'See Your Builder, Not a Lawyer'

Bill Lurz, Senior Editor
June 1, 2004
Professional Builder

	Above, the ad titled "Welcome Home" and, at below, the ad "For Sale, Forever," are airing on a variety of cable networks in the Bay area through early November. Not pictured is the ad "Lawyer Plumber."

The HBA of Northern California has come up with a great TV ad campaign to encourage homeowners to call their builder, not a lawyer, if they have a problem with their home. The ads aim to combat concerted efforts by attorneys specializing in construction defect litigation to draw homeowners into ill-advised group lawsuits.

Twenty-one states now have "notice and opportunity to repair" laws on the books. Georgia and Mississippi are the latest to join that growing list, pioneered several years ago by California, Arizona and Washington.

Pat Costanzo, HBANC chairman in 2003, and HBANC CEO Guy Bjerke commissioned a creative team from the Gauger + Santy ad agency in San Francisco to produce the three TV ads highlighting the problems homeowners often encounter when using attorneys to resolve construction disputes. David Gauger, G + S principal and creative director, led the group.

The three ads drive viewers to the California Building Industry Association's Web site, www.cbia.org, where they can get more information on how to solve issues relating to home construction.