Even the competitors know they can’t compete.
Don’t take our word about Mark’s vast 47 years of experience. Just ask his competitors. Though many other building agencies dislike it when Mark finds faults in their construction, they still recognize his skill. Other builders will even refer to him when they encounter a construction difficulty beyond their level of expertise.
Patti Parlee observes, “The fact that we receive referrals from competitors says a lot about Mark’s presence in the business.”
History
The Building Consultant evolved out of a professional call to duty after Mark began his own framing and siding business in 1990. Many homeowners were overwhelmed with their home’s poor construction and frustrated with their builder’s attempts to mend the recurring problems. Various builders recognize Mark’s skill and called him for help with widespread damage repair.
The popularity of his services was virtually self-perpetual — taking flight by word of mouth. Recommendations from impressed customers describing Mark’s “great attention to detail”, “prompt responses”, and “highly competent resolutions” resulted in the consulting aspect of his career coming to occupy the majority of his time. Mark created an identity as The Building Consultant in November 2008.
Experience
Mark Parlee has been in the construction business since 1976. For 14 years, Mark acquired considerable construction experience and then formed his own company, Parlee Builders, a construction and remodeling company in 1990. He later also formed Crossroad Homes, a new home construction company in 2000.
Now known as The Building Consultant, Mark hasn’t transitioned out of building; he has created an offshoot profile out of demand for his consultation services to builders and homeowners. Mark has built, dismantled, and replaced exteriors on several hundreds of homes, leading to his current knowledge of how the forces of nature affect the building envelope. He has consulted with a diverse client base regarding all sorts of single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and commercial buildings.
What is the most prevailing piece of evidence attesting to Mark’s reputation? “We have a 100% satisfaction rate with customers,” Patti Parlee confirms. “Mark loves his job.” Every single one of Mark’s clients has seen their frustration dissolved, established trust with the Parlees, and gained a relationship with their family. Having raised five children of his own, Mark empathizes with parents’ concerns for their children’s safety within their own home and finds fulfillment in knowing you and your loved ones are protected and your largest investment secured.
Do you suspect that your home was defectively constructed? If you are pursuing a lawsuit, need a deposition, or a third party mediator, Mark Parlee has been trusted to testify as an expert witness in many significant court cases.
- 47 years in the construction trades
- Framing & siding carpenter
- Homebuilder
- Remodeler
- Exterior renovator
- Troubleshooter (issues with the building envelope, leaks)
- Consultant on construction defects and moisture intrusion
- Expert witness
- Seminar instructor
- “Managing Moisture in the Building Envelope – It’s Your Problem”
- “Inspecting Exterior Cladding – The Devil’s In the Details”
- EDI Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control,
Building Envelope II, Steep Slope Roof Inspector, ASV Adhered Stone Veneer - EDI Instructor & Board of Directors – Building Envelope, Stucco, EIFS, ASV& ASV
- Level I Thermographer
- Certified Residential Thermographer
Industry Education/Certifications
AIA accredited CE seminars – Various seminars regarding sealants, waterproofing, insulated claddings, and building diagnostics
Iowa Association of Building Officials – seminar
Journal of Light Construction – seminars
University of Minnesota – Radon Mitigation & Testing – continuing education
EDI (Exterior Design Institute) – Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control, Building Envelope II, Steep Slope Roof Inspector, ASV Adhered Stone Veneer Inspector, EDI instructor and board of directors, Adhered Stone Inspection Certification Co-Creator
ICC (International Code Council) – Performing Residential Energy Inspections workshop
DuPont Certified Tyvek Installer
Level I Infrared Thermographer (Snell)
CRT Certified Residential Thermographer (Monroe Infrared)
BESI (Building Envelope Science Institute) Certified Building Envelope Investigator (BEC2)
Current Consulting Work & Services
We use a style of reporting that includes detailed pictures of the areas of failure in a building envelope, a narrative that explains the failure, references to the building code and manufacturers’ specifications for the products used and required action to remedy. Some of this investigation requires testing and forensics. Invasive forensic work is only done with approval from the client. We have different styles of moisture detection meters that include both scan and probing meters for confirmation of the presence of moisture. We can provide a thermal scan observation if needed. Caution is in order when using and relying solely on infrared technology as it can produce false positives and one must know how to shoot and read the images. This diagnostic consulting service has developed out of a growing demand from homeowners and businesses that are experiencing problems with their structures. Our investigations and reports are hard to argue against as they
present the facts in an easy to understand and very visual form. If needed, we have access to mechanical engineering services, architectural services, and mold testing and diagnosis.
For out of state clients we have developed a systematic approach to consultations using electronic data transfer. While not as close up and detailed as a personal visit, this method still allows some assessment that can steer a project in the right direction. This is especially helpful if there are personnel on the other end that can gather and disseminate the required data for such a consultation.
Guest Speaker & Instructor
Mark has been invited to speak as a moisture intrusion expert at the National Home Builders Association (NAHB) Remodeling Council, the Iowa Roofing Contractors Association (LIRCA), and other prominent seminars. To maintain his expertise and improve in his work, Mark consistently supplements his education. The most prominent seminars and workshops he attends are the American Institute of Architects seminar, the Iowa Association of Building Officials seminar, the Journal of Light Construction seminar, and the University of Minnesota workshop. He is fully certified by the Exterior Design Institute (EDI) as an Exterior Installation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Inspector, Moisture Analyst, and Quality Control expert and the International Code Council. Additionally, he is a DuPont Certified Tyvek Installer, a Level I Infrared Thermographer (Snell), certified in Therma Tru Entry Installation, a Certified Building Envelope Investigator (BEC2), and is certified with the Building Envelope Science Institute (BESI).
