New Lead Paint Laws Effective April 22, 2010
New EPA Lead Paint Laws Effect Remodeling Projects
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has new lead paint laws going into affect on April 22, 2010. The new lead paint laws require any renovation work performed on houses built before 1978 to be performed by a certified contractor. Obviously his new law is causing some serious moans and groans from both home owners and contractors. Contractors will be required to provide home owners the Renovate Right Brochure which contains useful information about the new law.
Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Law
The new lead paint laws that goes into affect on April 22 involves training and certification of remodelers, safe work-site practices, verification and record keeping. It’s very important to understand that the new law pertains to projects on any house built before 1978 with a few exceptions as follows:
- The home or child occupied facility was built after 1978.
- The repairs are minor, with interior work disturbing less than six sq. ft. or exteriors disturbing less than 20 sq. ft.
- The homeowner may also opt out by signing a waiver if there are no children under age six frequently visiting the property, no one in the home is pregnant, or the property is not a child-occupied facility. This is no longer true. The EPA just removed this waiver. (Ref).
- If the house or components test lead free by a Certified Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector, or Certified Renovator.
What Does The New Law Mean To You?
You’re probably wondering what this new law might mean to you and your next remodeling project. The obvious answer is a healthier home for you, your family and people that perform renovations to your home. The other obvious answer is an increased cost for contractors to adhere to the new rules which ultimately means an increased cost to you.
Over the last few months I’ve heard several small contractors say they will steer clear of and avoid older home renovations. A significant amount of small replacement window contractors will most likely go out of business and stop providing inexpensive window replacement services. While we think the new law is important in protecting public safety we also know it will result in much higher prices for consumers and less competition for consumers.
If you hire a contractor to do a renovation in your home that was built prior to 1978 be sure you hire a certified contractor. You should ask to see your contractors RRP certification prior to hiring them. Contractors performing work without the certification face penalties of $37,500 per day!
New Law Will Take Time To Work Effectively
With over 38 million homes containing lead paint in the US no one can argue the importance of good lead paint laws. However, from the few meetings and conversations I’ve had it’s clear to me that this is going to take some time before it’s very effective. Most of the literature and training has left contractors confused, upset and frustrated. However, with time these new laws will become part of everyday routines for contractors and ultimately help save lives. We certainly hope the EPA works quickly to fill in the blanks and help contractors implement this new law.
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I AM A MASSACHUSETTS CONCRACTOR WHO ATTENDED THE CLASS. I ASKED THE EPA INSTRUCTOR THAT WAS GIVING THE CLASS, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CONTAINED DUST GOES TO THE DUMP. HE SAID, “O MY GOD THEY BURN.
FUMES ARE TEN TIMES WORSE THAN DUST.”
SO I REPLIED, SO YOU PEOPLE FROM THE EPA DIDN’T THINK THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH. YOU WILL BE BURNING LEAD PAINT, AND TONS OF PLASTIC.
CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MANY BAGS IT WOULD TAKE TO EMPTY A HOUSE FULL OF HORSEHAIR PLASTER. I ASKED A SCALE MAN AT THE DUMP WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DEBRIS, HE SAID AROUND HERE EVERYONE INCINERATES. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 45 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A LEAD POISENING CASE. I’VE CONTACTED CHANNEL 4, AND 5 AND TOLD THEM THIS STORY, BUT NEVER HEARD ANYTHING. I THINK ALL CONTRACTORS SHOULD GET SOME TYPE OF PETITION GOING TO FIGHT THIS LAW.
Joe; I could’nt agree more this law is certanly not going to stimulate the economy.
It sounds like one of our corrupt poloticians just found a way to create jobs for his buddy’sat the EPA.
This is what this is all about money.
(politician’s= mob especially in NJ)
Instead of petitioning, All contracters should just continue as usuall, screw this law.
If everybody refuses to this what are they going to do put us all in jail.
F… em!
