A chilling tragedy at Library Gardens in Berkeley occurred ten years ago today, June 16th, 2015 when a deck collapsed with thirteen people on it, killing seven people and leaving six people permanently injured. This is why we inspect.
Take a moment to remember the victims of Berkeley who lost their lives that terrible night on June 16th 2015 – Ashley Donohoe, Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai “Nick” Schuster, Lorcán Miller, Eimear Walsh and Aoife Beary and the survivors, who remain permanently injured, Clodagh Cogley, Seán Fahey, Conor Flynn, Jack Halpin, Niall Murray and Hannah Waters.
This should never have happened, yet it did. Poor construction practices and in my opinion outright negligence caused this accident..
In somber remembrance of the victims of the Berkeley balcony tragedy, we want to remind everyone that this is accident is why we inspect. This can never happen again, this is why SB326 and SB721 are now in effect. As professional inspectors, we take our duty to save lives and property very seriously.
Please get your decks inspected, the life you save could be your own.
My email to CAI-CLAC asking them to modify SB 326 to ban inspectors from bidding on repairs.
If you’ve experienced high pressure tactics, feel taken advantage of, that unnecessary work was done it you are being told needs to be done, let CLAC know by emailing them at lsrc@caiclac.com
Please see below
Good afternoon,
Here’s some documents from EMPIREWORKS, a vendor member of CAI who isliterally using SB 326 to steal from HOAs. They are considered among the the worst of the worst by my fellow inspectors and I who do not bid on repairs.
We’re being asked for second opinions by HOAs who are being told all their decks need to be replaced ( they don’t) at hugely inflated costs. These companies use pressure tactics, to threatening to report the HOA and that there’s huge penalties if they don’t comply.
Please call some of the inspection companies listed at Davis Stirling. These companies will tell you the same thing I’m telling you.
Please read some of the contracts; are they a company that you as counsel to an HOA client would advise the contract is ok to sign? Seeing these egregious clauses , which I’ve been told are unethical at best and illegal and unenforceable at worst, would you even advise a client to continue negotiating with or would you advise them to run?
This is what’s out here and what we’re dealing with on a near daily basis.
I’m sick to death of the people who will literally walk through the blood on that sidewalk in Berkeley to steal a dollar. The anniversary of Berkeley is coming up in June, and those victims must be remembered and their deaths not be in vain. That is why I am so vocal. Appreciate you listening.
Thank you,
Bill Leys President William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Follow me on Twitter BlueSky Threads Insta and Tik Tok, search @deckinspector
Call or text me anytime at 805-801-2380 for fastest service.
This architect admits he didn’t inspect the EEEs, and he lives in Tennessee, so he’s literally robo-signing reports that are being inspected by a contractor who is writing the report to their advantage.The Board of Engineers says yes it appears that the engineer violated the law, but there’s nothing we can do
Balcony Inspectors Should Not Bid on Repairs at HOAs They Inspect
Please support our petition and sign it asking CLAC to ban deck inspectors from bidding on repairs at HOAs they inspect under SB326. Use your phone to scan the QR code and sign today! Thank you.
As a balcony inspector performing #SB326 inspections on condos in California, I often hear the complaints about costs of these inspections. Stage 1 visual inspections are costly, and if the Structural Engineer determines that further Stage 2 destructive testing is necessary, it can get very expensive very quickly.
However, Stage 2 inspections are very important. When I’m doing my inspection of the waterproofing elements, I often find signs of water intrusion into the framing. My engineer and I confer and I explain what I’m seeing, what I think is the cause and we generally agree that a Stage 2 inspection ( destructive testing inspection) is necessary.
Recently we performed Stage 1 inspections in a condo building near Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. We determined that there was evidence of water intrusion into the framing and called for a Stage 2 inspection. Working with a team from Whitestone Construction, we had Whitestone remove stucco and masonite siding on 5 decks that are on the 3rd floor of the building. These decks are covered with 1″+ of concrete on them, and after the crew from Whitestone removed stucco and masonite siding, we discovered significant structural damage that was so alarming we immediately closed the decks to use.
The concrete decking and stucco siding hid serious damage that presented immediate life safety concerns to us. This meant the decks were unsafe to be occupied until repairs are made.
While looking at the damage, the Berkeley balcony tragedy came to mind. Here, as in Berkeley, students used the decks to hang out on, perhaps leaning on the railings to talk to friends below. A person in these balconies could have fallen from a railing giving way because the framing it was secured to was so rotted out wouldn’t hold.
