Published by the Remodelers Council of Lincoln • December 2011 • Vol. 14, No. 12 • Editor Jennie Korth

Chairperson’s Message

by Jenny Samek

Celebrating 25 Years! Remodelers Council Christmas Party

The Vault at Grand Manse129 N 10th Street

Wednesday, December 7 • 11:30 a.m.

Lunch by LaPaz

Cost: $13 per person

RSVP to info@hbal.org by December 2.

2012 Remodelers Council OfficersChair

Molly JohnsonFerguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting

Vice ChairJeff Bielenberg

Bielenberg Builders, Inc.

SecretaryErin Magnussen

Reese Construction, Inc.

Best of the BestThe Remodelers Council will be starting a,

“Best of” competition for our Council members. Starting in January we will be asking our

members to submit their “Best of” photos to the HBAL office. Be sure to watch the January issue of Step by Step to see which “Best of” we are

looking for. More details to come!

# Cost # Cost # Cost # Cost # Cost # CostJan. 19 333,000 7 87,400 9 1,364,460 2 52,000 6 152,980 3 80,100Feb. 13 426,676 4 314,300 9 141,600 5 125,240 3 99,500 7 178,700March 34 613,750 33 1,283,155 36 589,154 10 206,900 11 317,000 18 452,005April 52 560,472 56 539,511 62 1,208,366 10 198,413 19 706,474 15 908,366May 57 907,924 55 818,301 52 809,323 9 183,000 9 148,500 20 340,080June 59 520,942 62 481,374 19 543,997 14 297,872 12 460,740 16 603,388July 49 645,103 46 728,615 11 212,984 17 554,070 15 697,500 9 248,618August 44 433,967 56 807,215 13 583,602 8 244,470 11 219,300 12 478,200Sept. 43 585,123 32 558,017 14 556,083 15 407,066 15 375,278 16 1,011,333Oct. 41 621,817 47 1,150,309 18 490,847 19 793,181 11 333,693 13 220,423Total 411 5,648,774 398 6,768,197 243 6,500,416 109 3,062,212 112 3,510,965 129 4,521,213Avg. Cost 26,75113,744

2010

31,348

2011

35,048

Remodeling Permits: AdditionsCity of Lincoln - Detached Single Family - 6 - Year Table

28,094

2006 2007 2009

17,006

2008

# Cost # Cost # Cost # Cost # Cost # CostJan. 89 1,007,372 88 1,163,863 81 907,619 71 784,232 57 502,454 69 988,395Feb. 87 967,125 78 909,207 76 947,505 76 706,588 69 600,743 79 893,584March 100 1,147,674 107 1,280,089 89 800,412 72 946,927 125 1,229,150 104 900,086April 87 706,214 88 1,031,776 82 877,275 85 813,112 154 1,386,859 133 1,292,245May 120 1,042,668 115 1,578,971 79 723,878 65 617,270 124 931,223 111 946,242June 97 985,229 97 736,760 76 662,915 89 766,615 117 754,480 112 819,225July 94 1,072,119 117 1,258,848 77 1,143,624 96 1,172,764 161 1,181,825 99 1,104,259August 44 433,967 110 1,138,598 92 1,264,374 77 790,319 119 1,006,147 129 1,032,748Sept. 92 674,348 94 1,070,733 83 962,319 78 778,464 124 976,777 106 928,466Oct. 96 966,277 96 868,251 80 750,551 79 552,852 141 929,354 122 1,298,243Total 906 9,002,993 990 11,037,096 815 9,040,472 788 7,929,143 1,191 9,499,012 1,064 10,203,493Avg. Cost 7,976

2011

9,590

Remodeling Permits: AlterationsCity of Lincoln - Detached Single Family - 6 - Year Table

2006 2007 20092008 2010

10,06211,1499,937 11,093

It’s funny how time flies! It just seems like yesterday I became an officer for the Remodelers Council. Over the past several

years I have had a front row seat to all the amazing things this council does for each other and the community. I was able to attend the Remodeling Show and saw how well this organization is respected nationally.