Notice, they don’t want to put you in jail … just take all your money. It shouldn’t take long at $37,500 / day
Please vote libertarian at next elections. We are the only ones who want to do away w/ this kind of nonsense.
Hello Joe,
I am a contractor in PA and have posted similar coments on this site. We have started a law suit with our local Home Builders Association to stop this nonsence. We have lost our first battle in court and aour proceeding up the ladder. I think if many different Builders Associations from all over the country start fighting a this battle in thier areas to apply as much pressure as possible.
MIke
Mike – Can you keep us posted on your efforts? Also we may be able to publish information about this as you proceed. Let me know if we can be of any help.
JOE AGAIN
THE EPA WANTS EVERY PAINTER, CARPENTER, ELECTRICIAN, AND PLUMBER TO HAVE THIS CERTIFICATION. EVERY STATE HAS THE ADDRESS OF EVERY LICENCED CONTRATOR, WHICH COVER THREE OF THESE TRADES. INSTEAD OF SENDING NOTIFICATION TO THESE CONTRACTORS IN THE MAIL, THIS LAW IS JUST BY WORD OF MOUTH. I AM A GENERAL CONTRACTOR, AND ALL THE OTHER TRADES UNDER YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO HAVE THE CERTIFICATION.
I DON’T KNOW OF ONE ELECTRICIAN, OR PLUMBER THAT HAS IT. IF THE EPA IS GOING TO CHARGE THESE TYPE OF FINES, THAT SHOULD HAVE HAVE NOTIFIED CONTRACTORS IN A PROPER MANNER. AT THE TIME OF THE LAW THEY HAD 146,000 PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THE CLASS, THAT ISN’T TOO MANY FOR 48 STATES. I WOULD THINK THAT ALL THE CONTRATORS IN FOUR TRADES, ACCROSS 48 STATES WOULD BE CLOSE TO A MILLION.
[...] an update on the EPA Lead Paint Law: an apparent LOOPHOLE allowed homeowners to “opt out” if no pregnant women or children under 6. That “waiver” has [...]
I have taken the class. What the EPA is asking us to do is not outrageous, and my business is complying with the new guidelines. but it will generate tons of additional plastic a to the land fils.
My question is: Is this about being safe with lead based paint debris? A $1000.00 fine would be enough to get most legitimate, licensed and insured contractors to follow the EPA procedures.
A $37,500 is a guillotine that the EPA is hanging over our necks. At any time, if the EPA decides to thoroughly investigate any contractor, they can put them out of business.
These new regulations are not about safer homes or a cleaner environment. They are about power to the federal government. Again, a $1000.00 fine would bring about compliance, a $37,500.00 fine would put millions of small businesses across the country out of business. Something stinks here.
Putting the little guy out of business has been the trend for many decades. It’s much easier to control one large company. It’s also easier to make sure that the people actually doing the work never get paid much for their efforts.
What is the additional square foot cost to jobs of compling with this regulations?
John – I think that really depends on the type of job and frankly how bad someone wants to deal with all the regulations. I’ve spoken with many contractors that for the time being are going to avoid jobs on houses built prior to 1978. The costs are all over the place and it’s one of those risk vs reward situations where the risk currently seems to far out weight the small profits to be made.
JOE AGAIN
HOW ABOUT SAFETY, PUT ON YOUR SUIT IN THE SUMMER, GO UP IN A HOT FINISHED THIRD FLOOR, CLOSE ALL THE WINDOWS SO THE LEAD DUST DOES NOT ESCAPE, THEN GET HEAT EXHAULTION AND PASS OUT.
UP ON STAGING STRIPPING CLAPBOARDS, THEN DE-NAILING THEM SO YOU CAN PUT THEM IN PLASTIC, CARRY THEM DOWN THE LADDER, SO LEAD DUST DOES NOT GET AIRBORNE, DON’T SLIP OFF LADDER WITH YOUR PLASTIC BOOTIES ON, OR LADDER SLIP SET UP ON PLASTIC SHEATHING.
