EPA Lead Paint Rule Briefing

First Remodelers Council of the Upstate Membership Meeting

What: EPA Lead Paint Rule Briefing

When: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Where: Greenville Hilton

Sign up at www.HBAofGreenville.com to Attend.

Lead Paint. In 1978 lead paint was banned for use in residences. As early as 1970 latex paints were already in use in new homes. How can you tell? Starting April 22, all contractors performing work for others for hire will be required to know whether lead paint is present, and if it is present, to advise the homeowner and possibly mitigate the lead paint. The fine for violating this new rule is more than $30,000 per day per occurrence.

Joy N. Finch, MS, CET, Director of Environmental Continuing Education , Health and Safety Training, for Greenville Tec, will educate members on the new EPA Lead Paint rule on what contractors need to do to comply. This is the first general membership meeting of the newly reconstituted Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Greenville.

S.C. Building Codes Council Fails to Remove Mandatory Fire Sprinklers from IRC

The S.C. Building Codes Council voted 6 to 3 to not remove the mandatory residential fire sprinkler requirement from the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC). As it stands today, all new one- and two-family homes built starting January 1, 2011, will be required to have an automatic fire sprinkler system.

Your Home Builders Association of Greenville has taken the position that installation of fire sprinklers should be at the option of the home buyer and not mandated by government. You can read the association's position statement by clicking here.

Your Home Builders Association agenda now is to lobby for passage of legislation removing the mandatory fire sprinkler provision from the IRC. The Home Builders Association of South Carolina has made that legislation a top priority.

To make this happen, your Home Builders Association needs you to contact your Senators and urge them to support S.1057. Click on your Senator's name for his contact information.

Senator Ralph Anderson
Senator Mike Fair
Senator Shane Martin
Senator Phillip Shoopman
Senator David Thomas
Senator Danny Verdin
Senator Thomas Alexander
Senator Larry Martin

A key Senator for this issue is Senator David Thomas. Senator Thomas has placed an objection on S.1057 and has expressed support for mandatory fire sprinklers in homes. When you call Senator Thomas, ask him to support removing fire sprinklers from the building code for one- and two-family homes. Another key Senator is Senator Thomas Alexander, who sponsored the legislation to remove sprinklers from the IRC. When you call Senator Alexander, please thank him for his efforts.

If you do not know who your Senator is, find out by clicking on this link, and enter your nine-digit zip code.

Your Home Builders Association recognizes the importance of addressing mandatory fire sprinklers in homes. HBA of Greenville members from the Legislative and Executive committees have traveled to Columbia to discuss your concerns with them.

You will have the opportunity to help by attending the 40th Annual HBA of South Carolina Bird Supper in Columbia this month. The Bird Supper is the association's annual legislative dinner and one of the largest receptions for legislators in South Carolina.

Bird Supper Details

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 6:30 p.m.
Place: The Marriott in downtown Columbia
Tickets: $35 per person

You can register online by clicking on this link: Register for the Bird Supper

Three New Publications Available for Home Builders Free from NAHB

Three new Biztools business guides are available free to NAHB members through the NAHB Web site, and we wanted to make sure you're aware of these handy resources. Created to help you manage your business more effectively and increase profits, the guides offer helpful tips on technology, business planning, ensuring the financial health of your business, and more. They are produced by the NAHB Business Management and Information Technology Committee and can be found in the business management resources section of our Web site. These three concise guides are written by experts in the field and can be downloaded at no charge at www.nahb.org/bbg. They include:

• Business Management for Home Builders: Poising for Recovery as the Market Turns
• Financial Management for Home Builders: Measuring Key Metrics to Plan Your Path
• Information Technology for Home Builders: Using Technology to Better Market Your Business

Of course, these are just the latest great Biztools to be produced by NAHB. The 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 builder business guides are also available to NAHB members for free, and can be downloaded in PDF format using this link.

NAHB Offering Webinar on Chinese Drywall

Home builders can obtain up-to-date information regarding testing and remediation protocols for corrosive drywall, as well as learn about the insurance ramifications of corrosive drywall in homes built with the product, during a free webinar from NAHB and the insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh.

The webinar, “Evolving Solutions to the Corrosive Drywall Crisis,” will be held from 12:00-1:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 11. A panel of experts will discuss:

• What builders can tell their customers and home owners
• How builders can answer customer and home owner questions
• The appropriate testing protocol for determining the presence of corrosive drywall
• How recent activities by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and HUD affect builders

The webinar will include a question and answer period at the end of the presentation. Participants should submit questions in advance to kathy.hill@marsh.com. Panelists include:

• Katherine Cahill — Managing Director, Leader of Global Product Risk Practice, Marsh
• Barbara Manis, MD — Chief Medical Officer, The NMAS Group, a medically-based enterprise risk management firm
• Bruce Hallock, PSP, CFCC — Vice President, Construction Consulting Practice, Marsh
• Alan Schoem — Senior Vice President, Global Product Risk Practice, Marsh
• John Denton — Senior Vice President, Mass Tort and Complex Liability Practice, Marsh

To register online, click here.

Once registered, participants will receive webinar access instructions.

Builder Magazine Ranks Greenville 19th Healthiest Housing Market

Builder Magazine has rated Greenville the 19th healthiest housing market in the country for 2010.

The report states that job growth in the area is expect to be 1.1 percent in 2010, and that permits will increase by 13 percent in 2010 over 2009. Add that housing is very affordable, population growth remains strong, and the area is midway between Atlanta and Charlotte on the I-85 corridor, and Builder Magazine says that Greenville has a lot going for it.

The list ranks the 20 healthiest housing markets in the country. Of the top 20 markets, seven are in the Carolinas:

• Greenville, SC
• Wilmington, NC
• Durham, NC
• Charleston, SC
• Charlotte, NC
• Raleigh, NC

Of the top 20 markets, 14 are in the Southeast according to Builder Magazine. Other factors that the magazine considered are places where house prices never got out of hand, cities where a diverse and progressive employment base drives job creation, and communities that continue to draw population despite the economic recession.

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