Posts Tagged ‘Older’

Federal Lead Paint Laws Tough on Contractors

Federal regulations designed to eliminate childhood lead poisoning go into effect this month. The change brings strict new requirements for building contractors, property owners, renovators and a host of others who work with lead paint.

The new law applies to replacing any window. (Photo by Nancy Eve Cohen)

While health advocates call the regulations long overdue, some contractors say the cost to comply is way too high. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports.

At the New Hampshire Homebuilders Association, contractors are spreading large sheets of plastic over the floor.

“Let’s get our plastic over here. How far up on this wall are we going to lay our tape or our plastic?”

That’s New Hampshire state lead inspector Charles Hillsgrove.  He’s explaining to contractors how to lay protective sheets down during renovation jobs.  Hillsgrove is one of the instructors for a lead paint certification course for contractors.

“What we’re trying to teach them is how to contain their workspace so that no dust gets on the floor in people’s homes, how do you keep the dust in this one room.”

It’s lead dust that poisons most children. In New Hampshire 150 children each year are poisoned by lead, a third of them following a home renovation. In Massachusetts more than 800 children are poisoned every year and in New York  it’s as high as 1500 children.

Kate Kirkwood, who teaches lead certification courses, made that point clear to contractors in a recent class in New Hampshire.

“If we know that the dust we make is toxic, and we’re not trained to do what we should do with it to clean it up afterwards, we walk away, and kids get sick.”

Under the new law, the Environmental Protection Agency will require contractors to take precautions and get certified or potentially face a fine of up to $37,500 per occurrence per day. That may sound steep, but James Bryson, with EPA New England, says the costs are not excessive.

“If you’re not doing this, you’re not protecting your work area, then you could have a child that could be lead poisoned and that’s something we don’t want, no cost is too high for that.”

The law applies to anyone who accepts payment for work in buildings constructed before 1978, the year when lead paint was banned. It applies to any job that disturbs more than six square feet of space, and includes any window replacement.
The EPA estimates that 236,000 renovators nationwide need to get training. But Kirkwood says it’s likely many more. And she says there aren’t enough trainers.

“Last time I checked there were fewet than 100 trainers nationwide. In the state of Maine, they told me they thought there were 16,000 contractors that needed to be trained, and we’ve trained about 600 so far.”

Charles Freiberger, makes homes handicap accessible in New Hampshire. He says he found out about the new certification requirements by chance recently at a home show.

“Most contractors have no clue, I’ll bet probably between 80 and 90% of contractors aren’t even aware of this rule.” But the lack of awareness isn’t the main problem for contractors. It’s the cost.

Companies or individuals who do work have to pay a $300 registration fee with the EPA, on top of taking a $200 certification course. Then there are added costs for protective plastics and vacuums.

Len Perkins with C.P. Property Restorers in New Hampshire says it’s a good rule, but comes at the wrong time. And he says the fines for not complying could put a small company out of business.

“We’re looking at an economy right now with a saturation of contractors. The government is not realizing what these costs and expenses are going to do to a populace that’s already suffering heavily because of the present economy.”

States have the option of enforcing the new regulations on contractors for the EPA and make them even stricter. So far, no states in the Northeast have taken that on.

Read more on WNPR Connecticut Public Radio

Look Out for Lead and Asbestos – Helpful Pointers in Renovating Older Homes

There are definitely countless possibilities when it comes to home improvement and investments. There are several steps to observe in order to make a sound and profitable venture in the world of real estate. For home owners who prefer to have older homes, checking the property for presence of lead and asbestos is a must. This is vitally important in cases of remodeling and upgrading your house. Your objective is not only for the overall result and value of your home project. Lead and asbestos have significant effects in terms of your health and wellness, thus make sure you are in the right track when dealing with these materials.

Homes and properties constructed 30 years ago and older are generally made with lead and asbestos components. This is because these items are widely used and popular in the real estate industry due to its durable features and relevance. However, the succeeding years witnessed the debilitating effects of these materials that led to its ban and termination. Although these materials are no longer used, there are definitely still a greater number of houses that have these components in their foundations.

Lead for instance gives a threatening effect on health and the human body and thus was banned in the year 1978. Medical studies show that microscopic dusts sent out when scraping or sanding lead-based paints results to several health hazards. Nervous system disorders, hearing loss, IQ reduction and even stagnant growth are just a few of the imminent results rooting from exposure to these elements. Lead is a good binding agent used in paints thus most historic houses were painted with these substances.

If your house has lead-based paints and needed to be upgraded, it is imperative to get a building permit from your local building authority before you jump start your project. You also need a qualified lead abatement specialist who knows the proper way of getting rid of these materials without posing danger to those occupying the house.

Asbestos is another component in houses 30-year old and more ancient. These are materials used for insulation which have fire-resistant features. Asbestos are generally durable that is why most part of the house are made with these materials such as furnaces, broilers, roofs, floors and wall sidings. The good thing about it is that it stays harmless as long as it is intact and not damaged. For instance, surfaces having cracks and breaks give way to sending out asbestos dusts which are extremely hazardous to your health when inhaled. To remedy this problem during remodeling your house, you need the same building permit and abatement specialist as when dealing with lead-based paints in your property.

Asbestos and lead are significant components in the construction of historic and traditional houses. The danger that it poses however are controllable if you know the proper ways in dealing with them. Bear in mind that you and the health of your loved ones are as important as in ensuring the productivity of your investment in this challenging and vast industry.