WestCon Tribune
MARCH 2001
March News
UCFPL performance issues seminar series
It is that time again for electing a new Board of Directors. A ballot is enclosed in this issue of the Tribune along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. It is important that all paid members cast their vote by March 30, 2001. Also on the ballot is a re-vote of the number of meetings to be held per year which is being brought before the membership. Please take a moment to fill out the ballot and return it.
Westcon member Steve Saarman of Saarman Construction Ltd. will give his assessment of liability versus risk. He will be discussing how and when he feels a job reward becomes sufficient to accept the risks involved and when to be alerted to danger signs along the way.
Saarman Construction is a general contracting corporation specializing in defect reconstruction and repairs to multifamily, residential and commercial buildings.
Review - Symposium 2000
One hundred attendees took part in Westcon’s first all day symposium which was held on November 3, 2000. The symposium, entitled "Defects in Frame Buildings - How Can the Process Be Improved?", was formatted in six sections: Panel #1-Foundations; Panel #2-Structures; luncheon keynote speaker Judge John Marlo; Speaker Wes Page on waterproofing; Panel #3-Waterproofing; SpeakerTom Butt-Architect.
Summaries of the panels and presentations will be published in the next several issues of the Tribune. Review of Panel #2 - Structures was covered in the February Tribune.
Panel 3 - Waterproofing
The following is a synopsis of the discussion that followed the outline that was provided at the Symposium.
Adequate funding is required to erect a building that will function as intended; all to frequently, however, project drawings lack sufficient details to establish budgets at the proper financial level. This results in a contracting process that is forced to accept the lowest bidders, who in turn will not have the resources to supply the "missing" components and whose work, although built to plans and specifications, will most likely be faulty. What can be done to correct this problem? The panel members suggested that the following are the minimum steps required to construct a watertight building:
1. The Owner must contract for a complete set of construction documents from the Design Professional (DP) a complete set of plans that incorporates sufficient details to properly define quality, quantity and the interrelationship of the components. The DP should provide drawings that are as equal in complexity as the building that is designed, a "builders’ set" is not sufficient. A DP is held to a very high standard of care and a "builder’s set" does not meet the standard of care for a DP.
2. The DP must provide a constructible set of drawings that are sufficiently complete as the building is complex.
3. The details must be kept as simple as possible.
4. The materials specified and detailed must be compatible. This requires the manufacturers to test the assembly for which their products are being marketed.
5. The General Conditions should include a provision for third party monitoring, inspection and or testing of the waterproofing components to be installed.
6. The specifications must be complete and reference the Quality Control section.
7. Submittals and shop drawings should be prepared by each trade to demonstrate the integration of their products and work with the other work preceding, following and adjacent to their work. Anyone that professes to know a trade is held to a "higher standard". The contractor and the sub-contractor are therefore professionals and are also to be held to a standard of care. They must recognize not only what is in a detail; they must be able to identify what is missing from the detail. A competent trade contractor will have read and studied the Construction Documents and product installation literature; and thoroughly understand the pertinent codes and standards that affect his work.
8. A pre-construction meeting should be required to include the Owner, Architect, General Contractor, all trades related to waterproofing/roofing, including the manufacturer, and Quality Control personnel to discuss the requirements of each trade allowing for correction and re-design if necessary. The pre-job conference and the submittal process are the mechanisms in which the contractors and the manufacturers have the opportunity to discuss compatibility of building components, sequencing of work, missing components, etc. The failure to resolve the issues prior to installation creates the perfect recipe for failure, leaks, and lawsuits.
9. Mock-ups should be made and tested.
10. The trade contractor must institute a quality control program and implement that program in the field.
11. All waterproofing should be flood tested for 24 and preferably 48 hours. The Owner, Architect or third party Quality Control personnel should document the successful test. After the finishes are installed re-testing is recommended to establish that the membrane remains watertight and no damage occurred during placing of the overburden.
12. If testing of all work is not practical, e.g., the exterior walls, then a mock-up should be made and tested and at least the first phase of the project should be rigorously tested.
Westcon would like to welcome three new members:
Richard Avelar, Richard Avelar Associates. The company, founded in 1976 consists of seven architects, five general contractors and a support staff of thirteen. Mr. Avelar and his company provide expert forensic architectural and general construction consulting services. The firm also provides repair design and design/build services, as well as construction contract administration.
Rick Holsinger with R.A. Holsinger Engineering has been providing soil and geotechnical engineering services to the community since 1975. Mr. Holsinger is also a licensed General Contractor. Some of the services the company offers are: Geotechnical Site Explorations, Construction Quality Inspections, Laboratory Studies and Testing Programs, Engineering Analysis, Expert Consultations and Project Management. Mr. Holsinger has provided services for residential, commercial, and industrial projects, dams, pipelines and roads, mining facilities, and power plants. He is a consultant on landslides, foundation movements and drainage problems as well as on distress and damage to structures associated with geotechnical factors or construction quality.
Ron Perez, of R. Perez, Jr. & Associates, is based in Napa Provides plumbing and heating services specializing in leak and sound detection. Mr. Perez has been an expert witness for both plaintiff and defense on all types of plumbing and heating matters. and has been a consultant to insurance companies, low firms, banks, homeowners associations, developers, architects, contractors, and agencies. Mr. Perez helped to build Napa Woodstoves which specializes in all aspect of installation and inspection of wood, pellet, and gas stoves and inserts.
Wednesday, March 21
GREEN DESIGN & SPECIFICATIONS: FOCUS ON THE CONSTRUCTION WASTE PROCESS
CSI Audio Exchange program
Interactive telephone/internet seminar 11:00am - 12:30pm
Instructor: Rebecca Foss, EcoDesign Resource Inc.
Discover methods used to determine what process is right and enforceable for a project.
Learn how to work with demolition and waste management contractors to effect change in the building process.
Explore writing and holding specifications for sound construction waste programs, and the costs and intricacies involved.
For more information: Call (800) 689-2900
APRIL 5 - 6, 2001
Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Topics:
o Licensing
o Bidding
o Construction Contracts
o Breach of Contracts
o Construction Claims
o Construction Defect, Insurance and Indemnity Issues
o Expanding Liability in the Construction Industry
o Statutory Remedies: Mechanics’ Liens, Stop Notices and Bonds on Private Works of Improvements
o Statutory Remedies on Public Works (State and Federal)
o Alternative Dispute Resolution
More information: Call: (800) 826-7155
May 11, 2001
UCFPL PERFORMANCE ISSUES SEMINAR SERIES
DURABILITY OF STRUCTURAL PANELS
8:00am - 5:00pm Lunch included
Richmond, CA
Topics
The Basics of Structural Panels - Products, Processes, p Installation and Codes.
Engineering Primer - What Must Structural Panels Do?
Biological Degradation of Structural Panels
Physical Properties of Structural Panels
Performance Concerns
Performance Limitations - An Industry Perspective
Panel Discussion
Speakers include: Ed Diekmann - Consulting Structural Engineer, Professor Peter Laks - Michigan Technological University / School of Forestry and Wood Products, Don Thompson - DTA, Inc., Steve Winistorfer - TECO Corporation, Steven Zylkowski - APA - The Engineered Wood Association, Dr. Stephen Quarles -UC Forest Products Laboratory
More information: Steve Quarles at (510) 215-4215
or Email: steve.quarles@ucop.edu
IDEAS? If you would like to give a presentation to Westcon, or have ideas or topics you would like discussed, please notify Fred Field, Program Director at (415) 485–5882. All suggestions are welcome!
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Send submittals to Rikki Field at Box 305, Ross, CA 94957: (415) 451–4897