Now that the Holiday season is upon us, we need to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. We should be thankful we live in a state with a stable economy and that our remodeling industry has stayed steady. My kids and I really enjoyed helping with Santa Cop this year. They loved helping make gifts for other children to enjoy. Please remember to give back to the less fortunate this holiday season. There are numerous foods drives and we are still taking donations for Dolls vs. Wheels. Toys can be delivered to the HBAL office or brought to the Remodelers Holiday Party. The party will be at the Grand Manse in the Vault Room. Hope to see you all there!

Happy Holidays!

Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more.”

- Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’.

OSHA 10 Hour & First Aid/CPR Training

December 14 & 15, 2011Wednesday, December 14 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday, December 15 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

HBAL Office • Trade Center6100 S. 58th Street, Ste. C • Lincoln, NE

HBAL has received a grant to provide this training (a $200 value) for free to our members. The class is limited to 20 people and only one employee from each company can register. Additional employees can be put on a waiting list and will fill those spots not taken after December 7, 2011. A $25 deposit is required to guarantee your spot and will be returned to you upon completion of the training.To register, call the HBAL office at 402-423-4225 or email info@hbal.org.

New EPA Paint Chip Guide ‘Essential’ for Determing If

Lead Is in Homes In the absence of an inexpensive, reliable lead paint test kit, the Environmental Protection Agency is allowing remodelers to send paint chips to certified testing labs to determine whether lead-safe work practices are necessary in the client’s home or any other residential building in accordance with the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule.

A detailed description of how to properly take a paint chip sample is provided in the EPA’s new “Paint Chip Sample Collection Guide” found here: http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/paintchip.pdf.

Without the paint chip test or a negative result from a test kit, in homes built before 1978 the remodeler must assume that lead paint is present and work accordingly.

“EPA-certified renovators who choose to take paint chip samples to determine if lead-based paint is present in a work area will find this guide essential,” said NAHB environmental policy analyst Matt Watkins.

The EPA has listed all its recent amendments to the LRRP regulation that are now in effect.

In addition to allowing the contractor to collect paint samples, the agency has:

• Published“StepstoLeadSafeRenovation,RepairandPainting”(http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/steps.pdf). While the document discusses working in a home using lead-safe work practices, it does not give the remodeler the information needed for proper recordkeeping.

• Afewsuggestionsonrecordkeepingcanbefoundinthe“Small Business Compliance Guide to Renovate Right” (http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/sbcomplianceguide.pdf).

• Madeadditionaleditstothe“RenovateRight”brochure(http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf), which EPA-certified renovators are required to give to customers no more than 60 days and at least seven days before the actual remodeling work begins.

• Arevisiononpage10discusseslead-dusttesting.Ifremodelersinsert that page into copies of the earlier brochure, they are still considered to be compliant with the pre-renovation education provision of the RRP.

• Madechangestoverticalcontainmentrequirements.Forexterior renovations within 10 feet of the property line, the EPA is requiring vertical containment, but has given remodelers the flexibility “to design effective containment systems based on the renovation activity and the work site.”

• Forbothexteriorandinteriorwork,theimpervioussheetingonthe ground/floor is now required to extend to the “edge of the vertical barrier.”

• ChangeditsrequirementsforHEPAvacuums,allowingtheuse of those purchased to meet 2008 requirements. The EPA’s revised language requires that “HEPA vacuums must be operated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.”

• Relatedtosurfacecoating,theEPAhasrefineditsdefinitionof “painted surface” to include varnishes and other coatings; however, it does not include enameled surfaces like bathtubs or sinks.

Formoreinformation,questionsvisitwww.nahb.org/leadpaintoremailMatt Watkins, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8327.

