Have you entered the HBA Bridge Awards?

Have you entered the HBA Bridge Awards? We want to recognize you as the best and brightest at the first annual HBA Bridge Awards Ceremony and it is not too late to submit your entry form!

If you would like to submit an entry, please click here to fill out the entry forms and follow the submission requirements accordingly. Entries will be judged January 6-10 and the winners will be recognized at the 2013 Bridge Awards Ceremony on January 30, 2014. Don't miss your opportunity to showcase the craftsmanship and professionalism you put into your projects - enter today!

Find out how to make your entry shine at the Bridge Awards Orientation at the HBA office Wednesday, December 4 at 3:30 p.m. Please contact Crystal Yanes at cyanes@hbaofgreenville.com or (864) 254-0133 if you have any questions.

Three HBA member companies receive Pinnacle Awards, Statom honored

HBA of Greenville honorees at the Pinnacle Awards

Three member companies of your Home Builders Association received Pinnacle Awards at the South Carolina annual conference in Hilton Head earlier this month.

Pinnacle Award Honorees:

• Stoneledge Properties, Best Overall Green Construction
• Gabriel Builders, Best New Home Construction, more than $5 million
• John DuBonn Builders, Best Remodeling Project, more than $150,000

Statom honored as Associate Member of the Year
Jon Statom of Palmetto Exterminators was honored as the South Carolina Associate Member of the Year.  Read the full report on Statom by clicking here.

About the Pinnacle Awards
The Pinnacle Awards were created to honor those in the home building industry who have achieved the highest standard of quality craftsmanship, innovative problem solving and customer satisfaction. This competition is a privilege of membership, as well as a means of challenging our members to greater levels of achievement.


Check out the Bridge Awards
HBA members will now have an opportunity to compete at the local level with the Southern Home and Garden Bridge Awards presented by GBS Building Supply.  Click here for more information on entering the Bridge Awards.

HBA Member, GBS Building Supply, Recognized as the 7th Growing Company in SC

HBA of Greenville Member, GBS Building Supply, based in Greenville, SC, was recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies statewide as 2013 Roaring Twenties winners were honored by SC Biz News recently.


Twenty large companies and 20 small companies from across the state were honored at a networking event and reception in Columbia. Company size was determined by gross revenue of $10 million and less for small companies, and more than $10 million for large companies.

While the companies knew they were among the top 20, the rankings were not announced until the event. Chris William, series executive producer and moderator of Carolina Business Review, was master of ceremonies.

GBS Building Supply, ranked number seven among large companies statewide, is an employee-owned company founded in 1972. Builders, remodelers, architects, and homeowners choose GBS because of their product knowledge, wide spectrum of products, prompt service, and attention to detail.

In addition to a full-service lumberyard, GBS supplies products throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina such as windows, doors, decking, cabinets and countertops, roofing, siding, installed stone, insulation and house wrap, as well as locks and hardware. Their specialities include green products, cabinetry design services and commercial applications.

Roaring Twenties companies were qualified and ranked according to growth and revenue. A formula that awarded points based on both dollar and percentage increases in South Carolina revenue from years 2011-2012 was used to level the playing field between smaller and larger companies within the two categories.

For more information on GBS Building Supply, visit gbsbuilding.com.

Code Amendment on Window Fall Protection Clarified

Your Home Builders Association successfully clarified an amendment to the building code relating to window fall protection.  The amendment was written improperly when it was adopted originally, which caused confusion in enforcement. 

For clarification, the following code amendment is adopted:

Window Protection – R312.2.1 as written is deleted and R312.2.2 now becomes the R312.2.1. R213.2 Window Fall Protection now reads; “Where window fall protection is provided it shall be installed in accordance with sections R312.2.1.

As a note, the get-out-of-jail-free card is R310.1.4 – Operating Constraints. This section states, “emergency escape and rescue openings shall be operational from the inside of the room without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge.”

It was the association's position, in advocating for the amendment above, that the Window Protection section conflicted with the Operating Constraints section.  The Building Codes Council agreed.

EPA Releases New Lead Guidance for Plumbing Parts

EPA has issued a final guidance document regarding changes made by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act for lead-free plumbing fittings and fixtures that take effect on Jan. 4, 2014. The guidance stipulates that all dealers, retailers and installers must not sell non-compliant products after that date even if they are part of existing inventory.

The document includes several implementation guidelines, information on the scope of the act and an FAQ to assist with compliance. The act’s amendments cover two primary areas:

• First, it lowers the maximum allowable lead content of plumbing products such as pipes and fixtures from 8% to 0.25%.
• Second, the act adds exemptions to the lead-free requirements for any pipes, pipe or plumbing fittings, or fixtures that are used in manufacturing, industrial processing, for irrigation purposes and any other uses where the water is not intended for human consumption.

The federal legislation mimics existing California regulations with one major difference; California regulates products intended to provide water consumption. The act, on the other hand, includes service products that are anticipated to be used for human consumption. For example, EPA has reasoned that fire hydrants are anticipated for use for human consumption because they "can be, and are, used in emergency situations to provide drinking water," the guidance said.

Hydrants
Your Home Builders Association has learned that fire hydrants may be in short supply and substantially more expensive, the result of this new rule making by EPA.

EPA has reasoned that hydrants are occasionally used as an emergency source of drinking water.

Your Home Builders Association has joined various water utilities groups to call on EPA to reconsider its imposition of the lead-free mandate for fire hydrants.  The new rule takes effect January 4, 2014.

John T. Watkins

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of the Home Builders Association of Greenville, we extend our sincere sympathy to the family of John T. Watkins, of Columbia, SC.

John T. Watkins, a World War II veteran, became the first Director of the SC Residential Builders Commission in 1974 after more than 35 years as a residential and commercial builder. He improved the professionalism and image of the home building industry and protected the interest of homeowners in that position by establishing a consensus about the licensing of builders and specialty contractors and by fighting for various legislation.

He was named Columbia's Builder Member of the Year in 1963 and served as President of the HBA of Greater Columbia in 1964. He received the Gordon A. Harrison Award for lifetime contributions from the HBA of Greater Columbia in 1985. John served as President of the HBA of South Carolina in 1970 and in 1991 received the association's Hammer and Trowel Award which recognizes a public official for aiding the state's building industry. In 1997, he was inducted into the SC Housing Hall of Fame.

Visitation will be held at Greenlawn Funeral Home on Saturday from 5 pm until 7pm, 845 Leesburg Rd, Columbia, SC 29209. Funeral services will be held on Sunday at Incarnation Lutheran Church (corner Devine & Sims) 3001 Devine Street, Columbia. Graveside services following funeral.

Your HBA saved members $$$ with court victories this summer

Watch a report about how your Home Builders Association has saved members tens of thousands of dollars with its efforts in court.

https://www.nahb.org/showpage_details.aspx?sectionID=486&showPageID=21454&recordLogin=1

You must be logged in as a member to watch this report.  Need help logging in?  Contact your HBA Office at 864-254-0133.  Not a member?  We invite you to become a member by clicking here.