GO UP ON A STAGING, BAKING IN THE SUN FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS, FALL OFF AND DIE.
THE EPA EXPECTS TO GET ABOUT 750,000 PEOPLE EVENTUALLY AT A COST OF $300.00 A HEAD EVERY 5 YEARS WHICH COMES OUT TO BE $225,000,000.00 EVERY FIVE YEARS PLUS THE FINES. WHILE THEY ARE RECEIVING THIS THEY WILL BE DESTROYING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH LEAD PAINT, AND PLASTIC.
Joe – Thanks for all your thoughts. I think you’ve done a good job expressing the sentiment of many small contractors and even some larger ones like the guys I work with. I think this rant has been fully exhausted. Thanks.
Hi Todd
This is Joe’s wife…..I don’t think this “rant has been fully exhausted” Are you a construction worker? How would you like putting on a suit in 90 degree weather on a third floor with no ventilation and no fan? Someone could actually die from that!
Joe has been in this business for 40 years and we have never heard of anyone getting lead poisoning….ever! Who can we write to so that these comments can get to the EPA? Can you help us with that, please.
Thank You
Joe’s wife
Joe’s Wife – I’ve spent years in construction in nasty conditions and I can certainly relate. I’m not actually in favor of this new law as I think it’s VERY poorly structured. What I do recommend is starting with your local State Representatives and local building groups. I have no love for the current administration (this law was actually created during the previous administration) but the reality is the EPA has been lobbied heavily by folks that will stand to make money from this new law. If you truly want to help put pressure to reverse this law I think your rants are best sent to State and Federal Representatives in DC. I really wish there was more I could do as the impact to our construction work is significant as well.
Hi Todd,
I’m a real estate agent in New England. The average home in our area was built in 1900. This new law makes selling a fixer upper difficult. How do you tell a young couple looking to build equity in a home, by doing work themselves, that they now have to hire a certified contractor to do the work? This new law is going to hurt the real estate market, and obviously wasn’t well thought out. I certainly will be in touch with our State & Federal Reps in DC.
Pat – The more people that can speak with their rep’s the better. As far as I know the law doesn’t specifically apply to DIY’ers for what that’s worth. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Been a painter for 37 years and ate a lot of lead dust and just got tested for lead from my doctor and i am negative so what does that tell you about this new law, makes me wonder.
Hello Joe’s wife. Listen here’s what you can do about this. Ever hear of the Million Man March on Washington?? Well it appears from what I am hearing that People are changing their strategies when it comes to dealing with corrupt government proceedings. Already in the works, people are planning a march for contractors on their own individual state capitals around the country on July 4th, 2010. Now they are telling everyone who wants to make a difference to make up flyers and hand them out to get the movement started. Apparently they are going to be doing this on a consistent basis on all stupid Laws which are enacted out of greed through special interest. So you can actually do something… Start organizing for your state….
I keep hearing $300.00 lic. fee. For me the nearest authorized class is 5 hrs. away. So we’re talking 3 days wages , motel , meals , $259.00 for class , $300.00 for lic. plus materials & equip. to comply along with insurance increases & office exp. Now we’re talking more like $3000.00 . Another problem is I live on the boarder with another state that adopted their own regulations . This means I can’t add it to my Federal certification for $35.00. I’ll have to get certified in that state also . The cost per job won’t be $25 to $35 as I’ve read but more likley 10 times that . As this law is now , It will eliminate many small good contractors from competing in the work place and put a financial burden on home owners wanting to do the right thing . So my hats off to the EPA . Congrats.
As a landlord who wanted to do unkeep on my rental property, I can’t afford to make the living conditions more energy efficient for my tenants. I have the knowledge and know to do the project myself and I can’t even do that. Who’s brain storm was this?
