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Published June 2003
Consultants
keep
focus on quality
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| Snohomish County
Business Journal/JOHN WOLCOTT Diane Glenn’s Construction Consultants Inc. is based in Bellevue, but the construction expert spends much of her time in Snohomish County monitoring the work on such developments as this Trentwood condo community off Ash Way in Lynnwood. |
By
John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor
Condominium owners suing over the quality of their buildings, homeowners irate over construction flaws and insurance companies hesitant about issuing policies to contractors all have a new friend in the building industry: the construction consultant.
Although the majority of residences in today’s marketplace appear to be well-built, that’s not always true — and the truth often surfaces long after the homeowner takes possession and the builder moves on.
The condominium sector in particular has been plagued lately by lawsuits over construction-quality issues.
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Contractor applies skills as consultant By
John Wolcott Diane Glenn’s success with her business — Construction Consultants Inc. of Bellevue — began when she was only 17, working for the Boise, Idaho, building department. That’s when she discovered her fascination with the construction industry. “None of my family had even been in construction, but working there, the feeling just hit me that there must be something in my blood. I loved it. From there I worked for several construction companies, always looking for the opportunity to start my own business,” she said. Recognizing her interest, the contractors let her work in a variety of roles in their companies, from estimating to building. When she started her own business in Idaho she took on small spec homes, then larger ones, then apartment buildings and condos. And, she made sure she learned as she built. “I prided myself on trying every trade a bit, from framing and hanging drywall to painting and trim work,” she said. In 1998, she became the first woman president of the Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho in Boise. By then, she was building more and larger custom homes. About that time, the pressures of her business and professional roles brought a surprising change in her career. “I was just burned out. I loved the industry, but I’d reached the goals I’d set and needed something new. The opportunity to come to Seattle was a starting over,” she said. Being a consultant has proven to be the perfect job, Glenn said, since she can apply her construction knowledge, work with builders and “walk off the job without having all of the contractors’ headaches” to deal with. Yet she works long enough on projects to become attached to them, to take pride in what she is helping the builders to develop. In Lynnwood, for instance, she has worked for two years on the Trentwood condominium community, along with many other projects, primarily in Snohomish and King counties. |
In California, rampant problems with moisture, mold and construction materials have brought a wave of lawsuits that have frightened builders out of the condo market and scared off insurers who have traditionally backed condo construction. Those fears have spread to Washington state, too, stalling the growth of condo building here in recent months.
Enter the construction consultant, a third-party observer who understands building processes and materials. With no construction responsibility, the consultant can focus on serious quality-control issues that are impacting contractors. Once quality construction can be documented, insurance companies begin to take positive notice.
“I document what really happens during construction,” said Diane Glenn, president of Construction Consultants Inc. of Bellevue. “I also educate experienced work crews on new products and procedures in the industry.”
Her role is a new concept that started to gain attention around 1999, she said, when builders found they needed another experienced set of eyes for monitoring construction work, internal processes and new building products.
“Especially in the condo markets, window leaks and other water intrusions, including ground water, were creating interior structural problems, sometimes years after building completion. There was a lot of litigation over building defects. Part of my work is not only to provide documentation to protect builders and developers but also to help prevent defects by eliminating problems during construction,” Glenn said.
Although her work includes making sure construction will pass local code inspections when the time comes, she goes beyond that, including making sure that building plans are followed so wall plug sockets don’t end up behind cabinets.
But her best skills come into play with environmental issues.
“When I come into a project, I look years down the road to see what is going to happen. On the exterior, it may be things like water seeping in and creating mold problems. Also, today’s buildings are being sealed more tightly, so building materials soaked in rain during construction don’t have as much chance to dry out, thus creating more moisture problems,” she said, “and flashing around chimneys and vent pipes can leak if it’s not installed properly.”
Builders are often caught up in construction to the point of being in “reactive survival modes,” she said, simply not having the time to inspect all procedures and analyze the future impact of some building processes or new materials.
“Third-party inspections and consultants are encouraging insurers to cover more contractors because they provide monitoring and documentation of the building process. If it’s built right, it reduces or eliminates risks of litigation even five or 10 years later,” she said. Some of her work is for residential warranty corporations who hire her to perform inspections so they feel more comfortable about insuring a home or condo.
Glenn spends a lot of time attending trade shows, too, to learn about new building products so she can educate her clients about costs, advantages and flaws of new tools or materials, things they often can’t keep up with when they’re busy building.
Along with lecturing at schools and builder conferences, Glenn discusses industry issues on radio talk shows and serves as a guest speaker for various builders’ conventions.
She’s also on the board of directors of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, president of the MBA’s Education Foundation for 2003-2004 and on the advisory board of Edmonds Community College’s Construction Management Department, which provides training courses for construction project managers.
For more information, contact Glenn at 425-709-6100 or send e-mail to dianeglenn@mindspring.com.
© The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA
