Sustainable Construction

Sustainable “green” construction is in the news and here to stay.

Here at Construction Law Musings, we like to keep up with the world of sustainable construction and the legal issues that face contractors, subcontractors and even construction lawyers relating to this growing field. The topics range from LEED certification issues to potential risks and rewards of “green” building and how to draft your construction contract to plan for such risks and take advantage of the rewards.

These posts are not just my “musings,” but those of many individuals who have posted in the Guest Post Friday series. I hope that you will check out the posts below (or click here if on a mobile device) and let me know your thoughts.

Deadline Nears for “Green Performance Bond” Implementation

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 1 Comment

Originally posted 2015-12-07 09:38:21. For this weeks Guest Post Friday at Musings, we welcome Surety Bonds.com, a leading online surety provider. SuretyBonds.com specializes in educating current and prospective business owners about local surety requirements. To keep up with surety bond trends, follow and Surety Bonds Insider blog and @suretybond on Twitter. Professionals who work in

A Few Green Building Notes

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 3 Comments

Originally posted 2017-08-10 10:29:17. This past week, the blogosphere (if that’s even the word these days) has been abuzz about green building and the value that green can add to a project. Three items in particular (among many) got my attention. The first of these was the fact that a new private sustainability rating system

Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 0 Comments

Originally posted 2022-03-18 09:00:20. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, I welcome an old friend and past Guest Post Friday contributor, Mike Collignon. Mike is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Green Builder® Coalition. He engages in national and state-level advocacy and publishes regular content for Green Builder® Media. Mike is also the Chair

Mandatory Energy Benchmarking is On Its Way

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 2 Comments

Originally posted 2011-04-04 09:59:55. Image via Wikipedia We have discussed the issue of benchmarking and energy reporting on several occasions here at Musings. As the January 18, 2010 issue of ENR Magazine discusses, now cities and states are getting on board in a big way. Washington, D.C. began requiring building owners to use the EPA

Communicate Right: Communicate and Write

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 1 Comment

Originally posted 2015-02-09 09:51:26. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, we welcome back Melissa Dewey Brumback. Melissa is a North Carolina construction lawyer and a partner at Ragsdale Liggett in Raleigh. She mostly represents architects and engineers in construction-related lawsuits. She also guides owners, developers, general contractors, and designers in drafting effective, efficient contract documents

Contractors and Green Building: I feel the need … the need for LEED!

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Christopher G. Hill • 16 Comments

Originally posted 2010-12-03 09:00:24. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes Ryan Bowers (@ryanbbowers). Ryan is a construction law attorney and business litigator. Ryan’s construction practice draws on his years of hands-on experience in the construction field, which predates his practice of law. He also maintains Law under Construction, a blog built for Indiana construction

Musings: Moving or Going into a New Service Area, There is More to It Than Just…

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Christopher G. Hill • 2 Comments

Originally posted 2014-08-08 09:00:50. For this week’s Guest Post Friday here at Construction Law Musings, we would like to welcome back (again) Sean Lintow Sr. (@The_HTRC) Sean has over 20 years in the construction and project management fields. As many know he pulled up stakes and moved to the State of Illinois almost a year

CALGreen. It’s finally here. Now what?

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Christopher G. Hill • 7 Comments

Originally posted 2017-03-22 13:35:13. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes Imad Naffa. Imad was the Founder and President of NAFFA International, a private Building Code Services firm in Fresno, CA. He is also the Developer and Administrator of the Building Code Discussions Group (BCDG), one of the largest building code online communities on

Certification Bodies: Who Are They And How Do I Do Business With Them?

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Christopher G. Hill • 2 Comments

Originally posted 2016-01-14 14:20:31. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes back Doug Reiser (@douglasreiser) for the fourth time. Doug is a construction attorney, LEED AP and the principal at Reiser Legal PLLC in Seattle, WA. His office provides construction counsel for businesses in the construction industry. He also runs the Builders Counsel, a blog focused

Random Thoughts on LEED Challenges and De-certification

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Christopher G. Hill • 7 Comments

Originally posted 2010-05-10 09:00:01. Here at Musings, we have discussed the issues to do with LEED de-certification because of energy reporting (or lack thereof) by the owner of the building. Remember the italicized portion of this last sentence, because the de-certification discussion has taken a new turn. Now, not only can the Owner of a