BERT HOWE
  • Nationwide: (800) 482-1822    
    Medical building building expert Seattle Washington hospital construction building expert Seattle Washington tract home building expert Seattle Washington mid-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington production housing building expert Seattle Washington condominiums building expert Seattle Washington retail construction building expert Seattle Washington concrete tilt-up building expert Seattle Washington high-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington institutional building building expert Seattle Washington condominium building expert Seattle Washington parking structure building expert Seattle Washington landscaping construction building expert Seattle Washington multi family housing building expert Seattle Washington Subterranean parking building expert Seattle Washington townhome construction building expert Seattle Washington custom home building expert Seattle Washington structural steel construction building expert Seattle Washington low-income housing building expert Seattle Washington casino resort building expert Seattle Washington office building building expert Seattle Washington industrial building building expert Seattle Washington
    Seattle Washington construction expert witness public projectsSeattle Washington expert witness windowsSeattle Washington expert witness structural engineerSeattle Washington building code expert witnessSeattle Washington forensic architectSeattle Washington construction expert witnessesSeattle Washington testifying construction 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


    Combating Climate Change by Reducing Embodied Energy in the Built Environment

    Work to Solve the Mental Health Crisis in Construction

    Sierra Pacific v. Bradbury Goes Unchallenged: Colorado’s Six-Year Statute of Repose Begins When a Subcontractor’s Scope of Work Ends

    Architectural Firm, Fired by School District, Launches Lawsuit

    Structural Defects Lead Schools to Close off Areas

    Homeowners Not Compelled to Arbitration in Construction Defect Lawsuit

    Hudson Tunnel Plan Shows Sign of Life as U.S. Speeds Review

    Florida trigger

    Investigators Explain Focus on Pre-Collapse Cracking in Florida Bridge

    Is Your Business Insured for the Coronavirus?

    If You Can’t Dazzle Em’ With Brilliance, Baffle Em’ With BS: Apprentices on Public Works Projects

    Recent Florida Legislative Changes Shorten Both Statute of Limitation ("SOL") and Statute of Repose ("SOR") for Construction Defect Claims

    Yet Another Reminder that Tort and Contract Don’t Mix

    Chicago Criticized for Not Maintaining Elevator Inspections

    Pennsylvania: When Should Pennsylvania’s New Strict Products Liability Law Apply?

    The BUILDCHAIN Project Enhances Data Exchange and Transparency in the EU Construction Industry

    California Contractor Spills Coffee on Himself by Failing to Stay Mechanics Lien Action While Pursuing Arbitration

    Public Works Bid Protests – Who Is Responsible? Who Is Responsive?

    How the Election Could Affect the Housing Industry: Steven Cvitanovic Authors Construction Today Article

    Recent Amendments and Caselaw Affecting the Construction Industry in Texas

    John Aho: Engineer Pushed for Seismic Safety in Alaska Ahead of 2018 Earthquake

    Brooklyn’s Industry City to Get $1 Billion Modernization

    The Risk of A Fixed Price Contract Is The Market

    Challenging and Defending a California Public Works Stop Payment Notice: Affidavit vs. Counter-Affidavit Process

    London Office Builders Aren’t Scared of Brexit Anymore

    BWB&O Partner Jack Briscoe and Associate Anoushe Marandjian Win Summary Judgment Motion on Behalf of Homeowner Client!

    Never, Ever, Ever Assume! (Or, How a Stuck Shoe is Like a Construction Project Assumption)

    Delaware Supreme Court Won’t Halt Building

    He Turned Wall Street Offices Into Homes. Now He Vows to Remake New York

    New York Assembly Reconsiders ‘Bad Faith’ Bill

    NYPD Investigating Two White Flags on Brooklyn Bridge

    Construction Companies Must Prepare for a Surge of Third-Party Contractors

    California Precludes Surety from Asserting Pay-When-Paid Provision as Defense to Payment Bond Claim

    Manhattan Home Sales Rise at Slower Pace as Prices Jump

    Chinese Billionaire Developer Convicted in UN Bribery Case

    Insurer's Quote on Coverage for Theft by Hacker Creates Issue of Fact

    California Posts Nation’s Largest Gain in Construction Jobs

    CFTC Establishes Climate-Risk Unit, Echoing Other Biden Administration Agency Themes

    Newmeyer Dillion Named 2021 Best Law Firm in Multiple Practice Areas by U.S. News-Best Lawyers

    Construction Defect Leads to Death of Worker

    Houston Home Sales Fall for the First Time in Six Months

    Like Water For Chocolate: Insurer Prevails Over Chocolatier In Hurricane Sandy Claim

    Houston Office Secures Favorable Verdict in Trespass and Nuisance Case Involving Subcontractor’s Accidental Installation of Storm Sewer Pipe on Plaintiff’s Property

