Dear Friends,
On April 22nd the EPA passed a law requiring that all renovation work done in homes built prior to 1978 meet new lead safety requirements. The new law will affect homeowners that want to have work done in their homes. Remodeling magazine 2010 noted that two-thirds of U.S. homes and apartments (78 million out of 120 million) were built before 1978. Many of you considering remodeling your home to age in place, or just to update a bath or kitchen, will now have to comply with the new EPA laws.
This is going to affect your pocket book for all of you wishing to renovate. The contractors you hire are required to do extensive testing, site preparation, containment, clean up, and documentation, for every project. They must be certified and pay a fee to the government for certifications, renewal fees and continuing education. Each company must have someone certified on site during demo.
What this means to you is that when you plan to remove that old bathroom in a pre-1978 home to create your new, more accessible, bathroom you will have to pay up to 15% more because of the new EPA laws. You as the homeowner do not have the choice to opt out. The EPA took that right away from you – even if you have repainted your home or done work already.
Now you’re wondering if the cost of modifying you home is still worth it? Well, I can point out a perfect example of how it can still be more cost effective to pay the extra costs for home renovations than to move into assisted living. Last year one client chose to add a one-bedroom addition with an accessible bathroom, laundry, porch and closets. They are saving over $60,000 a year because they chose to age in place.
The one story addition cost about $75,000. If they did it now, since it is a pre-1978 home, the added costs would be about $11, 250. That’s a lot of money. However, it would have cost them over $60,000 to move in to assistive living for just one year. The cost of the addition would have given them about a year and a half there. Now they can live happily and safely in their home for many more years. They also know that when their grandchildren visit, the house is safe for them too.
Many contractors are not up to speed yet and it will take time for them to get certified. There are not enough trainers to keep up with demand in such a short time span. If you’re planning to do work and have found a contractor that you’re comfortable with, but who is not certified yet, consider giving them time to get certified. To learn more about the Lead-Safe Renovation, Repairs and Painting Program (RRP) go to http://www.epa.gov/lead/new.htm
Happy home,
Pat
May 25, 2010 at 9:02 am |
[...] “Many contractors are not up to speed yet and it will take time for them to get certified,” she says. You can read her post here. [...]