents. Court decisions. Passive aggressive correspondence from opposing counsel. As well as statutes, regulations and administrative guidance. And you might be surprised how often words can be ascribed very different meanings depending on who is reading it. Such, I suppose, is the nature of language. When it comes to public agency interpretations of its own regulations, however, you would be well to heed that authors are often the best interpreters of their own works, or at least that’s how the courts tend to view it, as in the next case L & S Framing Inc. v. California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, Case No. C096386 (July 24, 2023). The L & S Framing Case Martin Mariano, an employee of L & S Framing, Inc., suffered a brain injury when he fell from the “second floor” while working on a single family house. What, exactly, this “second floor” was, was a point of a contention in the legal case that followed. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Garret Murai, Nomos LLP
    Mr. Murai may be contacted at gmurai@nomosllp.com

    Construction Defects Are Occurrences, Says South Carolina High Court

    December 20, 2012 —
    The South Carolina Supreme Court has left the legislature’s new, expanded definition of “occurrence” in place, declining to declare it unconstitutional. South Carolina included faulty workmanship as an occurrence in response to a Supreme Court decision, which the court later reversed. One of the parties in that earlier decision, Harleysville Insurance, challenged the new law, claiming that the legislature didn’t have the power to pass a law to overturn a court ruling. The court did not concur. However, the court did determine that the law was not retroactive and covered only claims filed after the law became effective in May 2011. The Chief Justice of South Carolina noted that “insurance coverage for construction liability lacks clarity, particularly with respect to whether construction defects constitute ‘occurrences’ under construction general insurance policies.” Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Earthquake Hits Mid-Atlantic Region; No Immediate Damage Reports

    November 30, 2017 —
    Dover, Del. (AP) -- An earthquake has jolted the Mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast, but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 4.1 magnitude quake struck just after 4:45 p.m. Thursday, and was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) east-northeast of Dover, Delaware. It was felt as far away as Baltimore. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of The Associated Press (Randall Chase), Bloomberg

    Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (10/04/23) – NFL Star Gets into Real Estate, DOJ Focuses on “Buyer-Broker Commissions”, and the Auto Workers’ Strike Continues

    November 13, 2023 —
    In our latest roundup, seller impersonation fraud becomes an issue in the United States, major retailers are closing over 3,000 stores nationwide, the Tampa Rays are set to construct a new $1.3 billion stadium, and more!
    • NFL star Tyler Lockett is preparing for his life and career after football by becoming a real estate broker in both Washington state and Texas. (Brady Henderson, ESPN)
    • Seller impersonation fraud has become a major scam in the United States with 73% of real estate firms reporting an increase in these schemes since the beginning of the year. (Diane Tomb, Fortune)
    • “Buyer-broker commissions” are a focus for the U.S. Justice Department as they have filed a “statement of interest” in one case in Massachusetts while there are several other pending lawsuits in U.S. courts. (Mike Scarcella, Reuters)
    Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team

    Issue and Claim Preclusion When Forced to Litigate Similar Issues in Different Forums: White River Village, LLP v. Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland

    October 10, 2013 —
    Often in construction litigation the parties wish to move the case to arbitration. However, there are certain circumstances in which such change of litigation forums should be carefully analyzed. The case of White River Village, LLP v. Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, serves as an example of one of those circumstances. In March 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Blackburn ruled on a motion for summary judgment filed by Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland (“F&D”). The order grants the motion in part and denies it in part. White River Village, LLP (“White River”) was the owner of the project which hired S&S Joint Venture (“S&S”), the contractor, to build two similar developments, directly adjacent to each other. The contracts between Whiter River and S&S for the two projects were so substantially similar that the court referred to them as the S&S Contracts. F&D issued payment and performance bonds guarantying the obligations of S&S under the S&S Contracts. After S&S defaulted on the construction contracts, F&D, as the surety, undertook to complete performance on the contracts. White River alleged that F&D was liable for construction defects and delays in completing the project, and failed to fulfill its obligations under the performance bonds after it overtook the construction of the projects. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Brady Iandiorio
    Brady Iandiorio can be contacted at Iandiorio@hhmrlaw.com

    Who's Who Legal Recognizes Two White and Williams Lawyers as Thought/Global Leaders in Insurance and Reinsurance

    August 28, 2023 —
    Who's Who Legal (WWL), in association with Thought Leaders: USA - Insurance and Reinsurance 2023, has recognized two White and Williams lawyers as leading practitioners in their field. WWL’s research process uses a combination of proprietary digital and in-person qualitative techniques and interviews. WWL named Patricia B. Santelle and Randy J. Maniloff as Thought Leaders in Insurance and Reinsurance 2023. Thought Leaders base their results on recommendations and feedback from private practitioners in the industry, as well as from corporate counsel or other clients who have worked closely with the nominees. Both Patricia and Randy have also been recommended as Global Leaders in their field. Patti is recognized by her clients and peers as a leading attorney in the field of complex insurance coverage, having devoted more than 30 years to the representation of insurance company clients. She is also a leader in the legal and business community, having served as the first female chair of a major law firm in Philadelphia. An advocate of community engagement, Patti supports a large number of business, community, law school and pro bono/volunteer initiatives in the region. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP