Grounded in the construction documents
Our associates are well versed in the construction documentation process. Plans, specifications, change orders, and RFIs together tell the story of how a building was designed and built. Each document type answers a different question about the project, and read side by side they can explain conditions found in the field.
We perform construction document plan and detail analysis for constructability and for code compliance. Gregg de Haan, our founder and principal, also provides code compliance reviews and SB800-related building inspections. Plan analysis is often most useful early, before problems are built into the work.
A constructability review asks whether the plans and details can be built as drawn, in a workable sequence, with the materials specified. Gaps between what is drawn and what can be built are a common source of field problems.
Past and current building codes
Building codes change over time. In a defect dispute, the code in effect when a building was permitted is often a central reference point. A condition judged only by today’s code may tell only part of the story.
Local jurisdictions also adopt amendments to the model codes, and those amendments can matter as much as the base code. A sound review identifies which edition and which amendments applied. Some jurisdictions also issue their own interpretations or local requirements.
Our associates are educated on past and current building codes. That background supports a building code compliance review that addresses the requirements that applied to the work in question. It also helps separate true code deficiencies from conditions that simply differ from current practice.
SB800-related building inspections
In California, SB800, often called the Right to Repair Act, sets performance standards for new residential construction. Its standards address matters such as water intrusion, structural issues, soils, and building systems. It also establishes a prelitigation process in which a homeowner gives notice of claimed defects and the builder may inspect and offer repairs.
Our associates are educated on SB800, and Gregg de Haan provides SB800-related building inspections. We generate comprehensive field reports and photo documentation promptly. An SB800-related inspection examines a home against the standards the statute sets.
SB800 questions are legal as well as technical. How the statute applies to a particular claim, and which procedural steps follow, are matters for counsel. Clear, accurate technical findings support counsel in that work.
Product performance and testing data
Our associates are educated on current and past building product performance testing. We maintain a large library of present and past product literature and testing data to aid our analysis. That combination allows product claims to be checked against the record.
Manufacturers revise products and their published instructions. When a building is examined later, the literature that applied at the time of installation is often the right reference. A product discontinued or reformulated since installation is a common example.
Published test data shows how a product performed under defined laboratory conditions. Comparing that data with the conditions a product actually faced on a building is often a key step in the analysis. Differences in exposure, installation, and age can all affect how a product performs.
Change order, project cost, and RFI analysis
We perform comprehensive change order, project cost, and RFI analysis for litigation purposes. Change orders, project costs, and RFIs are the paper trail of a project, and they often hold answers the building cannot.
These records can show when an issue was first raised, how it was resolved, and what it cost. Patterns in RFIs, for example, can reveal where the drawings were unclear. In litigation, that history can matter as much as the condition of the building itself.
Our goals in any dispute are clarity and accuracy. Research findings support our 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.
What we examine
- 01Construction documents, plans, and details
- 02Constructability of the design
- 03Past and current building codes
- 04SB800 performance standards
- 05Product performance testing and literature
- 06Change orders and project costs
- 07Requests for information (RFIs)
What you receive
- Plan and detail analysis for constructability and code compliance
- Code compliance reviews
- SB800-related building inspections
- Change order, project cost, and RFI analysis for litigation