Articles List View

Guest Column By: Edward G. Britt, Jr. President and Partner of Bowen, Miclette & Britt, Inc. With rising premiums and shrinking coverages, owners and contractors have described the current general liability insurance environment as the "perfect storm." But this is by no means the first perfect storm. The fact is, over the past 20 years the construction industry has seen some tumultuous times in both cost of insurance and in scope of insurance coverage.  ...

Cats may have nine lives, but who has heard of a skyscraper having two lives? That is exactly the case in Ft. Worth, Texas. Chamberlin's restoration team is hard at work in downtown Ft. Worth. Their task: to restore a landmark and give it new life through a complete metamorphosis. The Bank One office tower at 500 Throckmorton and Fourth Street in Ft. Worth was damaged by a tornado that rocked downtown and destroyed several buildings in its wake in March of 2000.  ...

David Neal, Vice President, Dallas, TX One of Chamberlin's most valued and influential team members, David Neal is respected by all those who have the pleasure of working with him. Time and again his actions prove his honest, knowledgeable and professional character. For those who may not know David, here's a glimpse into how he works and his capabilities. Education: TexasA&M University- Bachelor of Environmental ...

By Ed LaMont, Jr., Senior Project Manager, Roof Maintenance & Leak Repair Department By properly maintaining roofing systems, many crisis situations created by roof failures can be avoided, even prevented, along with the hassle, potential property loss and financial burden that can result from unexpected leaks. Many times failures or leaks are initiated by extreme conditions- hurricanes, heat and cold to name a few. But more times than not, ...

By: Robert J. Dulovics, RRC, RRO Roof Consultant Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc. . . . Why does the color of your roof affect how fast you can drive your car? Well, it doesn't at this point in time. But, in the near future it may. Houston and other large cities that struggle with air quality issues are evaluating factors that contribute to the problem and developing creative solutions for reducing pollution.  ...

Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproofing has a new roof over its head. The flow and carefully designed work areas at 7510 Langtry, Chamberlin's new Houston address, exemplifies the company's commitment to efficiency and productivity. Likewise, the standing seam roof atop the building is an excellent example of the company's roofing capabilities as well as inspiration for its architectural flair. In late 2002, Chamberlin partnered with Powers Brown Architecture to begin ...

Cullen Irish Safety Director We'd like to introduce you to Cullen Irish. As Chamberlin's Safety Director, Cullen is responsible for ensuring our crews know how to get the job done in the safest possible manner. To give you an idea of how Cullen approaches his work, we talked with him about his responsibilities and philosophies. Here's what he had to ...

By: David Neal How do companies like Chamberlin know what sealant products to choose for installation or how to fix oh-too-common sealant failures? It's a process that requires an immense amount of product knowledge and detailed review of the project requirements and joint design. In fact, when it comes to sealants it's sometimes easier to make a bad decision than it is to make a good decision without a full understanding of the project needs and the sealant choices ...

In hard hats rather than football helmets, Chamberlin's team entered the University of Oklahoma's Memorial Stadium in the summer of 2002 with a tight-time table and a huge task at hand. Chamberlin was one of the first contractors on the job and was part of the team of many who tackled the $65 million stadium project that entailed renovating all facility structures and amenities, replacing current seating and adding new seating- including 2,200 club seats and 27 sky suites - to ...

Abel Flores Superintendent - Waterproofing & Caulking Houston, TX Abel is one of the luckiest people we know. When he enters an office pool or submits a bracket for March Madness he almost always comes out a winner. Some call it luck, he calls it skill. Luckily for Chamberlin, coming up with winning basketball brackets is not the only skill Abel has.  ...

By: Robert "Zeke" Zdenek, President, PSG Consultants The "building envelope" is the exterior skin or shell of a building that protects the indoor environment from the outdoor elements. So, what are the components of the building envelope that are so important? Starting at the top and working to the bottom, they are as follows: Roofing System  ...

Fair Park is a unique National Historic Landmark that is home to entertainment facilities, cultural centers and the Texas State Fair. Located two miles east of downtown Dallas, Fair Park boasts eight museums, four performance venues, the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Cotton Bowl Stadium, the nation's tallest Ferris wheel and, of course, Big Tex. The park encompasses 277 acres with the world's largest collection of 1930s Art Deco style architecture. Over 749,000 square feet of space ...

This famous movie line has traditionally been applied to baseball, but Houston football fans followed suit when Reliant Stadium opened this fall. As the Houston Texans suited up for their first home game, the Chamberlin crew that had spent close to two years on site at Reliant Stadium, took a big deep breath. So did the hundreds of others who worked on the project in partnership with Manhattan and Beers, the joint GC team on the project. Their project was complete. In just 20 months ...

By Jay F. Webster Building Envelope Consultant Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc. It costs less to build a structure once. It costs less to fix mistakes while the building is still under construction and even less to design it right while still on paper. Independent third party inspections can benefit the owner, architect, general contractor and the installer or subcontractor and help reduce construction call backs due to water infiltration from the roof and windows. No one ...

Like everyone else across the country, building owners are looking for creative ways to reduce their cost without sacrificing quality. Recently, an opportunity came along in Austin, Texas for TCP Realty to do just that. Austin Energy offered local commercial building owners the opportunity to receive a significant rebate if they reroofed their building with an energy efficient, reflective roof. The company also added an incentive: an extra 20% construction bonus if the project was completed ...

KinderCare Child Learning Center is a daycare company that provides early childhood educational services needed to build a child’s critical thinking skills. The KinderCare Company was founded in 1969 and operates over 1,244 learning centers throughout the United States . It is the largest professional private daycare company in the nation for children ranging from six-weeks to 12-years of age. These 1,244 daycare facilities are located in 39 states, and Texas leads the count with ...

By C. Vipulanandan, Ph.D., P.E. Chairman and Professor of Civil Engineering Director, Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Houston Introduction Mold (fungi) and mildew are commonly used interchangeably, although mold is often applied to black, blue, green and red fungal growth and mildew to whitish growths. Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce. When mold spores land on a damp spot ...

By: Jerry L. Abendroth RRO, RRC, CDT, CSI Principal and President Building Exterior Solutions, LLC Factory Mutual (FM) Global Insurance Company recommends that field uplift testing be conducted for most adhered roofing systems in the hurricane prone regions of the United States and the Caribbean. Although this test procedure simulates the laboratory test, there is much controversy regarding the use of the test in the field and the variables which can affect test results. Test ...

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing removes existing roof system and installs new white, reflective flat roof atop Intercontinental Airport's Terminal D.

Be definition, the building "envelope" is an encapsulating covering, such as an outer shell or membrane. In building terms, it consists of the roof, above-grade wall system and the below-grade wall system. An envelope's purpose is to provide protection from external elements such as moisture, air and terperature ingress and egress. As complex and intricate as the building envelope seems to be, how can you tell if a building envelope is going to have or is already having problems?