Archive for the ‘Around The Web’ Category

Scott Wolfe Quoted in New Orleans City Business Article About Delays When Paying Subcontractors

On August 11, 2011 Author By Scott Wolfe Jr

Scott Wolfe Jr. Construction LawyerSubcontractor non-payment is something very familiar to me. It’s been written about here on the Construction Law Monitor (especially with regard to how pay when paid clauses affect subcontractor payments), and it’s something my other blog (the Construction Lien Blog) focuses on exclusively in its discussion of mechanic liens.

So it’s no surprise that New Orleans City Business magazine contacted me to discuss how the law can help and hurt subcontractors who are frustrated when waiting for payments to trickle down from the owner.  The article can be found on City Business’ website (subscription required) here:  Subcontractors grow tired of waiting on delayed job payments.

The article’s author, Ben Myers, does a great job of capturing the friction between general contractors and subcontractors on the subject of payment. General contractors complain that getting payment can be complex and time consuming because that’s how money trickles through, and that subcontractors should be taking the risk for their portions of the work.  Subcontractors complain that they are bullied around and “pay when paid” provisions sometimes leave them drowning because of problems the general has completely unrelated to their work.

It’s a real complicated mess – and the article gets both sides on the subject and helps explain the complications.

Posted in:     Around The Web, Payment Requirements  /  Tags: , , , , , ,   /   Leave a comment

Your Mechanics Lien Resource Treasure Trove

On June 23, 2011 Author By Scott Wolfe Jr

Mechanics Liens used to be a cornerstone topic on this blog; meaning I would write an article about filings, foreclosing and/or litigating a mechanics lien quite frequently. In fact, over the years I sort of consider myself a “lien guy.”  Insofar as construction law goes, mechanic lien and state or federal bond claims has sort of become my thing.

So, where has all of the mechanic lien posts gone?!

If you’re a reader of this blog but not my other blog – The Construction Lien Blog – you may be wondering.  But as you can gather from the blog’s title, a few years ago I created a separate blog focused on lien issues across the country, and post very regularly there on the topic.

As I exhaust the subject on that blog, and don’t to duplicate postings from there over here, most of my mechanic lien and bond claim talk is done on the Construction Lien Blog.  So, if you’re interest in lien laws (and if you are a construction participant or construction law person, lien laws are super important), I recommend you take a look at this other blog.

To give you a more direct path to relevant information, here are the articles posted on the construction lien laws in the states where Wolfe Law Group practices.

Also, be sure to check out these other resources providing through the lien and notice preparation and management company I founded in 2007, Zlien:

Posted in:     Around The Web, From The Experts, Mechanics Lien, Miller Act Claims, State Bond Claims  /  Tags: , , , , , , ,   /   2 Comments

Construction Law Monitor An Expert on Mike Rowe Works’ Trades Hub

On April 20, 2011 Author By Scott Wolfe Jr

Mike Rowe Trades Hub Promo PhotoMike Rowe, the host of the Emmy-nominated Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs, today launched Trades Hub, publishing resources and content from writers and bloggers in the construction industry for folks from all types of trades.

The Construction Law Monitor (and our sister Construction Lien Blog) has been chosen to take part in the Trades Hub.

Trades Hub is an extension the the mikeroweWorks website, which is “dedicated to championing the cause of hard workers and reinvigorating the skilled trades.” The tag line: Mike Rowe Is No Expert, But He Knows Where To Find Them.

Here is the press release from the mrW website:

Mike Rowe Is No Expert, But He Knows Where to Find Them

After being an apprentice on nearly 300 dirty jobs, Mike Rowe is still no expert, but he sure knows where to find them. In 2008, Mike launched mikeroweWORKS, a website dedicated to championing the cause of hard workers and reinvigorating the skilled trades. Since then, mrW has provided resources, news, and a community forum for folks from all kinds of trades. Now, with the launch of the Trades Hub, the goals of mrW can be expanded even further and across many more website portals.

