Noted author and business attorney, Peter Siviglia, once said: "In this world, … there are two forms of writing: creative (such as novels, plays, and poetry) and expository (such as treatises, letters, memorandums, and briefs). I’ve tried both and prefer a third: contracts, which do not entertain, do not convey information or ideas, and do not try to
What Are the Benefits of LEED Certification? Some Say Benefits Don’t Justify High Costs
As a follow-up to my post yesterday about the costs of LEED certification, I was not surprised to read the following lead line in a local newspaper in Cary, North Carolina:
"Cary wants to be green. Just not certifiable."
According to the article, the local town council voted to skip the green building certification process because of the high costs. "If
What Are the Real Costs of LEED Certification? You May Be Surprised.
Most owner and developers would imagine that the most significant costs of LEED certification are the front-end registration and back-end submittal costs. Are they correct? Depends.
Environmental Building News prepared a primer on the costs of LEED certification for commercial construction. As noted in the article, LEED certification includes various costs that must be considered separately
Nashville Flood Recovery: Do I Need A Building Permit for Repairs?
Short answer: Yes.
While most of the best practices that I talk about here involve commercial developments, today’s post applies both to residential and commercial projects. It’s been two weeks since the historic flooding in Nashville and there is a lot of cleaning up and repair to be done. On Friday, I received an alert from
From Chickens to Contractors: Leadership Lessons from Chick-Fil-A’s Leadercast
Last week I attended Chick-Fil-A’s Leadercast, which included some of today’s greatest leaders such as Tony Dungy, John Maxwell, Ed Bastien and Dr. Ben Carson. The Leadercast is about developing leaders at all levels, positions and stages.
Whether you are working with 1000s of employees, 100s of clients, 10 project managers, or
OSHA Expands Eyes and Ears on Construction Projects
Today, the U.S. Departement of Labor’s OSHA announced that it is seeking to team up with local bulding inspectors in an effort to increase safety and avoid serious accidents and fatalities on construction sites. The pilot program seeks to partner OSHA with building inspector teams in the following 11 cities:
- Austin, Texas
- Boise, Idaho
- Cincinnati, Ohio
Nashville Flood Waters Recede: What To Do About Insurance Claims, Business Recovery and Home Repairs
On Saturday, it rained … and rained … and rained.
On Sunday, it flooded.
On Monday, I took off from work to help stage a shelter at my local church for a number of Nashville flood victims.
On Tuesday, I spent part of the day with displaced residents whose homes were completely demolished. I spent the rest of
The Top Three Causes of Disputes on a Construction Project
Earlier this week, I was talking with fellow attorney who does not practice construction law. At one point in our conversation, he threw out a goocher of a question: "I know this is a hard question, but what do you think causes most of the disputes on a construction project? I am sure there could be
DBIA Tackles Design-Build Best Practices and Integrated Project Delivery
Yesterday, the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) released three position statements that were approved during the April 19, 2010 meeting of its Board of Directors. According to its website, DBIA promotes the value of design-build project delivery systems and teaches the effective integration of design and construction services. DBIA’s position statements on these issues
Helping the “Homeless” Homeless: Nashville’s Most Devastated Flood Victims
Many of you have seen the devastation on the news about families all over Middle Tennesse who have displaced from their homes. Two of the groups that have received little to no attention in the media are the homeless and lower income populations throughout Nashville. Tent City has been destroyed and these people have lost