    Housing Stocks Rally at End of November

    Five New Laws to Know Before They Take Effect On Jan. 1, 2022

    ASCE Statement on Calls to Suspend the Federal Gas Tax

    Additional Insured Coverage Confirmed

    Zurich American Insurance Company v. Ironshore Specialty Insurance Company

    Texas Jury Finds Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Causes “Physical Loss or Damage” to Property, Awards Over $48 Million to Baylor College of Medicine

    Duty to Defend Negligent Misrepresentation Claim
    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

    Recovering Time and Costs from Hurricane Helene: Force Majeure Solutions for Contractors

    November 18, 2024 —
    When Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, it caused severe disruptions to construction projects across the state. Baxter International’s North Cove facility in Marion, N.C., was completely shut down after floodwaters damaged the site and bridges leading to it. Elsewhere, landslides and floods wiped out large sections of Interstate 40, making transportation of materials and equipment nearly impossible. Many contractors in western North Carolina found their projects halted, and their schedules thrown off by this force majeure event. In situations like these, contractors and subcontractor need a plan to mitigate the impact of such natural disasters on their projects. Here are five practical tips to help you secure time extensions and/or compensation for delays: 1. Include a Robust Force Majeure Clause in Your Contract When disaster strikes, your contract is your first line of defense. A well-drafted force majeure clause can make the difference between bearing the costs yourself and getting an extension or compensation. The clause should clearly list specific events such as hurricanes, floods, and road closures as qualifying force majeure events. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Matthew DeVries, Buchalter
    Mr. DeVries may be contacted at mdevries@buchalter.com

    Hundreds Celebrated the Grand Opening of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Southern California Riverside Construction Training Center

    February 14, 2023 —
    RIVERSIDE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Associated Builders and Contractors Southern California Chapter (ABC), hosted hundreds of community members as they cut the "ribbon" of their third training center in Southern California. "Today is a celebration, but it also represents a continued commitment by ABC and our membership to supply a skilled, trained, and safe construction workforce for Southern California," stated Nick McFayden, ABC SoCal's Board Chair. Jon Krystafik, Vice Chairman of the Training Trust commented, "Our training facility is unique. You may have toured other facilities but with ours you will see we don't just train one craft. Here Apprentices and Craft trainees are receiving cutting edge training in Electrical, Plumbing, Low Voltage and HVAC/Sheet Metal." Krystafik added, "Our trustees had a dream 10 years ago to train residents in the inland empire. Today it is a reality!" ABC Southern California Chapter is an association of contractors that believe in the Merit Shop Philosophy. Merit shop encourages open competition and a free enterprise approach that awards contracts and employment based solely on merit, safety, quality, and cost, regardless of labor affiliation. The chapter is one of 68 throughout the country and represents nearly 400 member companies. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    New York’s Highest Court Weighs in on N.Y. Labor Law

    September 23, 2024 —
    N.Y. Labor Law § 241(6) requires owners and contractors to provide reasonable and adequate protection and safety to persons employed at or lawfully frequenting a construction site. If a worker is injured on a construction site and establishes a violation of a specific and applicable Industrial Code regulation, both the owner and contractor will be held vicariously liable for the worker’s injury, without regard to their fault and even in the absence of control or supervision of the worksite. The Court of Appeals of New York recently addressed the broad scope of the Labor Law in the context of slipping hazards. In Bazdaric v. Almah Partners, LLC, 41 N.Y.3d 310 (2024), the plaintiff, an injured painter, slipped and fell on a plastic covering placed over an escalator in an area he was assigned to paint. The plaintiff claimed that the plastic covering was a foreign substance for purposes of Industrial Code 12 NYCRR 23-1.7(d) because it was not part of the escalator. Industrial Code 12 NYCRR 23-1.7(d) states:
    Slipping hazards. Employers shall not suffer or permit any employee to use a floor, passageway, walkway, scaffold, platform or other elevated working surface which is in a slippery condition. Ice, snow, water, grease and any other foreign substance which may cause slippery footing shall be removed, sanded or covered to provide safe footing.
    Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Bill Wilson, Robinson & Cole LLP
    Mr. Wilson may be contacted at wwilson@rc.com

    Morrison Bridge Allegedly Crumbling

    February 05, 2015 —
    The Portland Mercury reported that the Portland, Oregon Morrison Bridge’s structure is breaking into pieces. "The bridge is crumbling," Joel Mullin, attorney from Stoel Rives representing the county told a Multnomah County judge, according to the Portland Mercury. "The deterioration has accelerated more than anticipated." Newly released documents seem to imply that the bridge “project was doomed well before it started, and county officials should have known it,” the Portland Mercury reported. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Event-Cancellation Insurance Issues During a Pandemic