Has anyone out there even thought about the reprocussions of the rental market or about trying to sell an older home. No one in their right mind is even going to consider trying to purchase an older dwelling knowing they can’t afford to remodel.
It is time to take back our country and fire the entire government who seems to have become a dictatorship. This is a far cry from trying to stimulate the enconomy. How about making the fat cat richer and the middle case broke.
Actually, you would already be placing yourself in a vulnerable position to do any renovations while you have a tenant living on your property.
It’s much safer (legally) to “move in” to your house between tenants, and do the work then.
Is it against this law for me to do the work my self and not worry about having it checked for lead? How does this law effect the “do it your self” person. I do a complete clean up every time I have done a job, making sure I get all the paint chips I see, using my shop vac over the hole area. I have to do jobs myself because I work and my wife does not, I do not have the money for the labor, I can buy the materials but the labor gets me. Someday I would like to sell my 1916 house and buy a newer one.
Tim – The law mentioned in this article ONLY pertains to contractors, not DIY home owners.
just bend us over
Is there any proof that this new law will protect even one life?
I am not saying I am for this law, but the law was based on several studies conducted to detect the lead hazards created during common rennovation activities such as replacing a door, window, or sanding to repaint. The studies showed that the levels of lead dust produced were 10-400 times the amount of lead it takes to poison a child. I work for a health department, and we have several children that come in with elevated blood lead levels and have developmental problems.
I think this law is poorly written, and will negatively impact our economy.
Ann has me really thinking. As a landlord, with just one property currently, I was just thinking along those lines. I have always done my own work. Can I pass the costs on to the tenants, along with the increases in taxes and insurance? Then I started thinking about my friends in the remodeling business. From there I got to thinking about a house I am selling to a young couple that was built in 1962, and should I make them aware of this change in law. Now I am looking at this from the “why would I enable any of my clients to purchase a house built before 1978?” What is this going to do to the prices of pre 1978 houses? Another knee jerk reaction by our government! Has a very similar tone to want cash for clunkers did to the used car market.
Hats off to our government for punishing those who are attempting to do something good by renovating inner city housing. As if we don’t already have enough struggles, now we have this added on.
I do not see how this benefits anyone, except the government.
I would like to know how this was enacted and who was responsible.
I suppose an $11,200 quote to scrape and paint 2 sides of a typical frame Victorian home seems reasonable, unless you are paying the
bill. This seemingly will triple or quadruple the expense of repainting old frame homes and many good contractors are shying away from it. It is obvious that the government is clueless that higher property taxes, regulations that are not practical, and a waivering real estate market do not create an atmosphere conducive to historic neighborhoods, and those who aspire to live in them.
We should be offering incentives to renovate older homes, rather than discouraging it.
I’m an electrical contractor in PA and i’ve never heard such noncense. Thier worried about wrapping a window in plastic when we have 200,000 gallons of oil polluting our ocean. How about when a demolition company tears down a house or even better, dynomites a skyscraper. What are they going to do build a dome around it or maybe they get exempt from the law. Why dont they start worrying about real polluiton but once again they are going after the little guy. This country needs a revolution.
being in the plumbing industry for 26 years, how are we suppose to know how old the house is, sure I am familiar with the areas I work in, but there is always someone who knows how to work the system, its getting to the point where the homeowner will have no one interested in working on their home. Makes me wonder where all this extra money will go, perhaps on a cruise with the rest of the idiots.
Tim – Very good point. I think that issue will be tackled somewhat with permits. Again it’s going to be very hard to tell on some homes.
A simple solution to determining the date of a house or building would be to go to the local community’s tax assessor’s office. The assessor’s records generally include the date when a building was constructed, or failing that, an estimate of the age of the building at the time the current assessment valuation was performed. Since the benchmark is to establish whether or not the building was built prior to 1978, records should be available. Another source would be to ask at the local building inspector’s office to see if a building permit is on file. Dates for when the permit was issued, and dates for the issuance of a certificate of occupancy should be available.
