Legal Claims for Defective Hardwood Floor Installation
Understanding the cause of your defective hardwood floor installation and pursuing your legal claims against your contractor or subcontractor who installed the hardwood floor.
The Importance of Preserving Lien Rights
Lien Rights in the Pacific Northwest With construction still booming in the Pacific Northwest despite countervailing economic forces at play, we will likely see an increase in late payments and defaults to our creditor clients who provide labor or materials on these projects. Fortunately, we can usually file a mechanic’s lien that gives our…
The Stay at Home Order & Lien Deadlines
The Stay at Home Order Does Not Affect Lien Deadlines On March 23, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee, as many other states’ governors have done since, issued a “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order affecting all Washingtonians. This order effectively halted a significant portion of pending construction projects throughout Washington. In a statement issued on…
Washington’s Non-Essential Construction Order
How to Comply with Washington’s Non-Essential Construction Order On March 23, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee announced a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. Pursuant to this order, Governor Inslee prohibited all non-essential businesses from operating. However, the prohibition did not apply to “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers,” which many construction companies and industry groups initially…
New Washington State Law Regarding Public Works Projects
This past summer a new law took effect in Washington that will make it easier and more appealing for a general contractor to accept a smaller public works project. Until now, if a general contractor was performing work with a total contract value equal to or less than $35,000 or less, the public body would…
What to do when your remodel project is in trouble
Remodeling your home is a great way to build equity in your property while creating a more comfortable and more livable space for you and your family. But a home remodel project can easily run into trouble, especially when economic times are good because a good economy means well-qualified contractors are busy – and that…
What are construction defects?
Construction defects vary greatly in nature, scope, and consequence. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the most serious construction defects often involve inadequate waterproofing of the “building envelope”: a roof that leaks, windows and doors installed without critical head flashings, poor installation of the weather-resistive barrier that should be applied before the siding is installed, or…
Why file a lien?
The importance of liens in securing payment on construction projects cannot be overstated. Washington’s lien law was enacted primarily to safeguard contractors’, material suppliers’, and laborers’ rights to payment on construction projects. Failing or refusing to utilize Washington’s lien procedures could turn out to be a catastrophic mistake. At times, having a valid lien in…
What is a property lien?
In the broadest sense, a lien is a legal right or interest that a creditor has in another’s property. Usually, creditors use liens to secure payment of debts. There are many different types of liens. For example, there are judgment liens, construction liens, crop liens, and various labor liens. There are also various regulations that…
How does a lien sale work?
The purpose of every construction lien is to secure payment. But, there are times when there are no funds to pay lien claimants. In these situations, lien claimants may have to enforce their lien, which can mean having to file a lawsuit, obtain a specific type of judgment, and sell the property to which the…