Articles Posted in Construction

A construction lien is one of the most powerful collection tools a Michigan contractor has. It attaches directly to the property you improved, and it can force payment when a slow-paying owner or a general contractor higher up the chain will not return your calls. The problem is that a lien may not work if…

You finished the work. You sent the invoice. The general contractor cashed the owner’s check — and then your payment never came. Meanwhile, you have workers waiting to get paid and material suppliers calling your office. What you may not know is that in Michigan, the GC who pocketed those funds may have exposed itself,…

Thirty days from substantial completion, the owner pulls out the contract and points to a clause you signed six months ago: $5,000 per day in liquidated damages for every day you run over schedule. You are already three weeks behind. That is $105,000 walking out the door before you even finish the punch list. This…

Every Michigan contractor, subcontractor, and supplier will be asked to sign a lien waiver at some point. Most sign without reading the language carefully. Some sign unconditional waivers before the check has cleared, or before a check has even been written. Some sign broad final waivers that release far more than they intended. The result…

You finished the extra work. The project moved forward. Now the GC is telling you it was ‘part of the original scope’ — or worse, that you never had authorization to do it at all. Extra work disputes are one of the most common — and most preventable — problems in Michigan construction. Understanding how…

Michigan construction contracts can contain troublesome clauses that can destroy your profit, trap you in bad projects, and leave you holding the bag when owners don’t pay. Five specific clauses can kill more contractor projects than anything else: pay-if-paid provisions, no-damages-for-delay clauses, broad indemnification, inadequate change order procedures, and missing suspension-of-work rights. Understanding these clauses…

Michigan’s Construction Lien Act gives contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers strong leverage – if you follow the paper trail and deadlines. Most subs/suppliers need a Notice of Furnishing early, everyone must track first/last furnishing dates, use sworn statements and lien waivers correctly, record the Claim of Lien on time, serve it properly, and calendar the one-year…