NAHB Remodelers Council, “Moisture Intrusion in the Building Envelope – It’s Your Problem”
LIRCA Iowa Roofing Contractors Association
Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines
AIA Iowa Convention 2011 workshop, “Moisture Intrusion in the Building Envelope – It’s Your Problem”
AIA Iowa Convention 2012 workshop, “Moisture Intrusion in the Building Envelope – It’s Your Problem; It Continues”
Law of Construction Defects & Failures, Seminar for CEUs for the professional fields of architects, engineers, & attorneys.
Iowa State University, Department of Architecture, College of Design – Invited lecturer, Architecture 528E: Architecture Forensics
Minnesota Society of Home Inspectors, Continuing Education seminar/ 8hrs CEU’s, Fall 2013
Iowa Association for Justice, Annual Personal Injury Seminar – “Bad Builders…What’cha Gonna Do? – Litigating Defective Construction Cases”, August 2014
EDI (Exterior Design Institute) Instructor, “Building Envelope Stone Veneers”
ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors): InspectionWorld 2015-2023 Annual Meeting, Continuing Education: “Inspecting the Exterior Envelope – Cladding failures from the Forensic Expert, Advanced AMV Inspections. Inspecting Exterior Cladding — “Just a Stain”, “Moisture Intrusion in the Building Envelope – It’s Your Problem”
Alliant Energy Builder Training 2015, “Call The Shots Builder Training Workshop”
Alliant Energy Builder Training 2016, “The Next Level Builder Training Workshop”
Garden States ASHI 2017, presented 8 credit hours of continuing education to New Jersey Home Inspectors and Builders
Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors (MAC-ASHI) 2017, Presented 4 credit hours of Continuing Education on the building envelope
B4 Better Buildings Conference — Wisconsin, two credit hours “Moisture in the Building Envelope…It’s your problem”
ASHI Western Washington – Presented 8 credit hours of Continuing Education on the building envelope
ASHI Indiana – Presented 8 credit hours of Continuing Education on the building envelope
ASHI Keystone (Pennsylvania) – Presented 4 credit hours Continuing Education on the building envelope
NOVA ASHI Virginia – Presented 8 credit hours on the building envelope
Professional Home Inspectors of Missouri – Presented 8 credit hours on the building envelope
HouseMaster Home Inspector Training (Boulder, CO) – Presented 8 credit hours on the building envelope
Journal of Light Construction Live Northwest 2018 – Speaker regarding the building envelope
Publications
Mark’s expertise has also been published a number of times in national industry magazines.
Journal of Light Construction Magazine
Rescuing a Manufactured Stone Wall, December 2008
Repairing a Rotting Roof, June 2010
A Rot Resistant Chimney Chase, November 2011
Mixing Cladding and Stick-On Stone, August 2013
Best Practices: Adhered Concrete Masonry Veneer, October 2013
Best Practices: Stucco, December 2014
Common Siding Failures, October 2015
Getting Kickout Flashings Right, April 2016
Common Roofing Errors, May 2016
How to Destroy a Wall in Two Easy Steps, September 2017
Professional Deck Builder
Stone Paver Deck, May/June 2014
Associations
- Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines (Parlee Projects, Inc.)
- Better Business Bureau (Parlee Projects, Inc.)
- Exterior Design Institute (The Building Consultant)
- Building Envelope Science Institute (The Building Consultant)
References
Below are just a few of the hundreds of Mark’s satisfied customers: (Contact information available upon request)
- Advantage Homes
- Acheson Construction Inc.
- AmeriSpec, home inspectors
- AAA Roofing Contractors
- Cliff Kapson Consulting Ltd.
- Duer and Sons Remodeling
- Dunn’s Funeral Home
- Dallenbach Larson
- Deerfield retirement communities
- Druid Hill Townhome Association
- The Duerson Corp.
- Erickson Building Contractors
- Erickson Balmer Construction
- Evangelical Covenant Church
- Fidelity Inspection & Consulting Services
- Friendship Haven Ft. Dodge, IA
- Freedom Financial Bank
- Green Hills Retirement Ames, IA
- Gilcrest Jewett Lumber
- Globe Spec National Residential and Environmental Inspections
- Grand Homes & Renovations
- Grandview Funeral Home
- Hope Evangelical Free Church Dubuque, IA
- Hickory Grove Townhomes
- Hubbell Construction Services
- Iowa State Bank
- Jordon Creek North Townhomes
- Meskwaki Casino Hotel
- Montessori Children’s School
- Neighborhood Finance Corp.
- Northcreek II Townhomes
- Orton Homes
- RAL Inspection Services
- The New Homestead; assisted living/care facility, Guthrie Center, IA
- Skogman Homes of Cedar Rapids & Cedar Falls, IA
- Shive-Hattery Inc. Architecture + Engineering
- Safeco Insurance
- Shelter Insurance
- Stoney Creek Inn
- US Inspect
- Villas of Berkshire Hills Townhomes
- White Birch Townhomes Westfield Insurance
- Winterset Public Library
- Bill Knapp II
- George LaMarca, attorney
- Dr. Joel From
- Tom Walton, attorney
- Dr. Nathan and Paula Hull
- Steve Woodyard
- Dr. Del and Marla Quenzer
- Rick Thompson (Gilcrest Jewett Lumber)
- Rob Walker (Beisser Lumber)
- Dr. Mark and Linda Lazar
- Edgemere Retirement Home, Dallas, TX
- Todd Lantz, attorney
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