What about the home owner or the person that is fixing up a house
that no one lives in. Do they also need a license? In my opion
this is a corrupt government takeover of the private lives of the
middle and lower class. From what I understand that more kids die
of iron poison then lead poison. This will cause people not to fix
up old houses, because a contractor will have to raise their prices,
and the home owner will not be allowed to do their own work on their
rentals or even their own house. It’s all about more money for the
greety rich.
i have a client with an old house that was repainted 5 years ago, now she just wants the dirt washed off. there is no peeling paint. is this feasable to wash off the dirt, by being careful and not lifting paint or is it distrubing ?
Bryan – First off let me qualify my response. I’m NOT a certified Lead Professional so this is only MY opinion, nothing more. Frankly my thought is you’re talking about a maintenance job and not a construction job. I can’t imagine that pressure washing a house (maintenance) would fall under this new law. Good luck!
Me again. I did find a certification class closer to home , but the cost to comply will still be high . A lot of people seem confused about who needs to be certified . The regulation states that anyone (and I repeat ANYONE ) receiving payment to work on homes older than 1978 must be certified by the EPA . Whether there is lead or not. This includes college & high school students painting houses for extra money in the summer . The burden falls entirely on the shoulders of the contractor . The homeowner can knowingly hire noncertified workers without being penalized . Amazing !! Oh ! We were also informed that the only test kits approved by the EPA don’t work on plaster or drywall . Go figure .
Bob – One thing to point out. Not every person on a crew must be certified in all cases. Some jobs will require that based on funding/contract requirements but many jobs will not. In many cases one or two key personnel will be certified with labors working under them.
[...] an update on the EPA Lead Paint Law: an apparent LOOPHOLE allowed homeowners to “opt out” if no pregnant women or children under 6. That “waiver” has [...]
As a plumbing contractor in the Boston area, most homes around here are old. Years ago I read of a gov. study that indicated most of the housing stock in the US was going to need serious repair/renovation due to increased aging. (is there a connection here with this law??) This law makes it difficult for people to afford to maintain their property. For the next few years pricing for small repair jobs will be so contentious with owners that work will be left undone, or given to unlicensed people. Small legitimate contractors are going to go under and the affordability of american dream of home ownership will be diminished because of the cost of maintenance.
Steve – I feel your pain. I’m really hoping that small, specialized contractors will spring up and do just the lead portion of the work. It would be very helpful to be able to use a sub for the identification, testing and removal portions. Frankly I hope enough contractors will call their rep’s and put pressure on Washington to fix the law.
fix the law .remove it, ya mean and what we should do is vote every 1 of them out of office………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….we the people not we the money
I PAID AND WENT THROUGH THE 8 HOUR COURSE AND THE CERTIFICATION DOESNT MEAN A THING WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACOUNT THAT IF YOUR NOT PROPERLY NOTIFYING,CONTAINING THE LEAD PARTICLES IN A CERTAIN MANOR, BEING WITHIN 1 HOUR OF ANY AND ALL OF YOUR PROJECTS, HAVE YOUR CREW CERTIFIED UNDER YOU ETC….. YOU WILL BE FINED. THE EPA WILL WATCH YOUR PROJECT FOR SAY 3 DAYS AND WHEN THEY DECIDE TO FINE YOU YOUR $37,500 IT WILL BE FOR THE CONSECUTIVE DAYS THAT THEY WERE COUNTING ANY VIOLATIONS. aND YES THEY DO MENTION THAT ALL DEBRIS INCLUDING PRESSURE WASHING RUNOFF MUST BE CONTAINED AND DISCARDED PROPERLY. ALL MY MATERIAL COSTS HAVE ALREADY GONE UP 30% IN THE LAST 2 YEARS AND IF I WERE TO ADJUST MY ESTIMATING TO INCLUDE THESE NEW LEAD GUIDELINES ID BE UP A CREEK. MAYBE I SHOULD BECOME A LIFEGUARD.