    September 07, 2020 —
    As the effects of coronavirus continue, organizations and companies now are considering whether events in late 2020 and early 2021 can take place or need to be converted to virtual events. What insurance effects will those changes and cancellations have? Consideration of these important decisions requires a review of both event-cancellation insurance and a consideration of force majeure and other such issues. On the insurance front, years ago, many policyholders purchased event-cancellation insurance for events in 2020, 2021, and even as far out as 2024. Such policies, purchased before the middle of March 2020, generally contain explicit coverage “buy-backs” for losses from “communicable disease.” That is, the policyholders paid an extra, specifically identified premium to remove any exclusion for communicable disease from these policies. Typically, these policies do not use the word, “virus”, but rather use “communicable disease”; and exclude neither. Those policies typically cover a specified amount of net profit and include additional coverages for “Cost of Remedial Action”, “Future Marketing Expense”, etc., over and above that specified amount of coverage. Reprinted courtesy of Lorelie S. Masters, Hunton Andrews Kurth and Latosha M. Ellis, Hunton Andrews Kurth Ms. Masters may be contacted at lmasters@HuntonAK.com Ms. Ellis may be contacted at lellis@HuntonAK.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Not So Unambiguous: California Court of Appeal Finds Coverage for Additional Insured

    October 11, 2017 —
    California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal recently determined that manuscript additional insured endorsements (AIEs), which purportedly provided coverage for ongoing operations only, were ambiguous. The court also found the insurer that issued the policies, American Safety Indemnity Co. (American Safety), acted in bad faith due to its systematic efforts to deny coverage to general contractors as additional insureds. In Pulte Home Corp. v. American Safety Indemnity Co.,1 Pulte Home Corporation (Pulte Home), a general contractor, sued American Safety for failure to defend Pulte Home as an additional insured in connection with two underlying construction defect lawsuits. American Safety contended that it did not have a duty to defend Pulte Home because the loss occurred after the construction project was complete and the applicable AIEs did not provide coverage for completed operations, and/or because the policy’s faulty workmanship exclusions applied. The trial court awarded $1.4 million in compensatory and punitive damages to Pulte Home, and American Safety appealed. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Malcom Ranger-Murdock, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
    Mr. Ranger-Murdock may be contacted at mrm@sdvlaw.com

    Does a Broker Forfeit His or Her Commission for Technical Non-Compliance with Department of Real Estate Statutory Requirements?

    September 14, 2020 —
    In a recent Arizona Court of Appeals case, CK Revocable Trust v. My Home Group Real Estate LLC, 2020 WL 4306183 (7/28/2020), the Court of Appeals addressed the distinction between “substantive” and “technical” statutory requirements for real estate broker commission agreements. The Court explained that failure to comply with a substantive requirement would preclude the broker from recovering a commission, but failure to comply with a technical requirement would not. As examples of such substantive requirements, the Court identified the statutory requirement that the broker be licensed at the time the claim for commission arose, and the statutory requirement that the listing agreement be signed by both the broker and the client. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Kevin J. Parker, Snell & Wilmer
    Mr. Parker may be contacted at kparker@swlaw.com

    How is Negotiating a Construction Contract Like Buying a Car?

    January 04, 2018 —
    Originally Published by CDJ on March 1, 2017 I know, you’re probably looking for a punchline, and likely thinking something along the lines of “only a construction attorney would be sitting in his office and come up with such an analogy,” but I really do think it’s a good one. When you are buying a car, you look for priorities. Is the color what you want? Is the motor a hybrid or a v-6? Does it have Android Auto? What is the fuel mileage? All of these things may be more or less important to you. If you can get your priorities for a price that is attractive, you will likely let some other less important items, e. g. trunk space or rear seat leg room, slide and purchase the car anyway. Furthermore, you may use these minor items as negotiating points to either get one of the priorities or a lower price. Of course the dealership will want to get its priorities, likely a sale and a profit, when negotiating and will have certain items that it won’t move on just as you have terms that you won’t move on. Much like when you walk onto the car lot, and particularly as a subcontractor looking at a contract from a general contractor, or a GC looking at the contract from the owner of a project, a construction contract presented to you is the starting point. When looking at the contract, be sure to have some non-negotiable items in mind when taking a critical eye to the terms of that contract. Some of these terms may be more or less negotiable depending on your experience with the other party to the construction contract. For instance, striking a pay if paid clause may be less important with a paying party with whom you have a 10 year history without payment problems. On the other hand, if it is your first contract with the other party, a stricter list may be required. So, much like a dealer that you know will stand behind its cars, you may be more willing to take more “risk” in entering a construction contract with a trusted/known owner or GC. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Christopher G. Hill, The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
    Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com