The horrors of Berkeley can never happen again. Thirteen students in Berkeley fell 40′ to a concrete sidewalk. Seven died and six are left with serious life long debilitating injuries and the mental pain of that terrible evening.
Berkeley is why we inspect, and Berkeley is why I have become a warrior in the battle against bad contractors doing bad work that gets people killed. SB 326 needs some fine tuning, but overall it is saving lives. My peers in the industry and I stand up for keeping buildings and decks safe.
Independent inspectors, free from conflicts of interest, are your Associations best defense against another Berkeley tragedy from happening again. Yes inspections aren’t cheap, but a lifetime of being haunted by nightmares of people dying in a fall from a balcony and the costs of a lawsuit for negligence will quickly outrun the costs of doing inspections.
Reach out today to get started on your balcony inspections and get your association compliant now. Don’t delay thinking the deadline will be extended ( it might be) and even if it is, dry-rot is working on weakening your decks, putting people’s lives at risk.
Don’t delay your balcony inspection! The life you save could be your own.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by a 40 unit HOA in Cayucos on the Central Coast of California to inspect their balconies stairs and landings to bring them into compliance with SB326.
This Association sits near the ocean and enjoys great views down the coast. While residents enjoy the views from their decks, we want to be sure they can do so safely. With over 40 SB326 inspections under our belt and the fact that we’ve been inspecting decks since 2007, the Association found our experience to be just what they were looking for.
If your Associations decks need to be inspected under SB 326, reach out for a free quote today. We visit your property, we determine how many EEEs need to be inspected and we determine the best method of access to the EEEs. Then we can give you a fixed quote for your Stage 1 inspection.
Find out why managers trust us to be their authoritative source for balcony inspections and get started now! Call us direct at 805-801-2380 or use the contact us box on the left side of the page.
We’re excited to announce that we will be sponsoring a vendor booth on Friday November 11th at CAI Coachella Valley’s Annual Legislative update, their biggest trade show of the year!
Be sure to stop by our booth and learn about our SB 326 inspection and building envelope services.
We’ll tell you about it No Conflicts of Interest guarantee and why it’s so important that your inspector should not be bidding on any repairs.
Watch out for monsters that are disguised as “Deck Inspectors” but are really contractors out to steal your HOAs money.
It’s almost Halloween and soon children will be out ringing doorbells for candy by saying trick or treat… And we’ll smile and admire their costumes and fill their bags with some treats and send them on their way.
HOAs are at risk every day of the year however from “trick or treaters” that are disguised as deck inspectors but are really contractors looking to empty your bank account. We’ve seen an uptick in complaints from several HOA managers and HOAs that the deck inspector they retained is now giving them a contract to repair the decks and it seems very high in price and has clauses in it that are onerous and very one sided.
How can you weed out these characters from your bid list and protect your HOAs from being fleeced? While nothing is guaranteed, there are ways to stop these hoodlums in their tracks. To start with, ask your bidders if they have any ownership or other interest in a construction or waterproofing company (we don’t). Ask that they sign a no conflicts of interest guarantee ( we do) and if they do have an ownership or other interest in a contracting company, decline to accept their bid.
Bidding on work after doing an inspection is a gross conflict of interest in our opinion and managers agree with us. Tell your CLAC representative that SB326 needs to be amended to eliminate the loopholes in the current bill. Tell them to ban inspectors from providing bids.
If we find work is needed at your Association, we assist you with writing scopes of work, qualifying 3 contractors to bid and ensure that you are receiving apples to apples bids.
We are open and upfront, if your deck inspector sends to be cagey or avoids answering your questions, you may be getting set up by a contractor.
Have questions? Send us an email with the contact box to the left and we’ll get started on giving you a free EEE evaluation and proposal for your deck inspections. Don’t wait, the deadline is fast approaching.
We’re pleased to have been selected by an HOA in Santa Barbara County to perform their SB 326 balcony inspections.
The 32 unit association has walkways, stairs and exclusive use decks that need to be inspected, and after a competitive bidding process, selected us as the best qualified firm to perform the inspection.
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC guarantees that we have no conflicts of interest in owning any waterproofing or construction firm and that an award winning structural engineer inspects the EEEs and as waterproofing experts, our inspection of flashings, waterproofing and related items gives Associations confidence knowing that they have retained a well qualified firm.
We invite you to experience the expertise that we offer as deck inspectors. Call us or email us using the contact us box today to get started.
SB 326 Deck Inspections & Building Envelope & Waterproofing Experts
SB 326 Deck Inspections * Waterproofing Consultants * Construction Defect Investigations By Bill Leys The Deck Expert 