By Nancy A. Chillag

Many buildings containing lead-based paint are being renovated, and the mere act of renovation poses serious health threats to young children and pregnant women. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act regarding “lead-based paint hazards created by renovation, repair, and painting activities that disturb lead-based paint in target housing and child-occupied facilities.” The rule, which has an effective date of April 2010, directly affects general and specialty contractors by requiring them to be certified if they are performing work on a targeted facility and to provide warnings to let people know of the hazards.

What projects are covered?

The rule generally applies to renovation of any housing constructed prior to 1978 and any public or commercial facility constructed prior to 1978 where children are present on a regular basis, such as a day care center or school. Exemptions include minor repair or maintenance work involving an area no larger than 6 sq. ft. of interior painted surface (20 sq. ft. for exterior), renovations by an owner to their own residence or a certification that the work area is free of lead-based paint (as determined using an EPA recognized test kit). Some housing may also be exempt if it is shown that no child under the age of 6 or pregnant woman resides or regularly visits there.

Who does the rule apply to?

Not only does the rule affect general contractors, but it also applies to any specialty contractor that in the course of their work may disturb a surface that could have lead-based paint. This would include plumbing, painting, HVAC, electrical, finish carpentry, drywall, insulation, siding, tile, glass and glazing, as well as others. (It would be advisable for general contractors to verify compliance by their subcontractors by obtaining a copy of their certification.)

What is the contractor required to do?

The rule requires that anyone doing renovation on targeted facilities obtain certification that evidences they are trained in the use of lead safe work practices and that they will follow specific work practices when performing the renovation. What this means to you is: (a) your company must receive certification, (b) a certified renovator must be assigned to each renovation of a covered facility; (c) all persons performing work on the project must receive on-the-job training by a certified renovator; (d) all renovations must be performed in accordance with the EPA work practice standards related to lead-based paint; (e) you must provide the owner and occupants of the property with an EPA pamphlet advising them of the lead hazards associated with renovation and obtain a signed certificate of receipt; and (f) you must keep records of compliance on all projects.

How and when does a contractor get certified?

Training programs will be approved by the EPA and will be available to contractors as early as April 2009. You can apply for certification as early as October 2009 and you MUST be certified by April 2010. After that date, you can’t perform renovations to a targeted project unless you are certified or an exemption applies. Certifications must be renewed every five years.

Enforcement and liability

It is unclear exactly how enforcement will take place. Suffice it to say that if a property owner is injured as a result of lead-based paint exposure during or after a renovation, your certification and paperwork better be in order. And you may be liable for personal injuries if you fail to perform the work in compliance with the EPA standards. It may also be advisable to modify your home improvement contracts to include information regarding lead hazards and a limitation on your liability.

More information

For more information you can visit the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm# remodeling. Here you will find a prerenovation disclosure form and a sample record-keeping checklist which will help you with compliance. You can also view the rule details in the Federal Register at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2008/April/Day-22/t8141.pdf which has detailed information regarding the requirements and exemptions.

Original Article from http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/print/Qualified-Remodeler/New-Lead-based-Paint-Certification-/1$1339

by Linda Johnson
Showcase to Ideas

It is very understandable for someone to walk by a home and wonder why some have rain gutters and others do not. Well, it is a homeowner choice on whether or not to have them installed and to incur the expense. Sounds obvious right? For that matter, it is also an option that because of the additional expense involved that most new home builders do not include them as a standard item included with the purchase of the home.

Having spent close to 10 years working with the real estate industry, including the new home segment, I can confirm for you that most new home builders in fact do not install them. It is so unexpected to find a new home with rain gutters, that when a prospective buyer comes across a new home builder that does include them, they are indeed taken aback. It is something they typically fail to observe when first viewing model homes. However, it is easy to tout the benefits of having them included, and in turn helps towards the sale of a new home.

Most of the time, present and future homeowners will first think of the most visible benefit of having rain gutters, and that is of being able to walk up to their front or back door on a rainy day or night without getting drenched from the cascade of water coming from the sloping roof just above. However, there are other advantages that provide a longer lasting and more preventative benefit.

First of all, your home itself will be lucky to benefit from the rain water being guided strategically and smartly away to designated spots rather than streaming down in to the planter beds that line the perimeter of many if not most homes. Why, because as time goes by and the muddy water ends up getting splashed back up on to the siding or stucco exterior walls of the home, that muddy water will eventually discolor those lower regions of the exterior walls at a much faster rate than the upper portions. Most homeowners unfortunately make the decision not to have them installed and years later look at the condition of their home and find an uneven wear and discoloration due to excess rain water causing the dreaded muddy splash.

Another benefit is that during rain storms, the plants and flowers that surround your home under the roof eaves will not get drenched with an excess amount of water. Many plants do not respond well to sitting in a deep pool of water, especially if the soil is heavier clay with poor drainage. Their roots end up rotting from not being able to dry out properly, such as is the case when a homeowner themself over irrigates. In this case, it is Mother Nature that does the irrigating. Take charge, and control the amount of water your plants get and sit in.

Most homeowners would benefit tremendously from installing rain gutters along the roof line of their homes. A newer type of seamless rain gutter is very popular now for its less bulky appearance and more efficient drainage abilities.

Originally published on SearchWarp.com for Linda Johnson Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Article Source: Landscape Ideas-Installing Rain Gutters and How They Help Keep Your Yard Clean

Author: Terry Edwards

Many people take their rain gutters and downspouts for granted. They see the guttering attached to their home, but they never give them a second thought. That can be a mistake for several reasons that we will take a closer look at in a second, but gutter maintenance is a very important part of your entire homes maintenance.

Without properly installed and functional gutters and downspouts, you can easily find yourself with roof damage or erosion problems in your yard. In many cases this can lead to leaky basements and other problems as well.

Gutter Maintenance

Keeping your rain gutters clean will prevent a lot of potential problems from ever happening. Even if you do not have trees around your home your gutters can still become clogged. Do you have asphalt shingles? If so, the rain slowly causes those tiny pebbles on your shingles to fall off and collect in the guttering.

Eventually these pebbles coming with other dirt and leaves to clog up the gutters. This is why washing out and cleaning your rain gutter is so important. Why? Because of settling.

Gutter Settling

When your gutters are filled with dirt and debris they become heavy, especially when filled with water. Over time this extra weight causes them to be pulled down and unable to drain properly.

Your guttering is sloped at slight angle toward your downspout. So, when that extra weight causes the gutter to sag, the angle is lost and the water simply collects in the channel. Eventually it pulls your guttering away from the roof and causes wood to rot.

How can you tell if your gutters have settled? Well you can watch the corners during the next rain, or you can spray a water hose onto the roof. Watch to see if the corners start leaking. If they do, your gutters are not draining correctly and they need looked at.

As you can see, rain gutter maintenance is important and just by cleaning them out on a regular basis can prevent most future problems from occurring.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/gutter-and-downspout-maintenance-what-you-need-to-know-161457.html

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By the way, you can learn more about Gutter And Downspout Maintenance as well as much more information on all types of gutters and downspouts at http://www.GuttersA-z.com