In 2003 a Soils Engineer I have know for many years gave me a call regarding a project on the San Manuel Indian Reservation. It involved a custom home that was being built that was having problems with a soil collapse at a utility trench.
Read MoreIt was an unbelievable home on Ocean Boulevard in Coronado, California. As with a lot of homes at the beach, because lot sizes are so small, many homes have basements. This particular home was only about three years old and had always had trouble with water leaking into the basement. The contractor that built the home had been trying in vain to find the source of the water intrusion since the beginning.
Read MoreAn attorney from Coronado called me a few years back and said a client of his was having a custom home built. He said he was not comfortable with the contract the General Contractor had given his client and since the client lived in another country and traveled all over the world as part of his vocation, he wanted me to do quality assurance and funding control for the project.
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My son, Brian L. Hill and I are collaborating on a construction consulting startup called mending wall (sg), or Mending Wall Solutions Group. Here is a recent blog post I wrote about my time with FEMA responding to claims following the terrible Northridge earthquake:
I was shocked at the number of homes that went up in the earthquake, shifted over a few inches and then came down with disastrous affects. The worst of all were the "soft story" apartment buildings that had car ports under them with the structure supported by steel pipes.Read More
From 1970 until 1994 I experienced and succeeded at building from the ground up. I enjoyed learning every trade in the industry and putting that knowledge and experience to use. I designed and built homes for speculation in the early seventies. I have designed and built custom homes for select people but the most fun and satisfaction I had was custom home remodeling.
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