Why multifamily buildings are complex to investigate
Condominium and apartment buildings stack many homes over and beside one another. Bathrooms, kitchens, decks, and balconies repeat floor after floor, so a single detailing error can recur throughout a building. A leak in one unit may show up in another, several floors below.
Many are podium buildings, with wood-framed residential floors over a concrete deck that covers parking, retail, or amenity space. The podium slab must carry loads, shed water, and protect occupied space below. Meanwhile the frame above shrinks and settles as it dries, stressing finishes, joints, and flashing.
Our expert witness experience includes condominium associations, and we are experienced in multi-residential inspections. Gregg de Haan’s construction litigation support includes condominium, townhome, and community associations in San Francisco, the East Bay, and the Sacramento region, and owner associations in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee area. Our experience also includes single-family homes, which share many of the same assemblies.
Common areas, individual units, and the association
In a condominium, responsibility is divided among the association, individual owners, and in some cases the original builder. Roofs, exterior walls, and podium decks are often common elements, while interior finishes may belong to owners. Governing documents and counsel determine how responsibility is allocated.
Investigation has to account for that structure. Sampling plans, unit access, and documentation need to show whether a condition is isolated or repeated across the building. Residents are usually given notice and scheduling options when their homes are opened for testing. Patterns across many units often say more than any single opening.
Our field personnel identify and document defects promptly. We use camera and video documentation techniques to provide trial-ready exhibits, so each opening and test is recorded for every party to review. Clear records also help association boards report to their members.
Systems we examine in multifamily buildings
Our investigative specialties match the assemblies that most often generate multifamily claims, from the podium slab to the roof. Exterior walls of cement plaster or siding depend on building paper and flashing that cannot be seen once the finish is applied. Decks and balconies over living space rely on membranes, slopes, and door thresholds working together.
If materials are found to have manufacturing defects, we are aligned with several laboratories that test and analyze product failure. We also take field samples to store at our office in case they are needed at trial. Preserved samples remain available after repairs, which matters when a building must be fixed while a matter is still open.
Water testing is one of our services. Testing windows and sliding doors, including product and installation water testing, helps trace the path of water into a unit. It also helps separate a product issue from an installation issue.
- Podium slabs and decks over occupied space
- Cement plaster, wood siding, and composite siding
- Waterproofing and building paper installation
- Windows and doors, with product and installation water testing
- Roofing and sheet metal
- Mechanical/plumbing and electrical systems
- Site drainage and subgrade waterproofing
SB800 and residential construction
SB800 is California’s Right to Repair Act, which applies to residential construction. Our associates are educated on SB800 as well as past and current building codes. Gregg de Haan provides code compliance reviews and SB800-related building inspections.
We also perform construction document plan and detail analysis for constructability and for code compliance. That review compares what the drawings called for with what was built. A large library of present and past product literature and testing data supports that analysis.
Whether SB800 or other requirements apply to a given building, and how, is a question counsel determines. Our role is to document conditions accurately and to explain them clearly.
Reports, repair scopes, and testimony
We generate comprehensive field reports, photo documentation, conceptual repair scopes, and cost estimates promptly. For an association, those documents describe the conditions found and what a repair would involve. Gregg de Haan specializes in preparing repair scopes, cost estimates, and complex defect reports.
We provide expert witness services for settlement conferences, mediations, arbitrations, depositions, and trial. We are retained by attorneys, insurance carriers, building owners, homeowner associations, and contractors in California, Arizona, and Montana. Gregg de Haan leads field investigations, gathers field data, and attends expert meetings, mediations, and arbitrations.
The firm’s philosophy is to bring together a group of experts, much as a building brings together its trades. The goal is a balanced, educated opinion for fair resolution, whichever party retains us.
What makes these buildings demanding
- 01Repeated unit layouts can multiply a single detailing error across a building.
- 02Podium slabs must waterproof and protect parking or amenity space below.
- 03Balconies and decks over living space depend on continuous flashing and membranes.
- 04Wood framing over concrete shrinks and settles, stressing finishes and joints.
- 05Divided responsibility among associations, owners, and builders complicates access and records.
- 06Plumbing stacks run through many units, so one leak can affect several homes.