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Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Principal / CEO, CCA

Recent Posts

Construction Defect Litigation: Hiring an Expert Witness

[fa icon="calendar'] May 11, 2021 9:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Great expert witnesses are a critical part of a construction defect litigation team from start to finish. They can make or break your case, so it is critical to work with an expert who understands the technical side of the case and who can communicate clearly and objectively with all parties involved.

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Construction Defect Litigation: The Critical Role of the Expert Forensic Witness

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 12, 2021 9:45:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Expert witnesses are a critical part of construction defect cases, whether the outcome of a case is determined through a trial or arbitration. Attorneys rely heavily on expert witnesses to support them in understanding the facts of the case, the cause of the defect, and what is required to repair the defect.

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Construction Defect Mediation vs. Arbitration

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 9, 2021 1:00:00 PM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Mediation and arbitration are two types of alternative dispute resolution that are often confused. Both are options for sorting out conflicts in construction defect cases, usually without having to involve a court of law. It is helpful to understand the differences between mediation and arbitration to decide which is most appropriate for a particular situation.

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Hurricane resistant homes: why they aren't being constructed more frequently.

[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 16, 2018 11:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Last year was the United States’ most costly on record for weather-related disasters. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather-related damages in 2017 totaled a staggering $306 billion.

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CCA Launches Project Portal

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 16, 2018 12:00:00 PM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Construction Defect Litigation Claims Investigations Catastrophe Management Building Evaluations Consulting and Design

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Waterproofing: From Roof to Foundation

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 18, 2017 10:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Severe weather can cause extensive damage to a building’s roof, foundation, and interiors. If there is a breach in a structure's envelope, water is likely to find its way into the building. This is why it is critical to make a structure water resistant from top to bottom. 

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After Years of Decline, Asbestos Use is on the Rise

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 11, 2017 11:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Do not believe that asbestos is not being used in building products that you specify or construct.  Contrary to popular belief asbestos is not illegal in the U.S.  According to the EPA many building products can be manufactured with asbestos.

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Every layer matters. A holistic approach to quality control can be useful.

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 7, 2017 10:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

Whose fault was it? This is a frequently asked question when an exterior wall leaks, rots, or falls down. During a construction failure investigation, contractors often highlight the defects of other trades that affected their work. Defects include those that were documented during construction but not corrected. This may be due to timing and scheduling constraints.

Often the findings from building failures are then used going forward as best practices for new construction. However, those learned best practices should not be the only guideline. Critical areas that need to be addressed include the points of intersection, as many times there are multiple layers of building materials which are put in place by various subcontractors. This step is known as a pre-covering inspection. A pre-covering inspection of each layer at each wall area would be ideal, so problems at each layer do not accumulate, influence other layers, or get concealed.

The following article looks at examples of pre-covering inspection criteria to illustrate the influence each layer may have. Continue reading….

 

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Stricter Building Codes Saved Florida’s Commercial Buildings from Irma’s Wrath

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 28, 2017 10:00:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

 

Hurricane Irma bore down hard on single-family homes, severely damaging many. At the end of September residential insurance claims had been cited around a half-million. The story, however is quite different for commercial and industrial buildings where insurance claims had been cited around 25,000.

This is mainly due to the stricter building codes that were put in place following the wrath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. “Designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 175 mph, the Florida building code is the accepted benchmark for hurricane protection nationally.”

“Florida significantly strengthened its defenses after hits from past major hurricanes, and those improvements were instrumental in helping the state weather this potentially devastating storm,” Levy notes. “As a result, damage to Florida commercial real estate is relatively minor outside of the Keys.”

Continue to full article….

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Increasing Demand for Hotels keeps Construction Boom Going

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 5, 2017 10:50:00 AM / by Mark McGivern, CSI, Aff. M. ASCE

The hotel business continues to reach new heights with greater and greater demand for more occupancy. As such, developers continue to build and open new hotels across the country. 

In fact, according to a recent article in National Real Estate Investor, the number of new hotel rooms planned for this year is up 9% as of the end of September. 

Room demand is at an all time high. "The U.S. hotel industry - through August - has sold more rooms than ever before." This is mostly due to the U.S. economy being relatively strong: "Healthy corporate profits continue to create demand for business travel. And because unemployment is relatively low and the purchasing power of many families is strong, consumers continue to travel for leisure. The damage created by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma also inflated the demand for hotel rooms in Texas and Florida, as people whose homes were damaged needed to find other places to stay."

Continue reading full article here. 

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