Construction Law

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have recently announced new residential construction statistics for February 2016.  According to the data, building permits for privately-owned housing units in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,167,000, down 3.1…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, total construction spending for January 2016 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,140.8 billion.  This rate is an increase of 1.5 percent from the revised December estimate of $1,123.5 billion.  Compared…

Quite often, ambitious contractors sign contracts full of legalese without fully knowing the contract’s meaning or its ramifications.  Even experienced contractors may find themselves in uncharted territory when faced with owner-issued directives seemingly changing the scope of the contract.  Especially confounding are changes to the…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have recently announced new residential construction statistics for January 2016.  According to the data, building permits for privately-owned housing units in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,202,000, down 0.2…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, total construction spending for December 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,116.6 billion.  This rate is up 0.1 percent from the revised November estimate of $1,116.0 billion.  When compared to…

When I review subcontracts for clients, it is not uncommon to see change order clauses including language such as, “no change order is effective unless it is in writing and signed by the contractor’s project manager.”  Likewise, it is not uncommon for up-stream contractors or…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have recently announced new residential construction statistics for December 2015.  According to the data, building permits for privately-owned housing units in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,232,000, down 3.9…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, total construction spending for November 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,122.5 billion, a decrease of 0.4 percent from the revised October estimate of $1,127.0 billion.  Compared to a year…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have recently announced new residential construction statistics for November 2015.  According to the data, building permits for privately-owned housing units in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,289,000, up 11.0…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, total construction spending for October 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,107.4 billion.  This rate is an increase of 1.0 percent from the revised September estimate of $1,096.6 billion.  Compared…