For nearly 40 years, Chuck McClain has focused extensively on developing, performing, and reviewing comprehensive property condition assessments, engineering and architectural feasibility evaluations, and other specialized due diligence studies. He has authored four books on the subject of property condition assessments including Building Systems Evaluation Handbook (1991), which was one of the first books devoted to the subject of evaluating building systems; Property Condition Assessment Handbook (2013), which presented ways to design, perform, and manage facility assessment services; Zen and the Art of Facility Assessments (2014), which illustrated the practice of facility assessments from the perspective of Zen teachings; and When Bad Things Happen to Good Buildings | Red Flags in Property Condition Assessments: A Reference Guide to Problematic Building Materials and Conditions in the U.S. (2017, Revised and Updated 2023).
Publications
As author of one of the first books on Property Condition Assessment methodology, Chuck McClain, AIA, has written several reference books through the years designed to educate real estate industry owners, investors, managers, and students.
When Bad Things Happen to Good Buildings
The first publication of its kind, this reference book discusses over 20 different problematic building materials, components, and conditions seen in commercial and residential real estate throughout the United States. This book can be used by real estate professionals, due diligence engineers, and students as a reference guide while evaluating, managing, and studying commercial properties. Includes over 300 images and diagrams with contributions by over 60 specialists and organizations to enable the reader to identify and address problematic building and site materials.
Zen and the Art of Facility Assessments
Several books have been written over the years about the evaluation of buildings and sites, but none have approached the practice of facility assessments from the perspective of Zen teachings. In fact, the technical engineering field of facility assessments has a great deal in common with the ancient practice of Zen. Both Zen and facility assessments focus on the journey, with process being integral to the result. Both are focused on discovery, listening, and uncovering truths available in the moment. Allowing questions, navigating variables, and accepting the unknown are vital to both the practice of Zen and the success of a facility assessment.
Property Condition Assessment Handbook: Updated 20th Anniversary Edition
Originally published in 1991 as one of the first books focus on PCAs, this anniversary edition is designed to assist building professionals, real estate investors, and property owners in establishing property evaluation programs in order to make informed investment decisions and/or determine the financial and operational viability of a property or portfolio of properties. A hands-on guide on how to evaluate various site and building systems from paving to mechanical systems.
Training
Chuck McClain, AIA, has been performing Property Condition Assessments for nearly 40 years, and has provided countless in-person training sessions to industry professionals and students for nearly 25 years. McClain Consulting Services is now offering online training with opportunities to gain Continuing Education Credits.
As a member of ASTM International’s Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action (Subcommittee E50.02 on Real Estate Assessment and Management), Chuck McClain, AIA, participated in the publishing of a new edition of ASTM E2018 – The Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments: Baseline Property Condition Assessment (PCA) Process. Our initial training course provides an introduction to ASTM, a historical review of PCA standards through the years, the basics of The E2018 Standard Guide and historical revisions in 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2015, and focuses on highlighting the pertinent revisions in the 2024 version of the Standard Guide.
Webinars
McClain Consulting is developing a variety of webinars specifically focused on the performance, review, and use of Property Condition Assessments.
Whether it be the new ASTM E2018-24 Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments: Baseline Property Condition Assessment (PCA) Process, or how to identify the presence of various historically deficient building materials such as unsafe electrical panels, polybutylene piping, and problematic fire-retardant treated plywood, these webinars provide value to real estate professionals including investors, owners, managers, lenders, and students.
Resources
We work with many professional associations that provide invaluable resources for property acquisitions, lending, operations, and maintenance throughout the U.S. Below are links to a select few that actively support building professionals as well as real estate investors, owners, and lenders.
