# Expert Witness for Swimming Pool, Landscape & Structural Defect Litigation

**Randy Beard — Xterior Art, Costa Mesa, California**

Randy Beard provides site inspections, technical failure analysis, code compliance audits, depositions and trial testimony for litigators nationwide. In the trade since 1979 — 47 years of hands-on construction practice.

- Licensed C-53 (Swimming Pool) and C-27 (Landscape) — CSLB #871188
- Former investigator, California Contractors State License Board
- Deposition testimony in 100+ matters; trial testimony before juries in Los Angeles Superior Court (Van Nuys) and San Diego Superior Court
- Former plaster inspector, National Plasterers Council

Contact: (949) 264-3466 · rb@varx1.com · [Rates & terms](https://exteriorart.com/fees/) · [CV (PDF)](https://exteriorart.com/downloads/Randy-Beard-CV.pdf)

## Areas of litigation expertise

### Swimming pools and spas
Investigation of construction defects, vessel leakage, equipment mechanical failures, structural cracking, plaster staining and delamination, and pool hydraulics.
- Forensic hydraulics analysis
- Plaster staining and plaster inspections
- Underwater camera inspection and documentation
- Aquatic equipment failure audits
- Water chemistry and sanitary piping

### Technical and hillside vessels
Forensic inspection of vanishing / negative edges, perimeter-overflow pools, complex soil-structure interfaces, slope failures and geotechnical interactions.
- Infinity / negative edge hydraulics
- Perimeter overflow balancing
- Hillside slope geotechnical interface
- Structural vessel deflections

### Landscape and hardscape
Structural evaluations of masonry walls, pool decks, pavers, sub-grade drainage failures, soil creep, retaining systems and exterior finishes.
- Masonry and deck failure audits
- Sub-grade drainage failures
- Retaining wall cracking and shifting
- Soil-structure interface damage

## Project consulting and owner's representation
- **Owner's representative:** representing the owner's interests, auditing construction phases, ensuring conformance with specifications, and resolving technical disputes between builders and architects.
- **Plan and hydraulic peer reviews:** evaluating design plans, structural drawings and hydraulic layouts before excavation to eliminate defects, failures and costly rebuilds.

To start a consulting project, email Randy with the property city, the project stage and what you need reviewed. Plans, contracts, photos and prior reports help scope the work.

## Forensic video for litigation
Randy works with VarX (https://varx1.com), his separate forensic video studio, to turn complex pool, structural and code failures into clear visual exhibits for deposition, mediation and trial.

## Teaching and educational videos
A free library on construction defects and forensic analysis, code compliance (Title 24 and NEC Article 680) and design and engineering: https://www.youtube.com/@varx1com. Attorneys, plan checkers and builders are welcome to cite or share it.

## About Randy Beard
Randy has worked in the swimming pool trade since 1979. He started out servicing and repairing pools, then spent decades building and running a pool construction company of more than 60 employees, with its own masonry, tile, plumbing and steel crews. He served for several years as an investigator for the California Contractors State License Board, conducted plaster inspections for the National Plasterers Council, was chapter president of the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association for multiple terms, and has taught hydraulics to city building inspectors and pool equipment and water chemistry to Orange County Health Department inspectors.

Two of his pools were featured on HGTV's *The Big Splash* (rated #1 and #8 in the nation). His work has been featured in *Architectural Digest*, the *Los Angeles Times*, the *Orange County Register*, *Luxury Pools*, *Luxe Magazine* and *Pool and Spa News*.

## Common attorney inquiries

**What are your primary areas of expertise as a pool expert witness?**
Swimming pool structural defects, hydraulic design failures, soils / geotechnical hillside pool interfaces, pool plaster inspections and failures, safety and compliance reviews, and NEC Article 680 pool grounding and bonding.

**Do you handle both plaintiff and defense assignments?**
Yes. Randy provides unbiased forensic evaluations for defense counsel, insurers, HOAs, property owners and plaintiff attorneys, based on industry standards, building codes and physical evidence.

**What geographical areas do you serve?**
Based in Costa Mesa (Orange County), serving the Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside areas, and available for site inspections, depositions and trial testimony nationwide.

**Why is NEC Article 680 compliance critical in swimming pool lawsuits?**
NEC Article 680 governs electrical installations in and around pools, hot tubs and spas. Improper equipotential bonding or incorrect grounding of pumps and lights creates shock and electrocution hazards. Randy evaluates bonding and grounding compliance in personal-injury and construction defect cases.

## Rates (summary)
$350/hour for consulting, review, site inspection, reports and travel (portal to portal); $400/hour for deposition (4-hour minimum) and trial testimony; $3,500 retainer applied toward billed hours. Details: https://exteriorart.com/fees/

## Contact
Phone (949) 264-3466 · Email rb@varx1.com · Costa Mesa, Orange County, California · https://exteriorart.com/contact/