I am not clear about the law. Is it a requirement for the firm to become certified by filing an application with the EPA and paying the $300 license fee? Can you just train one employee in your company and be in compliance? What is the benefit of the EPA “company” certification? Does company licensing come with the training? Anyone that can explain this more clearly?
PeterA – There are several “answers” to your question depending on the project. First off any company that does a paid job must in itself be certified with the EPA.
Once the company is certified you must have some of the crew certified as well. In fact, on certain jobs (like a HUD job), all personnel must be certified.
Does that make more sense?
I had not even heard of this law!! (I’m a new reader to your blog). This is unconscionable, truly!! I hope the terrible backlash squashes this law, it’s reproachable!
Under this law, it would be impossible for a homeowner to hire out to renovate the home. This actually encourages new home building, since it would be easier to throw out the expensive old to replace the new. While I am not against new homes, this action would sharply change the structures (and tax bases) of communities around the country. Not to mention that it would put a lot of burden on people that could otherwise aptly take care of themselves without the beneficent hands of Congress butting in.
Unbelievable.
Wow.
I just receintly purchased an apartment building built in 1973. Does this mean I have to get certified and have my maintenance people certified? Or, only hire an EPA certified firm to patch and apartment everytime there was a party? Ouch!
What about notification of new tenants? Do you have to provide a lead statement to them?
Dave – You will have to use certified workers for any work done that disturbs paint. Notification is part of the process in addition to what you already have to do as a landlord.
I came across this thread today and read every single entry. I see that Todd is very helpfull in answering all of your questions. I am an EPA RRP trainer and would be glad to answer any other questions that may arise. I understand how everyone feels about this law and it’s inadequite structure and the EPA’s failure to notify you. It seems that most of you are concerned with the extra costs and that is understandable but what we are forgetting is that children are getting sick and the adverse health effects of lead poisoning can be permanent. I agree that some of the regulations have too many “what ifs” and I am asked a million questions at every class.
It is my hope, that when homes are bought and sold, it will be required to test for lead using XRF or sampling. When you buy a home an inspector tests for Radon gas, they look at your heating system, foundation and roof etc. Why can’t they do the same for lead? Then we would have “leaded” homes and “unleaded” homes. Only “EPA Certified Renovators with their non certified (but trained) workers would be able to renovate, repair or paint those “leaded” homes. Any contractor would be allowed to work on the “unleaded” houses. Unfortunately this is only an idea of a few trainers like myself who have thought long and hard about the rules and work practices. The EPA has not addressed this idea.
As Winston stated above about a July 4th march on washington or your local government/sate office, I think it is a great idea. I would march right along side of you guys, but I would be marching for reform.
Charles – Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation. Feel free to respond to any of the previous questions. The more answers the better! Thanks.
I am a landlord that just finished the RRP course for certification. The class room was filled with other landlords as we learned that lawyers in our local area are preparing to go after us because the new law makes it much easier to sue and collect big time. This law is a catastrophy.
This sounds incredible but is a true story: I learned of a woman,years ago, who deliberately poisoned her small child in order to sue the landlord and collect a huge settlement. The suit was lost because a neighbor came forward and testified that the mother was bragging to her how she poisoned the child in order to collect. I understand this new law makes it easy to sue. Can you imagine what would happen if others got this horrible idea. Everyone in the room wanted to sell their properties.
Vote these lawmakers out, and repeal this law.
I really don’t get it. I’d like to know…
1. Data and scientific evidence supporting the urgency of this new law.
2. Why is the fine so high? Why $37K per incident, per day? Who came up with this number? Why not $1,000 or warnings first. The same way they enforce Tabacco sales to minors. By the way…. could smoking and drinking be more harmful?
3. How is this going to impact realestate sales of properties affected. Maybe drive the prices even lower? Cost to own and remodel higher?
