We build it, we price it, and we testify to it.
Ted S. Merrill & Sons, Inc. has spent more than sixty years on Southern California construction sites, from the framing crew to the witness stand. Owners, attorneys, carriers and public agencies retain us when a large building is damaged, defective or disputed, and the answer has to be right the first time.
Most firms do one of these well. We do all three, and they reinforce each other.
A construction defect claim, a fire loss or a stalled public works project usually involves three separate specialists: someone who can determine what actually went wrong, someone who can price the repair credibly, and someone licensed to perform that repair. Splitting those roles across three vendors invites contradiction. We hold all three under one license.
That matters when the numbers are challenged. When we produce a cost of repair, it is not a theoretical exercise built from published unit price tables. It is the number our own crews would need to complete the work, supported by subcontractor bids we solicited ourselves. Opposing counsel can test that opinion, and it holds.
We Build
A fully licensed California general contractor performing reconstruction, structural repair and ground up work on residential, commercial, institutional and industrial property.
We Investigate
Destructive testing, defect analysis, failure cause determination and detailed scope of repair documentation that stands up to peer review.
We Testify
Qualified and accepted as a construction expert in Municipal, Superior and Federal courts, and appointed by the bench as an impartial repair expert.
Construction services for large and complex Southern California projects
Every engagement below is led personally by Ted S. Merrill, not delegated to a junior estimator. Select a service to see scope, deliverables and typical engagements.
Construction Defect Investigation
Determining what failed, why it failed, how far the damage extends and what a correct repair actually requires. Forty five years of defect work on tract housing, condominiums, HOAs and commercial structures.
Learn MoreForensic Cost Estimating
Repair cost opinions built from real scope, real bids and real production rates. Prepared for litigation, mediation, insurance claims and capital planning, and documented so every line can be traced back to its source.
Learn MoreFire and Water Damage Reconstruction
Large loss rebuild from emergency stabilization through final inspection. Fire, smoke, wildfire, flood, storm, plumbing failure and vehicle impact damage on occupied and commercial property.
Learn MoreFoundation and Earth Movement Repair
Differential settlement, expansive soil damage, slope failure, landslide and slab distress. Repair scope and cost developed alongside the geotechnical and structural engineers of record.
Learn MoreCommercial and Public Works
School districts, municipalities, federal and state agencies, institutional owners and commercial landlords. Tenant improvements, seismic and code upgrades, and multifamily reconstruction.
Learn MoreEmergency Response and Stabilization
Board up, shoring, temporary weather protection and immediate damage documentation, so the property is secured and the evidence is preserved before anything gets demolished.
Learn MoreInsurance Appraisal and Umpire
Serving as party appraiser or as neutral umpire under the appraisal clause, plus carrier estimate review, scope reconciliation and supplemental claim support.
Learn MoreExpert Witness and Litigation Support
Expert reports, deposition and trial testimony, mediation and settlement conference support, and court appointed neutral repair expert assignments.
Learn MoreNot sure which applies?
Describe the property and the problem. If the matter is outside our scope, we will say so and point you toward the right specialist. Initial calls are not billed.
Request a ConsultationFour kinds of clients, one standard of documentation
The deliverable changes depending on who retains us. The rigor behind it does not.
Attorneys
Plaintiff and defense counsel in construction defect, insurance coverage, premises damage and contract dispute matters. We produce the cost of repair opinion, we sit for deposition, and we testify.
Insurance Carriers and Adjusters
Independent scope and estimate review on large and disputed losses, appraisal and umpire assignments, and reconstruction performed under the policy.
Public Agencies and Districts
School districts, cities, and federal and state agencies needing damage assessment, repair estimating, and licensed construction on public property.
Owners, HOAs and Managers
Commercial landlords, homeowner associations, property managers and individual owners of residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
Experience you cannot manufacture on a resume
Ted S. Merrill has worked nearly every position on a construction site: laborer, apprentice carpenter, journeyman carpenter, superintendent, estimator and licensed general contractor. That progression is why a cross examination on means, methods and production rates does not go anywhere.
Judges in San Diego and Orange County Superior Courts have appointed this firm to serve as the impartial repair expert for the court.
Court Appointed Neutral- Over sixty years of hands on construction experience across all phases of work
- Forty five years estimating structures with construction defect problems
- Qualified and accepted as an expert in Municipal, Superior and Federal courts
- Appointed by the bench as an impartial court repair expert
- Licensed California general contractor, CSLB #345079
- Retained by federal and state government, cities and school districts
- Published hourly fee schedule with no surprises at invoice time
- Every engagement led personally by the principal
A method built to survive cross examination
The same four stages apply whether we are pricing a defect claim, rebuilding a fire loss or serving as umpire on an appraisal.
Intake and Conflict Check
We confirm the property, the parties, the scope of the assignment and the deadlines, then clear conflicts before any billable work begins.
Site Investigation
Documented site inspection, photography, measurement and, where warranted, destructive testing to expose concealed conditions.
Scope and Cost Development
A written repair scope, subcontractor bids solicited on that scope, and a line item cost of repair with overhead, general conditions and profit stated openly.
Report, Testimony or Build
Delivery of the report, testimony at deposition, mediation or trial, or performance of the repair under our own license.
Headquartered in San Diego County, retained across Southern California
Our office sits in La Mesa, minutes from the San Diego County courthouses, and we routinely travel for site inspections, destructive testing, depositions and trial throughout the southern half of the state. Travel is billed at the published mileage rate with no premium.
- San Diego County
- Orange County
- Los Angeles County
- Riverside County
- San Bernardino County
- Imperial County
- Ventura County
- Santa Barbara County
What clients typically call about
- A condominium or HOA with widespread water intrusion and an approaching deadline
- A commercial fire loss where the carrier estimate and the contractor bid are far apart
- A hillside residence with foundation movement and a disputed cause
- A school district building damaged by vehicle impact or storm
- Counsel needing a repair cost opinion that will survive a Daubert or Sargon challenge
- An appraisal panel needing a construction qualified umpire
Bring us in before the wall gets closed up.
Tell us about the property, the loss or the defect. The first conversation is not billed, and if the matter falls outside our scope we will say so and point you toward the right specialist.
- Direct(619) 464-3997
- Toll Free(800) 619-4833
- Office7777 Alvarado Road, Suite 408A
La Mesa, CA 91942 - LicenseCSLB #345079