Greg ShinautPhone: 402-437-1717Cellular: 402-416-5067Email: greg.shinaut@blackhillscorp.com

Ruth HietbrinkCellular: 402-430-7617Email: ruth.hietbrink@blackhillscorp.com

www.BlackHillsEnergy.com

EPA Adds Some Changes to Original Provisions of Lead Paint Rule for Remodelers

NAHB members were relieved this summer when the Environmental Protection Agency, yielding to recommendations from the association, backed down from implementing a new requirement for lead testing at the completion of a project under the Lead Paint: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule.

The clearance testing requirement would have subjected remodeling customers to even more costs and delays.

Also, in response to concerns from NAHB and others, the EPA has added requirements and made clarifications to the original LRRP rule that may change how the lead regulation is enforced.

Among those changes:

• Vertical Containment. Responding to concerns about worker safety and the proximity of neighboring properties, the EPA has made concessions on its requirements for exterior and interior vertical containment — or the plastic sheeting or other impermeable materials required to be installed over scaffolding or framing to ensure that dust or debris does not leave the work area.

Forexteriorrenovationswithin10feetofthepropertylineofadjacent buildings, the EPA had required vertical containment, but has added “or equivalent extra precautions in containing the work area,” giving renovators the flexibility “to design effective containment systems based on the renovation activity and the work site.”

The EPA also dropped language suggesting that vertical containment was required on exterior renovations in windy conditions.

Also, on exterior work the distance from impervious sheeting required on the ground was reduced from 10 feet to the “edge of the vertical barrier.”

Forinteriorcontainment,plasticsheetingonlyneedstobelaiddown to the “edge of the vertical barrier,” and not the six feet beyond the work area required formerly.

• HEPA Vacuums. The EPA has changed its requirement for contractors to go to the unnecessary expense of buying newer HEPA vacuums, when currently owned vacuums purchased to comply with the 2008 version of the rule were designed to work just as effectively when operated correctly.

The EPA’s revised language requires that “HEPA vacuums must be operated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.”

NAHB is advising remodelers to keep up-to-date records of the operations and maintenance schedules of their HEPA vacuums.

• Test Kits. With the EPA having not yet recognized an improved test kit to determine the presence of lead in the work area before renovation, the agency revised the rule to allow certified renovators to collect paint chips from the work area and send them to an EPA-accredited laboratory for analysis to show the presence of lead.

While this alternative is more accurate than currently available test kits, NAHB has pointed out that it is not an adequate substitute because it is costlier than test kits, creates further delays for remodelers and requires property owners to disclose this information to future residents.

Additionally, there are only about 100 accredited labs in the United States and 13 states have no accredited labs at all.

Furthermore,somestatesonlyallowpaintchipsamplestobecollected by certified lead inspectors or risk assessors.

• Online Training. At NAHB’s urging, the agency has said that online training courses are permitted under the rule, a clarification for some states that had not accepted them.

The EPA requires eight hours of training to become a certified renovator. NAHB worked with the agency, the Oregon Home Builders Association and the Custom Electronic Design Installation Association to develop an EPA-accredited online certification course that can be a substitute for the six hours of required classroom training.

Formoreinformation,emailMattWatkinsatNAHB,orcallhimat800-368-5242 x8327.

Remodelers Council of Lincoln6100 S. 58th Street, Suite CLincoln, NE 68516

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Save the Date!The 2012 Remodelers

Council Golf Tournament is moving to Wilderness

Ridge! Save the date for a 8:30 a.m. shot gun start on

August 3, 2012.

Dec. 14-15 OSHA 10-hr & First Aid/CPR TrainingHBAL Office • 6100 S. 58th Street, Ste. C

Dec. 27 Tuesday Training - Personal Protective EquipmentHBAL Office • 6100 S. 58th Street, Ste. C

Dec. 7 Remodelers Council Holiday PartyThe Vault at Grand Manse • 129 N. 10th Street

Dec. 8HBAL Holiday Party“It’s Vegas Baby!” w/ Joey Libido & SugarHillcrest Country Club • 9401 O Street

Dec. 26 HBAL Office Closed for Christmas