Winter is coming: First decrease in construction costs in a decade

Construction Dive published an article recently highlighting the measurable decrease in construction costs. Based on the Turner Building Cost Index, it would appear that nonresidential building construction costs dropped 1.01% from the first quarter of 2020 compared to the second. This means that there are more companies than usual bidding on each available project, which … Continue reading Winter is coming: First decrease in construction costs in a decade →

What You See Is What You Get, even with balconies

Over at the Xpera Blog, you can find the latest of my articles on the required inspections for multifamily residential balcony inspections mandated by law in California as a result of the tragic and fatal balcony collapse in Berkeley about 5 years ago. In multi-family residential buildings, Exterior Elevated Elements (EEEs), such as balcony decks, … Continue reading What You See Is What You Get, even with balconies →

And we’re back… Time sure flies when you’re doing billable work!

If by any chance you've visited AECforensics.com lately, you might not have noticed anything new for a period of nearly a year and a half. It isn't that I didn't write anything or somehow gave up writing about the latest trends impacting quality and risk management in the built environment. In fact, I've written several … Continue reading And we’re back… Time sure flies when you’re doing billable work! →

As deadline approaches, majority of San Francisco’s mandatory seismic retrofits not yet even permitted

According to J.K. Dineen at the SF Chronicle: With five months to go before a Sept. 15 deadline to pull permits for the work, owners of nearly 52 percent of “tier three” buildings — wood-frame structures of between five and 15 units — have yet to submit permit applications. That’s the first step in the … Continue reading As deadline approaches, majority of San Francisco’s mandatory seismic retrofits not yet even permitted →

Could self-healing bio-concrete reduce future construction defect claims?

As nerdy as it probably sounds, I can't even begin to put into words how excited I am for products like this. Back in January of 2014, I wrote about the winners of the 2013 Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge, including the inventors of self-healing bio-concrete. Cracked concrete is a frequent allegation in construction … Continue reading Could self-healing bio-concrete reduce future construction defect claims? →