Construction Law Blog

Pitfalls in Extending a Mechanic’s Lien on Residential Properties

 A Lien (or ‘Mechanic’s Lien’) is a potentially powerful tool for contractors, architects, engineers, or suppliers of materials to secure payment for work performed ‘improving’ a property[1]. To properly ‘perfect’ a lien claim, however, strict compliance with the nuances of the New York lien law is required, and often times there are details in the process commonly overlooked.

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Handling Next Summer’s Heat: Working in Outdoor and Indoor Heat Environments – OSHA

The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by OSHA, and was published to their website. To view the full article, please click here. 

Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat in their workplaces. Although illness from exposure to heat is preventable, every year, thousands become sick from occupational heat exposure, and some cases are fatal. Most outdoor fatalities, 50% to 70%, occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments because the body needs to build a tolerance to the heat gradually over time. The process of building tolerance is called heat acclimatization. Lack of acclimatization represents a major risk factor for fatal outcomes.

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Five Key Principles in Designing Regenerative Buildings – USGBC+ Magazine

The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by USGBC+ Magazine. To view the full article, please click here. 

LEED Fellow Eddy Santosa shares the elements designers should keep in mind to achieve regenerative design goals.

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Considerations When Hiring an Architect


Oftentimes, owners find themselves wondering if they need an architect of design professional for their project, and might be unfamiliar with the terms and forms used in their contracts. This article provides a refresher on the types of projects an owner should have an architect for, and the typical forms of contracts used for the project.

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Women in Construction – A Long Island Business News Article

Long Island Construction Law does not own this content. This content was created by Peggy Keane and was published to the Long Island Business News on April 6th, 2022

At its most basic level, construction is about taking an idea and bringing it to life in the real world. Knowing that I took a concept and gave it form has always been one the most rewarding aspects of the roles I have had.

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Primer on Mechanic’s Lien Waivers

Regardless of whether a construction project is residential or commercial, general contractors are expected to guard owners against mechanic’s lien claims by subcontractors. Under Lien Law Section 34, it is illegal for your contracts to provide that subcontractors or suppliers waive their mechanic’s lien rights altogether. Thus, the only way to limit mechanic’s lien claims is for your subcontractors and suppliers to execute mechanic’s lien waivers in connection with payments.

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Long Island Construction Attorney John Caravella Invited to Speak at the AIA Contract Document Workshop

On October 17th, 2019 John Caravella, a Long Island Construction Attorney, will be speaking at the AIA Contract Document Workshop located in Ronkonkoma, New York. Held and organized by Halfmoon Education Incorporated, the AIA Contract Document Workshop will analyze most common AIA contract documents and ways to use them. Specifically, this seminar will cover the examination of primary AIA Contract documents and General Conditions, learning about supplemental or alternate AIA contract documents, reviewing contract fundamentals, agreements between owner, architect, designer-builder and construction manager and evaluating completed contract documents for sample projects.

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New York City Guidelines to Follow for Contractor Entrepreneurship

Unlike other counties or jurisdictions in the state of New York, “The City” has some of the most detail focused guidelines to follow in order to become a construction or design professional. The New York City Department of Buildings was founded in 1892, a few years after America’s Industrial Revolution. However, there are records of some sort of city responsibility for the construction of buildings as early as the 17th century.

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Insights from a Construction Litigation Attorney About Arbitration Pros and Cons for Homeowners and Unlicensed Contractors

 

It is an all-too-common situation in New York: homeowners hire a home improvement contractor only to find out, after a contract dispute arises, that the contractor was unlicensed in violation of local ordinances. While court decisions in these disputes have generally gone in favor of homeowners, a body of case law suggests that the results are by no means so favorable to homeowners when arbitration awards to unlicensed home improvement contractors come up for review. In those cases, the deference of courts to the decisions of a construction litigation attorney creates tension with the public policy of protecting homeowners from unlicensed contractors.

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NYC Launches North American Electric Construction Coalition – Electrex

The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by , and was published to Electrex.

On today’s electrifying episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Sylvie Binder from the New York City Mayor’s Office here to tell us about the newly launched North American Electric Construction Coalition (NAECC) is committed to decarbonizing the construction industry, and NYC is already making serious headway.

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