Understanding the lead law

I recently completed a course through the Jackson County Home Builders Association to become a certified renovator of homes with lead based paint. As some people know, and most don’t, a federal law that changes the way everyone in the trades works around houses built in and before 1978 just went into effect last April. Everyone needs to be informed about this new change so they know what to expect as a client or as a contractor. Managing expectations is the key to a successful project.

All contractors that plan on working on homes built during or before 1978 must take this course and become certified through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the future, you will need this certification to pull a building permit when remodeling a home built in and before 1978. The law is in place to persuade contractors to contain and clean their work areas much more extensively than before. On these projects we will test for lead prior to any work taking place, and make a plan to limit the disturbance. If there is no lead, great! We get started and do the ridiculously clean, thorough, high quality work we always do.

If lead is present we continue on with our work, but in a different manner. The steps to comply with the law will be different for all projects. For example, on a small window replacement project, we would put plastic down on the ground inside and outside of the window. Plus, we would put up plastic walls making a small room on the interior of the house around the particular window we are working on. Every step along the way is done while thinking of limiting the dust. We do this by misting an area before scraping, using shrouds to cover our power tools that are connected to our HEPA vacuums. We also meticulously vacuum all areas and surfaces during the window replacement. That is a HEPA vacuum, NOT a shop Vac with a HEPA filter. There is a BIG difference! All surfaces that have been subject to dust and not been covered with plastic are wiped down and cleaned, then checked by a certified renovator for approval. After approval, we move all coverings and our plastic room to the next window.

There are other small details, like submitting all the proper paperwork to the client before, during and upon completion of the project, but I think you get the idea. In my opinion, it is good that we are taking the extra steps to contain possible lead in your home. This is something we should have been doing years ago. Clients need to understand that this extra work takes extra time, tools, knowledge, and certifications. Please make sure the contractor you hire is a certified renovator. If they are not trained, they will not know how to take the time to do the necessary steps to keep your home a safe place during your remodel. This is serious business, so treat it seriously.

This is a link to an informational pamphlet that we will be handing all potential clients when their home falls in the guidelines: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/steps.pdf.

Also visit the EPA’s website for a list of Frequently Asked Questions here: http://toxics.custhelp.com/

Please feel free to call me with any questions.

Rain Barrel

Here is our rain barrel, which collects rain water from the roof.  The downspout from the gutter feeds into the top of the barrel.  Once the barrel is full, overflow goes back into the storm water system.  This is a very simple way to conserve water.  We use the water from our rain barrel to water plants.

Obviously, ours is not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it does the job!  It is out of view on the side of the house.  We made this one ourselves and it was a very inexpensive project.  If you want to buy a pre-made rain barrel there are plenty of choices out there, and some of them are really cool looking.

One Fine Pergola

While hunting for elk two years ago, Chris and I found ourselves in a meadow waiting for the big one to walk through. We spent the better part of six hours huddled down behind a log, whispering stories to each other and really getting to know each other for the first time. It was then that he mentioned he and his wife wanted to build a pergola in their backyard.  We discussed details.  Even though no one got an elk that year, I did make a great friend, and a new client. 

Chris and Betsy live close to downtown Ashland, Oregon in a beautifully remodeled home. Their attention to detail could possibly rival mine, so I was trying to bring my A game to the table. They had a picture of a pergola that they liked, but it wasn’t exactly what they wanted. That helped us get an initial direction so I could provide an estimate. After a few meetings, and the larger details agreed upon, we were off and running. 

I always try and build projects in our shop, then do the install on site. Chris and Betsy loved this idea because they rent out one of their rooms, and wanted little to no disturbance on site. I love this idea because as a carpenter, the shop is a great place to be. A pergola of this quality demands the best materials. For this project we ordered kiln dried, clear grade cedar. All the main beams are notched into each other, glued, and then lagged together from the top. Everything is stained prior to bringing it on site. This way we get stain inside all the areas that would have been missed if the pergola was built on site, and then stained at the finish. The posts are secured to the concrete patio with Simpson base posts and bolts installed with epoxy. We wrapped the bottoms to cover the metal connection. I don’t like to see metal connections unless they are aesthetically pleasing, so we painted any metal bolts or lag screws a flat black. At the end we actually go around with a tiny brush to give them a final coat. It is the small details that matter most.

It took two weeks in the shop to complete this project, and two days of install on site. The final product was better than I could have imagined. Cedar is gorgeous when stained, and incredibly durable. The tight grain and quality of this wood is as good as it gets. This pergola has a very clean, classy look. At the same time it will withstand the worst of Mother Nature’s elements.




See more pergolas by Jovick Construction.