4. Keep contractors and rental property owner in fear of being shut down at anytime. Lets hurt the little guys?
5. Encouraging weekend behind closed doors remodels as well as backstabbers.
I agree that lead paint is harmful and should be regulated but NOT like this. Not by hurting the very heart and soul of the country. This makes it harder for lil’ guys to dream big. How do you compete or comply when you can’t afford it?
The question is…. why is this law a priority NOW ? … when there are other more pressing environmental challenges right in front of us.
Don’t blame Congress. Our government has three branhes–judicial, legislative (congress), and executive. The EPA is part of the executive branch. The current topic of discussion goes back to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 which, in essence, gives the EPA authority to issue rules regarding toxic substances. The current law is just another addition to the TSCA. Make your senators and representatives your friend and provide them with facts. I work with a small construction company and have researched this issue. On July 1 we held a meeting to which we invited representatives from local congressional office (both state and federal), news media, bankers, contractors, etc. We presented them with the facts beginning with the TSCA up to and including the currently proposed TSCA reform bills being discussed in both houses of congress. We also included statistics about the incidence of elevated blood lead levels in children under age 6. In the period for 1997-2007 the percent of children in the study declined from 7.61% to 1.0% BEFORE the current rules were released. We must have been doing something right before.
How much lead these children (and others) are getting from lead in paint, lead in water, or lead elsewhere in their environment I don’t know. It seems, however, the current law is “overkill” for a small percentage–not that it is “small” to those who have lead poisoning. There should be a more practical and economical way to attack renovation in contaminated houses than this all-inclusive method set out by the EPA. (By the way the fines are set by the
EPA and published in the Federal Register.)
It’s fine to have a forum like this to vent but we need to become active in correcting this problem. Contact the media and the legislators. Give them examples such as working in a hot environment with protective clothing, “slip and slides” (booties on plastic), debris going into landfills as household waste, etc.
If you are interested in what we did and how, contact us at pederson@lakedalelink.net or mffowler@kcnet.com. We need action .now
Mickey – Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate you sharing this timely information so that others can take they’re anger and frustration and turn it into something productive. Keep us updated on progress if you can!
I am an attorney who focuses on construction and business law and I have been reviewing changes to the law and blogging about it for quite some time. My blog will answer a number of your questions, or you can feel free to contact me directly.
Just to present a balanced view, the RRP Rule will definitely add to contractor’s costs, but many of the folks from panels I have sat on regarding the Rule point out that those who do a “clean” job have been using these practices for years. Sealing off a room and containing dust are good work practices. Obviously the HEPA vac is an added expense and requirement.
I have also developed contract clauses to help contractors with their contracts with homeowners and subcontractors. You can’t protect yourself from the EPA if you do not attempt to follow the practices, but you can use the RRP Rule as an opportunity to show homeowners that you are informed and working in their best interest.
Andrea Goldman, Esq.
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Andrea – Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I don’t disagree with you about keeping clean job sites. However, you’ve got to admit that tenting off a houses exterior to replace windows is going too far. There’s got to be a balance between protective laws and laws that have zero common sense and workability.
[...] should use caution when addressing these doors. For contractors, there is a new law surrounding lead paint that Todd recently told us about over on [...]
The incidence of lead in children is less than one per cent and is diminishing in just about every state. Autism is now one in one hundred ten children, mostly white males. This law is for revenue enchancement and expansion of the Federal Misgoverment. Where was the open debate on this issue, I sure don’t recall even reading about it anywhere until BAMM it is a law. “Resistance is futile. We are the Borg.”
A couple of us from the company I work for took the training class here in Alaska. To be honest the instructor could not answer many of our questions, which is a major problem. I was curious if any of you have had this problem. We were told that in some cases the onsite lead test are faulty. The instructor said you can test the same area and it will pass one time but not the next. We have tried this ourselfs and found the same thing. Took samples from the exact same paint and had one test pass and one fail. Has anyone else tried this?
