FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You’ve Got Questions. We’ve Got Answers

Welcome to the Stevenson Team Construction Help Center. We have pulled together some of the most frequently asked questions from our clients and compiled them here. If you still need answers, get in touch and we’ll do our best to help out.

WHAT IS SB721 AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

On September 17, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 721 – “The Balcony Inspection Bill.” The bill arises in response to the tragic deaths of six UC Berkeley students in 2015 at a downtown apartment complex due to the collapse of a balcony.

WHAT DOES THE BILL SAY?

Click here to find the entire document of SB 721.

ARE YOU FULLY LICENSED AND ACCREDITED TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK?

All team members doing inspections or reports have full certifications from NACHI, the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, to conduct deck and moisture intrusion inspections. We also hold a Class A Engineering License as well as a Class B General Contractors License.

HOW IS STC STRUCTURED?

We are a California Corporation with a Class A Engineering License including NACHI Certifications for anyone doing inspections or preparing reports.

ARE YOU INSURED?

Yes, we have full insurance coverage including auto, workman’s comp, and liability. We also have errors and admissions underwritten by a carrier insured by Lloyds of London.

HOW DO YOU CHARGE FOR YOUR SERVICES?

Every community is unique. The age and condition of the community, the accessibility to decks and landings for inspections, and the number of decks and landings to be inspected are certainly major factors. There is a written proposal prepared for each community and we believe we are very competitively priced. For an average-sized community with 30 or more decks and landings to inspect the costs would likely be in the $350 to $750 per inspection range.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FROM START TO FINISH?

This is dependent on many factors. The process can go very quickly if there are no repairs necessary. We can normally perform minimally invasive destructive testing at a rate of 5 to 7 per day per crew. To assimilate all the data and prepare a final Compliance Report takes about 10 business days. The time for the repairs, including buying any permits if necessary and doing and documenting reinspection is what extends the time period.

DO YOU ALSO DO REPAIRS?

Although the STC team is well qualified to make recommended repairs, we do not make repairs nor do we make recommendations of whom to use. It can be done by the owners or third-party companies but under the guidelines in SB 721 we are not allowed to make repairs on work we have inspected.

IS A BUILDING PERMIT REQUIRED TO MAKE REPAIRS?

We do not opine on that issue. Each repair is unique and it is up to the Owners of a Community to make that determination.