Drywall and Plaster Trades
We represented a drywall subcontractor in a claim against a general contractor for delay, disruption and labor inefficiency costs arising out of construction of the E.A. Conway Hospital project in Monroe, Louisiana. The case was tried before special masters and resulted in a substantial award to the drywall subcontractor and against the general contractor.
We represented a drywall subcontractor in an action to collect sums owed from a general contractor performing construction on a U.S. military facility. The general contractor was undergoing financial difficulty, and its payment bond surety was also an entity of questionable solvency. Despite these problems, we recovered all sums which were due and owing on the project for the subcontractor.
We assisted a drywall contractor in the preparation of numerous claims on a variety of different construction projects, and all these claims have been successfully negotiated without the necessity of litigation. In a recent example, we assisted our client in negotiating an addition to its subcontract amount approaching six figures for delays incident to the construction of a project in North Carolina. We serve as general counsel for this drywall contractor, assisting in the review of subcontracts and negotiating changes where necessary.
We have advised a large drywall and prefabricated panel systems subcontractor, with offices throughout the Southeast, concerning claims due to delays in the installation of drywall on school and hospital projects.
We represented a prefabricated panel manufacturer in claims against the general contractor and the state of North Carolina. The claims arose out of the exterior sheathing of a building, involving brick tiles on a prefabricated Durock panel (a USG product) in lieu of a competing Laticrete system.
We represented a large prime contractor in a dispute with a drywall subcontractor and its surety to collect completion costs after the drywall subcontractor was terminated on an Embassy Suites Hotel project. We were able to successfully settle the case before trial, and our client received approximately $450,000.
We represented a general contractor in a dispute arising out of finish work on a 50,000 s.f. office. The drywall subcontractor claimed several hundred thousand dollars against the general contractor, but the case was settled favorably near the start of arbitration.
We represented a general contractor in an action brought by condominium homeowners relating to claimed construction defects in a residential project located in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Among the issues were alleged installation defects in the installation of the "dryvit" building skin. The issues involved application techniques, joint placement and engineering, system anchorage, and leaks. The case was settled prior to trial.
We represented a general contractor in a large ($5 million) dispute on a middle school project. Part of the dispute involved claims that the drywall was installed out of sequence (before the building was dried in), and subsequently damaged by the weather, requiring removal and replacement.
We represented a condominium homeowners association against developers, seeking recovery of costs incurred during a complete replacement of the exterior stucco skin of five buildings. The original installation was plaster stucco over steel studs. Among other things, the stud installation was improperly engineered and the studs used were not galvanized, as required by the plans and specifications. The stucco, penetrable to moisture, had allowed water intrusion, which corroded the studs and underlying mesh. The stucco was removed and replaced with a synthetic system, at a cost of almost $5 million, all of which was awarded to our client in a jury verdict.
We represented a general contractor against a drywall and plastering subcontractor in an action arising out of defective work performed on a hospital project in Bradenton, Florida. The issues involved defective patching, installation, and coverage of a synthetic stucco building exterior. We settled through court ordered mediation, keeping most of the subcontractor's retainage.
We represented a general contractor in an action brought against both the general contractor and owner of a project under construction in downtown Augusta, Georgia by an adjacent landowner. The neighbor contended that the application of the "Stowe" synthetic stucco exterior of the building was creating particles which dispersed in the air, negatively affecting his automobile painting business. A related contention involved the alleged "non biodegradable" nature of the particles. The issues involved application techniques, shelf life of the synthetic stucco product, length of time between substrate installation and plaster, and alternate construction/protection techniques. The case was settled very favorably to our client.
We represented a developer of luxury high rise condominiums in South Florida, most of which have synthetic stucco exteriors. Many issues arise with respect to quality of finish, manufacturers' recommendations, paint or sealants applied over the finishes, "stucco holidays," joint placement, patching, and application techniques.
We represented the developer and owner of a substantial nursing home project in a claim made by a general contractor involving coordination between the mechanical, electrical and drywall contractors. Questions of drywall quality and finish were also in dispute.
Many of our cases involve the coordination of major subcontractor trades, and include issues regarding installation of studs and drywall. Issues of close up inspections, sequencing of trades, finishing criteria, damaged work, and scheduling are common to most of our commercial construction cases.
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