Blah blah blah…..
“Take back our Country” BS.
Look, I am a real estate investor and my crew works on many homes for buy and hold and flips around PA. We have 6 properties under rehab as I type this and they are all built before 1978.
Is this law going to change how we work? Absolutely, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. People are always going to need a place to live, either rental or home ownership, that will never go away.
2. YES it is going to cost more for my company to renovate homes, my price will go up accordingly. In my estimation that is going to add $2,000 to $4,000 per project. I can eat that and stay competitive or I can raise my price and pass that on to my customers (see point 1 above), OR I can do a combination of both (again see point 1 above).
3. As this law works itself out prices will reflect the changes and things will stabilize (again see point 1 above).
4. SMART business people capitalize on changing markets and conditions, the rest complain and b*tch their way out of business. While you people are crying the blues, I am going to find a way to make this work for me and my business partner, this is going into our marketing strategy.
5. MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, I DO NOT WANT TO HURT PEOPLE. My first and overriding goal in business and life is to do no harm to others. I am not a scientist (and I bet no one else on this thread is either). I don’t have evidence that the lead in my projects isn’t going to hurt a child down the road so I will do what I can to minimize that risk.
Again, this might add $4,000 to one of my projects. I am not going to put finitical gain (money in my pocket) in front of even the POSSIBLE risk to someone’s child. Ain’t going to happen, money does not come before the lives of people, I will open another business before I stoop to that level… maybe something for others to think about.
Am I happy about losing money on my projects? Of course not but I WILL turn this into something positive for me and my crew.
Good luck with your march on Washington fellas, I will be at the bank cashing checks.
Michael – All valid points. However, I think the worst part is these new laws will make it nearly impossible for some folks to have repairs and upgrades done on their homes. The reality is that extra $2K to $4K will ultimately prevent many people from getting new windows, painting an old home, etc.
[...] To Friend | Posted by Kayla in Remodeling News. In a series of new lead paint laws intended to make remodeling projects more health- and environment-friendly, the EPA is [...]
hello,
I own and operate a painting company with 6 guys on my crew. We do a good amount of older house work.
I took the course and I am for the safe work area, BUT what I don’t believe in is all the things they are requiring us to do! I recently bid an exterior job, I contracted a staging crew to give me a bid to stage the house and wrap it in plastic; this is so I can scrape and prep the house, the cost was as additional $9,500.00 to my painting bid, bringing it to $22,500.00 to paint an averaged sized 2 family in the Boston area.
Obviously I didn’t get the job, the homeowner actually laughed at me and told me that I was crazy.
This law helped take food off my table, something needs to be done about this.
Harry – Really sorry to hear about the results of this new law on your business. Unfortunately unless someone in Washington overturns this law we’re going to see this situation repeat itself many times over. I will say that the winner bidder probably is setting himself up for a financial disaster as it will only take time before he’s caught. Keep your chin up and continue to spread the word about this law and how it’s impacting your life.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Todd,
So what do I do? keep bidding the jobs with the new laws and lose the bid?
The average homeowner does NOT care what happens to us, they want their job done perfectly for the lowest cost. What happens to us? what happens to the guys that are trying to run an honest business?
So do I stop doing exteriors? We do a lot of interiors, but let’s face it, we make money when we’re outside.
I want to do the job right, and follow all the rules, but if my competiotion isn’t, how do I survive? The only way I see this law working is if every single painting company bids the job apples to apples, staging, plastic, the whole thing that the EPA requires.
I would really like to hear what other painters are thinking.
Thanks
Harry
Harry – I feel your frustration and we’re in the same boat where I work. The first step is trying to educate the customers even though some will ignore the new rules and select the low contractor. It’s extremely frustrating but certainly not worth going bankrupt over after litigation. I also think that contractors need to speak up and start putting pressure on their state and federal representatives. The only way to fix this mess is having that law changed significantly.