About Me

About Me


      I am an Expert Witness in Construction defects. I am a licensed Realtor and a contractor. I have been working in the business since 1998. 

Construction:

I actually started young in construction. My dad went into a wheel chair when I was ten. My parents were on a very tight budget and we had to remodel the house to accommodate a wheelchair. I ended up, at the direction of my dad, redoing the small kitchen. I built a wheelchair ramp in order to get him in and out of the house. It was the first bathroom I remodeled. I learned how to install a furnace, water heater and soldering copper. I learned a lot through my teens as I was the home maintenance guy for my parents. 

Through high school I took classes as an electrician. We would be let out of school during the day and go to a home sight and we would wire houses and learn the basics about electrical. 

 I graduated in 1998. I got a job framing houses. I learned a lot just from building the structures. I believe the best way to learn about construction is by being a framer. I was always around all the other trades. I learned the building codes. In 2002 the guy had worked for decided to move on and closed his business. I then started my own framing company. In 2005 my company was sub contracted to frame a hotel in Denali, Alaska for Princess Cruise Lines. They liked us so much that we were hired directly to manage and finish out the project.

When I returned home I began building homes from the ground up. I would try to hire things out but I was on a budget. I would get bids and if they were higher than the amount that was allotted in my construction loan budget, then I would just do it myself and pay myself the allotted amount. This was where I started learning how to do many things. 

     The market as everybody knows took a down turn end of 2007 into 2008. I had multiple properties on the market and took a big hit. I then turned my focus from new construction to doing remodels and finishing basements.  Many people were putting apartments in their basements to accommodate family members who had taken a hit from the recession.  We finished a lot of basements. 

Real Estate: 
    My greatest passion is buying homes. In 2002 I also got my real estate license. I got it mostly to buy land to build on. I would occasionally help someone who was wanting to buy a home. I didn't go looking for work. after the recession I shifted my focus on fixer uppers. Many people are afraid when walking into a run down mess that definitely needs love. I see them as a challenge but also as an open pallet.  I take these and I use my strong design sense to create something that is unique. I can walk into any house and find its potential. I can usually visualize exactly what I want as I'm walking through; though, sometimes there are pretty complex issues with some original design that takes some thinking. I am able to find frugal ways to fix things up and also give it that elegant feel that so many of us want.

Expert Witness: 

     Unfortunately, there is a lot of contractors out there who have lost pride in their work. It has shifted to quantity over quality. With this speed of production comes many mistakes. The most common mistakes are with roof installation at the roof to walls, diverter flashing's, head flashing's over window and doors, and many other flashings. The problem with improper installation or missing the flashings completely is that; even though Utah is the second dryest state in the America, it also has some of the wettest winters. This results in major water intrusion problems. We have homes that were brand new 10 years ago that are literally rotting from the inside out. That's where we come in. In Utah we are a contractor friendly state and the contractors are only required to warranty their work for 1 year. This leaves the home owner stuck with costly repairs that they should not be responsible for. What we have found though is that we can hold contractors liable for construction defects if pursued with in the statute of limitations. If you can provide enough proof of negligence in the construction of the home we are able to recoup some if not all of  the cost to then repair these properties for the homeowners. 

Even with what I do on a daily basis my greatest passion is still the design and remodel of my homes. 

     I feel everyone likes to be unique. You can own a track home in a developed neighborhood and still be unique. You can have that " something no one else has" it just takes creativity and vision. If you don't feel that you have that vision or creativity.


Disclaimer:

   I don't claim to be a writer. I am definitely not a grammar pro. I am new to this blog thing so bear with me as I work through this new adventure. 

If you made it this far. Thanks for reading 

You can follow me on my other pages for sneak peaks of projects or just to see my daily adventures. Or you can subscribe and have my adventures sent straight to your inbox




 

 

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