Synopsis
Nationwide 1.2 million new homes are constructed annually. When houses are built on a short time schedule, there are likely to be construction defects. While there is a national building code that deals with health and safety issues, there is no reference or authority that deals with residential workmanship until now.Experts say that 85% of new homes may have serious problems as do a significant number of home remodels. Often, defect disputes between homeowners and homebuilders result in costly court cases. Construction defect litigation negatively impacts the homebuilding industry and homeowners because it pushes insurance premiums higher and ultimately drives up the cost of new homes. Neither homeowners nor builders win when they go to court. With The Home Book, the principal author, David E. MacLellan and his two associate authors, accomplish what no other authors have previously done by compiling more than 300 residential workmanship guidelines into a single reference. The conditions addressed have historically been issues that result in construction defect litigation. The book is a rule book for both builders and homeowners. Responsibility for each condition is assigned either to the builder for non-performing construction or poor workmanship, or to the homeowner as a maintenance item. In addition, the book assists new homeowners in the preparation of their new home or remodel for landscaping, decking, patios, installation of ceiling fans and numerous other homeowner items.The Home Book is intentionally written for the layperson, and clearly outlines the building guidelines that should be met during the construction or remodel of a home. The authors have impressive credentials. David MacLellan is a nationally recognized expert in homebuilding related litigation and an author of four books on residential construction quality. He has 25 years of experience as a builder in home construction. In 2011, Mr. MacLellan was inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame. George Wolfson, AIA, has been involved in the design and construction of many large projects. Douglas Hansen is the principal author of the Code Check series of books. The Home Book is a culmination of three years extensive research in all 50 states with government building officials, industry experts, trade associations, and law firms specializing in homebuilding litigation.
About the Author
David MacLellan has been a homebuilder since 1969. He has constructed nearly all types of housing including apartments, condominiums, townhouses, mobile home parks, planned unit developments, semi-custom homes, and custom homes. Mr. MacLellan is an engineering graduate from Penn State University with both bachelor's and master's degrees. He is licensed in California and Oregon as a general and specialty building contractor. As a frequent speaker on the subject of construction problems and their remedies, Mr. MacLellan has lectured to numerous professional groups, including the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, the North Carolina Homebuilders Association and the Homebuilders Association of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He has founded 17 homeowner associations, and he served for nine years as President of the homeowner's association in the community where he lives. He has provided testimony in more than 300 lawsuits or disputes involving construction problems. Mr. MacLellan has been appointed as a Superior Court Referee concerning matters of land use and construction defects. His consulting firm, Pacific InterWest Building Consultants, Inc. operates in California, Oregon and Washington. Recently, Mr. MacLellan was inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame. George Wolfson is a licensed architect, general building contractor, and real estate broker whose professional career spans more than three decades. Mr. Wolfson holds both bachelors and masters degrees in architecture from the University of Houston and Columbia University respectively. His professional interest area within The American Institute of Architects includes Codes and Practices. As a principal in the consulting firm Builders Protective Network, Mr. Wolfson has engaged in over 300 operations including field investigations, destructive testing, providing remedial architectural drawings and mediating disputes between owners and builders. He has co-authored three industry publications with David MacLellan: the California Building Performance Guidelines for Residential Construction, The National Home Maintenance Manual, and The Handbook of Specifications and Scopes of Work for Trade Contractors.Douglas Hansen is the principal author of the Code Check series of field guides to building codes, with over 1 million copies in print. Mr. Hansen sits on the technical committee for Electrical Systems Maintenance of the National Fire Protection Association. The committee is responsible for NFPA 73 The Standard for Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings. Mr. Hansen conducts seminars throughout the country to inspectors, building departments, and electricians on building and electrical codes, construction defects, and inspection techniques. He has authored dozens of magazine articles and books. Mr. Hansen holds a general contractor's license and several International Code Council inspection certifications. He also serves as an expert witness in cases involving contractor and inspector standard of care, building codes, construction defects, and disclosure issues.
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