About Steve Hill
Steve Hill, founder and president of Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc., has four decades of experience in all phases of construction. Below is a brief overview of his construction experience. You can also request a copy of his most recent curriculum vitae (CV) via the contact form.
Steve Hill Construction 1977 – 1993
As the owner of a residential construction company in a small town, I learned early that quality and customer service are the key to longevity. I started as a concrete and framing contractor, working for other contractors. Using my skills as a selftaught draftsman, I started designing and building complete from the ground up custom homes. Things do occasionally go wrong in any kind of project including construction. The key to customer satisfaction, however is fixing problems before they become major issues. Without good customer service in a small town, you never get the referrals necessary to sustain your business. My business survived well on word-of-mouth advertising for sixteen years. The hands-on experience I gained included plan design and drafting, all sub-trades of construction, and contract negotiation. I built a working relationship with two local engineers (structural and geotechnical). Together we restored foundations on homes that fell victim to soils subsidence, earthquake damage and flood damage. Projects included new home construction, custom home remodeling, and foundation remediation. The problem solving skills I developed enabled me to work for major construction companies in Los Angeles, Orange County, and eventually a forensic architectural firm.
Association Reserves. Inc. 1993 – 1995
I was hired as a site inspector performing inspections on condominiums. The skills required include the ability to assess the maintenance requirements for all building components. The purpose is computation of site conditions for maintenance reserve funding.
Ruiz Brothers Construction, Inc. 1994 – 1995
I was hired as a Project Estimator for sales involving residential and light commercial rehabilitation projects. I developed the ability assess residential damage and develop a scope of necessary repairs. It was then essential to translate it into a unit pricing format recognized for government financed rehabilitation projects. In order to bridge the gap between insurance adjusters and contractors, it was crucial to understand the requirements of both disciplines. Claims settlement for earthquake, flood and fire losses became a specialty of mine. Later during my term of employment with Ruiz Brothers, I was responsible for development, marketing, sales, and project management for a new foundation repair division, utilizing helical pier anchors for foundation stabilization.
The Dove Companies 1993 – 1994, 1996
As the Senior Project Manager I was responsible for estimating and project supervision for residential, commercial reconstruction, and structural remediation. I became knowledgeable in destructive testing supervision, forensic investigation and report writing. I also developed a marketing and sales program for five counties in Southern California.
CBI Construction Services, Inc. 1996 – 1999
During my term at CBI, I was started as Destructive Testing Operations Manager responsible for marketing, sales, contract negotiations, project management, billing, accounting, and project closure. The division had 35 employees and achieved gross sales exceeding $2,100,000 in 1998. I then worked my way into the consulting division of the company. I was responsible for field inspections, defect list preparation and cost estimating for investigations relating to construction defect litigation.
LOhSE2, Forensic Architecture 1999 – 2001
As a Project Manager I was responsible for field forensic work including photograph documentation, visual inspections, destructive testing and field research. In the office I was responsible for client-attorney interaction, file preparation for trial, code violation research, report writing and cost estimating.
Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc. 2001 – Present
I founded my consulting firm to offer practical solutions to building performance issues. After over a decade of serving a diverse base of clients on hundreds of projects, I'm still convinced that this is the best job I have ever had. Every day is different, and every engagement brings new challenges to the table. Over the years, I have been fortunate to develop a number of long-term relationships and more often than not, my clients are collaborators and partners. My consulting practice began primarily as an expert witness service for construction defect lawsuits, but has broadened and evolved. Rather than simply reacting to construction defects, I am working to actively prevent not just defects, but the inevitable conflicts that result.
I have told people that "I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up." I do know that I thoroughly enjoy what I am doing now, and the people I work with.