Small Builders and Remodelers

What Remodelers Need to Know About Working Under the Impending New Lead Paint Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulation, Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting, which goes into effect on Thursday, April 22, will require that remodelers and contractors working in homes built before 1978 be trained and certified by the EPA on lead-safe work practices before they can legally work in those homes.

Remodelers who have not meet the rule’s requirements by Thursday, April 22 should avoid working in homes built before 1978; the business and legal consequences of violating the rule — including fines — could be substantial.

The EPA also has proposed to remove the lead-paint rule’s opt-out provision that allows home owners without children under age six or pregnant women residing in the home to sign a waiver and avoid the requirements of the rule. NAHB expects this amendment to be approved and released by the EPA within the new several weeks.

With little time left before the rule takes effect, NAHB has compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers to help members in their efforts to comply:

Waterfront Property Rules are Being Revised by Local Jurisdictions

There are seven jurisdictions in Thurston County that have shorelines which have local and state management under the Shoreline Management Act (SMA). These seven jurisdictions have individually adopted a single regulatory and policy document which is called a Shoreline Master Program (SMP). Each local jurisdiction is now in the process of reviewing and revising the SMP to better fit local needs and development codes. Thurston Regional Planning Council used guidelines from the Department of Ecology to prepare a draft SMP as a starting point for all seven local jurisdictions. Each local SMP will be reviewed and revised by the jurisdictional planning commission, taking into consideration public comment before recommending adoption by the city council/county commission. The SMP will then be given to Department of Ecology for final review and adoption. The seven jurisdictions are: Thurston County, Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Tenino and Bucoda.

The SMP dictates what development can happen in the 200 feet from a water body’s edge. To put this in perspective; a hockey field is 200 feet and a football field is 300 feet. The SMP priority is to balance development and economic activity with public access, enjoyment of shorelines, water related activity and no net loss of ecological function and restoration of degraded aquatic and marine habitat of shorelines. The SMP includes regulations about the distance from the water and the height landowners can build and landscape from marine waterways, lakes, rivers, streams and flood plains. It also includes regulations for landowners who are remodeling existing structures.

Each jurisdiction is at a different stage in the process but all SMPs are due to the Department of Ecology in December of 2011. The City of Lacey Planning Commission is close to the end of the process and will be sending a document to the city council for approval in the near future. The City of Olympia is ramping up and the Planning Commission has scheduled a series of meetings over the next couple of months. The City of Tumwater planning commission will begin the process late spring or early summer and Thurston County will be holding workshops and public meetings this spring.

Click here for additional information concerning Shoreline Master Program.

OMB Will Award Several Scholarships

Olympia Master Builders will award several Scholarships to students heading off to college or vocational/technical school. Scholarships are given to students looking to pursue a career in the building industry, such as: Engineering, Architecture, Drafting or Construction Management.

The deadline for scholarship applications is Friday, March 12, 2010.

Click here for more information and/or and application.

Builder Helper is a New Member Benefit

A Builder Helper training is scheduled at OMB on Wednesday, January 27th. Click here for more information.

Builder Helper was designed for home builders and trade contractors. Builder Helper facilitates General Contractors to create electronic bids, upload plans, and instantly notify hundreds of trades in the local area. Through the program, subcontractors receive notifications through email and text messages to perform online estimating takeoffs.