Since the Mayan Apocalypse didn’t occur on December 21, 2012 – though perhaps like construction projects the apocalypse is merely delayed – we need to be concerned about changes in California law that become effective on January 1, 2013. One important change for construction industry professionals is Senate Bill 474. SB 474 substantially changes […]
Category Archives: Construction Newsletters
Effective January 1, 2011 (yes, about 40 days ago), the requirements for a mechanic’s lien changed. One practical consequence of these recent changes is that use of prior forms may result in an unenforceable mechanic’s lien. Of course, we’ve implemented these changes in the mechanic’s liens we’ve prepared or reviewed this year for our clients. […]
Owners often give contractors oral directives in the field to proceed with work that may go beyond existing scope and justify an increase in contract price. Equally often, the contract requires that all change orders must be in writing and signed. However, preparation of formal change orders may take weeks to wend through the owner’s […]
Contractors bidding a fixed price or guaranteed maximum price contract necessarily must make assumptions about job conditions that will affect their bid price. Usually the contractor can obtain information from the owner (plans and specs) or on its own (job walk). However, some conditions cannot easily be observed before actual construction starts. These conditions literally […]