Is Your Contractor Certified? Lead Paint The Next Big Thing…

Yesterday the EPA announced that it will ease the date for contractors to be certified and in compliance with more stringent abatement procedures. Originally set to be enforced starting this past April, contractors now have until September 30 to sign up for training and until December 31 to complete the training.


The new lead paint abatement rules involve home renovations for houses, day-care centers, and schools built before 1978. The new federal rule mandates that a contractor certified in the handling of lead-based paint be hired for any renovations. The rule is geared toward reducing lead exposure and poisoning in children.

Why is this a big deal for you and me? The requirements in this new program will add significant costs to any project on older homes and most likely will affect the value of homes from that are of pre-1978 vintage. Contractors who have completed the certification believe that the new rules will 20 to 40 percent to the cost of work done to these older homes. In addition to the cost increase will be the added time it takes to comply with the new requirements. What was once a six hour job will now become an eight hour job.

Even for the simplest job there will be a higher price tag. Since the new regulation governs areas as small as six square feet. For instance, because of the precautions, the repainting of a room that would have cost $500 could now cost more than $800.

Why the high cost? To start with, furniture and equipment has to be wrapped in plastic at least 6 mils thick, by comparison your average kitchen trash bag is only 1 mil thick. Similarly, floors, doorways and windows have to be lined with plastic and workers must wear protective gear, which must be removed and disposed of each time they leave the work site. There are also special vacuums needed for cleanup, costing as much as $850.

Previously if you were having your house re-sided the crew would come out strip off the old siding pile it up then haul it off. Now crews must hazard tape the perimeter of the property, notify all surrounding neighbors. The crew must wear protective gear while taking each board off individually, wrap it in plastic, seal it with tape then photograph it to document that the procedures were followed. Now these boards may be disposed of in the local landfill with no additional requirements.

Training and certification classes cost roughly $180 to $250 per student, and a business would have to pay an additional $400 to $560 to register as a certified contractor.

Contractors and handymen are required to keep detailed records of the work they do when lead is present, including photos, which could be reviewed by inspectors if a complaint was made. The fines for noncompliance are up to $37,500 per violation — for example, not taking proper precautions to contain and clean up dust.

Will buyers be put off by these daunting regulations? How will this affect values in our older home inventory? Will lenders require more documentation for these homes? Hard to say, safe to say we should all buy stock in the 3M Corporation if these regulations stay.

For more in depth information visit:

http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/lead/Renovation_Repair_Painting_Rule.shtml

http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.html