Think of Trade Hubs as a “first cousin” to mrW. With this new platform, we’ll be able to pull together even more experts from such diverse trade fields as construction, plumbing, landscaping, manufacturing, machinery and HVAC just to name a few.

Here’s what you can look for at the Trades Hub:

More High Quality Content: The mrW Trades Hub will be pulling together all kinds of blogs, articles and news stories relating to the trades, by the trades and for the trades. They will be updated throughout the day.

One Stop Shop: With an easy to navigate site, users will be able to quickly source out those areas of interest that appeal to them on any given day. The links will take them right to where they want to go without sorting through all kinds of search engine pages for the right site.

Finding the Diamond in the Rough: When you consider the millions of new pages and posts uploaded across the internet everyday it’s hard to find the best representations for your interests. Trade Hubs takes internet searching to the next level by identifying those popular blog and websites that might normally go unnoticed if you’re not a regular subscriber.

Building Up the Trades Community: “The skills gap is a real concern that’s getting more worrisome every day. Fewer skilled tradesmen in the workforce will affect us all. Younger folks need to have a better understanding of how they can benefit from learning a trade, and parents need to encourage their kids to consider this worthwhile and important path. mrW strives to reinvigorate the trades. The mrW Trades Hub will help us in that effort.”

mikeroweWORKS would like to thank Tony Karrer with assistance from John Sonnhalter for their efforts in getting the Trades Hub up and running.

Visit the site at http://tradeshub.mikeroweworks.com. Below is a screen shot of the site.

Screenshot of Mike Rowe Works Trades Hub Website

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Tokyo Buildings Stand up to Quake

On March 14, 2011 Author By Seth Smiley

Over the weekend much of the world gazed horrifically at the sights coming out of Japan in the wake if the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. One of the amazing and hopeful sights was to see that the buildings in Tokyo and other cities lived up to the “bend but don’t break” motto.

Shocking video taken shows that the buildings did just as designed and withstood the earth’s movement. Japan is an area of the world that has dealt with numerous earthquakes in its past, therefore has adapted very stringent building codes. These undoubtedly saved lives this weekend.

Apparently, in 1979 and 2000 Japan made monumental changes in its building codes which made buildings all the more safe. Buildings built after these changes even advertise as to higher safety and citizens pay a higher premium to live there.

Engineering experts say that the buildings performed just as designed. Some are designed to sway just as a tall tree in the wind. The foundations of skyscrapers are constructed upon steel and rubber shock absorbers which allow for the buildings to move along with the earth.

The New York Times posted a very informative article on how the Japanese government has made attempts to prevent disaster effects and make its citizens safer.

Strict building codes are in place for a reason and governments should constantly be looking for new technology to help make our lives safer and more efficient. For earthquake prone areas like the U.S. west coast, the weekend events should be a big learning lesson.

Posted in:     Around The Web, Construction News, Washington  /  Tags: , ,   /   Leave a comment

Bill Bryson’s New Book Has Treasures For Construction Industry

On November 29, 2010 Author By Scott Wolfe Jr

At Home: A Short History of Private LifeI’m a big fan of Bill Bryson’s books.   I first fell in love with his writings by reading A Short History of Nearly Everything.  The book is as advertised.

A couple of weeks ago, Bryson released a book with a less ambitious subject:   At Home:  A Short History of Private Life.   The point here is that Bryson goes through his own English home, examining the history of our normal everyday lives by examining each room and the room’s associated history.

As a general reader, I recommend the book because Bryson is such an enchanting writer, and this book is packed with interesting information.   The book has special interest to folks like me, who are connected in some form with the construction industry.

In At Home, from time to time, Bryson talks about the history of certain construction styles, methods and materials.   We learn about the history of the brick (it’s older than architecture would let on), for example, and why windows aren’t very popular until recent modern times (there was a tax on glass).

So, if you’re in the construction industry or associated with it in any way, and you’re looking for a leisure book to read, put At Home on your list.

Posted in:     Around The Web, Construction News  /  Tags: ,   /   Leave a comment
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