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While most people are aware of the dangers that exposure to lead-based paint can pose – it effects children's brains and developing nervous systems, causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities and behavioral problems, and it can also lead to hypertension and high blood pressure in adults – what many homeowners may not realize is that a new Environmental Protection Agency rule may cause the issue to balloon.

The EPA’s new Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule takes effect April 22, 2010, and requires that contractors working in a residence or facility built before 1978 where children are present must be an EPA Certified Renovator.

This rule was put into place after a four-year study determined that renovation work, including weatherization, window replacement, HVAC modifications, demolition of interior plaster walls, removal of exterior painted siding and trim, and drilling and sawing into painted wood and plaster, exposes both occupants and workers to the same kind of hazards as lead-paint abatement. That’s because, as the EPA notes, the most common manner in which people are exposed to lead is through lead contained in dust. (Just think of all the dust that demolition, drilling, sanding and drywalling stir up over the course of a renovation project!) As a result, all remodelers, painters, plumbers, HVAC technicians, etc. who work on homes or child-occupied facilities, such as schools and daycare centers, built before 1978 must have certified workers and their firm must be certified with the EPA. This rule applies to all projects (that homeowners do not do themselves) that disturb more than 6 square feet of a potentially lead contaminated surface inside a building or 20 square feet outside.

Here at Palmer Custom Builders, both Gary Palmer and lead carpenter Hunter Moxley hold this EPA certification. The training they received taught them how to effectively contain a work area to prevent the spread of possible contaminants into other areas of the home; proper construction and demolition methods designed to minimize the creation of dust; and EPA-approved clean-up methods designed to eliminate any lead residue.

As a homeowner, it’s vital that you check with your contractor to make certain that they’ve obtained this certification. Of course, there is the obvious reason – you want to be sure that your family is protected and that the contractor you hire takes his responsibility to care for them seriously. Yet it goes much deeper: the manner in which a contractor treats this certification is, in many ways, a reflection of their integrity that is likely to carry over into other aspects of how they run their business. In addition, not obtaining the certification before working on a project covered by this rule could cause a contractor to incur a stiff EPA civil fine of up to $32,500 per offense as well as an additional criminal fine of $32,500 plus jail time for knowing and willful violations of the requirements (in NC the fine is $750-$1,000 per day until resolved). Such hefty consequences may impact a contractor’s overall financial stability as well as their ability to complete and then stand behind your project. At Palmer Custom Builders, we are taking our responsibility to your family one step farther by testing any children residing in a home built before 1978 which has lead-based paint before we even begin work on the project. It’s just one more way we are striving to keep our customers safe.

Measure twice, cut once. Do it right the first time. Pay me now or pay me later. We’ve all heard these phrases before and know they resonate because of the common sense behind them. Yet when it comes to home renovation projects and particularly, minor repairs, homeowners sometimes throw logic and caution out the proverbial window in an effort to “get a good deal.”

Unfortunately, saving a dime by hiring a discount contractor who doesn’t know how to properly do the work ends up costing consumers millions each year, according to the Better Business Bureau. If you’ve watched HGTV’s latest sensation, Holmes on Homes, you’ve seen the Canadian contractor spend weeks trying to correct the damage done by supposedly “minor” repairs as well as major renovations that were performed incorrectly. Hundreds of square feet of tile that had to be ripped up and replaced due to improper underlayment, entire basement upfits torn down when plumbing pipes were installed by cutting through structural members, roofs removed due to improperly placed vents that caused water damage. The list goes on and on.

Here in Charlotte, we at Palmer Custom Builders often are called in to correct the substandard work of unlicensed handymen and the subsequent damage it causes. We’ve seen incorrectly constructed dormers cause unbelievable damage to exterior and interior walls, “minor” water leaks that result in entire floors having to be replaced, and dangerous wiring that presents a very real fire hazard.

It generally starts with a well-intentioned homeowner who is trying to save a few dollars of their hard-earned money, sometimes on a minor project. For example, one Charlotte homeowner we’ve since worked with initially hired a questionable contractor to install a closet in her bedroom. When that turned out okay, she had him build a downstairs closet as well. Things started to go downhill when she retained him to create a basement bathroom. There were some peculiarities with the plumbing license, but the homeowner really noticed that something was awry when she happened to look at the packaging of the water pump that was delivered to her home. “I was paying for a really good one, but the pump that was actually delivered to my house was not rated to be used below grade,” she relates. “I decided then and there that I wasn’t going to do this to my house, so I hired a licensed electrician and plumber. Unfortunately, I already had paid the first guy $3,000 for the downstairs bathroom.” Instead of refunding her money, “he worked it off by doing other projects, like my basement steps, but he wasn’t happy about what he had to do, and his work showed that.”  The homeowner then hired a second contractor the plumber recommended to complete the jobs that the first contractor didn’t finish, like building a basement staircase, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. “He did a good job, but he just didn’t finish. He never came to do the final trim; he kept saying he was going to come back, but he never did,” the homeowner relates.

By the time she found, researched and hired Palmer Custom Builders, this homeowner had a list of about 60 items that needed to be corrected in her home. When we brought our team of professionals in to look at the house, the results of dealing with unlicensed people were apparent. A smoke detector had been completely sheetrocked over. When we looked into the electrical work, we discovered that a lamp cord had been used inside the ceiling, instead of the construction-grade interior wiring that code requires and common sense dictates. The wiring was so poorly thought-out that it actually required flipping two separate switches to get the light over the pool table to turn on. In the bathroom, fans were not vented to the outside, and GFIs were not in place. Structurally, a new wall wasn’t close to being straight. We corrected these and many other issues while completing the kitchen and master bath renovation the homeowner had desired – all in about eight and half weeks, as opposed to the over one year the first gentleman took. The result is that this homeowner now has a beautifully updated, functional home in which she feels comfortable raising her family.

“Now, I’m very happy with everything,” she relates. “In the end, you get what you pay for. If you want to pay a little bit, that’s just what you’ll get - a little bit. I learned that lesson three times. By the time I hired Palmer Custom Builders, I was more than willing to pay a little more for a professional job, but I also expected a little more for my money. The bottom line really is that you get what you pay for, and the difference between Palmer Custom Builders’ work and what had been done previously was the difference between night and day.”

If you’re like most people, you probably can’t resist a great deal. That orange cashmere sweater definitely has more appeal at 75 percent off than at full price, and the temptation to extend your vacation is much higher when extra nights are half off.

While these uncertain economic times have us looking for bargains in more facets of our lives, one area where you simply can’t afford to skimp is in selecting a contractor to renovate or repair your home.

"It’s not your lucky day when a contractor shows up on your doorstep offering a too-good-to-be-true deal on a project." said Steve Cole, former president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in a warning to homeowners. "The salesperson may claim he has materials left over from a recent job at your neighbor’s house or the ‘house down the street.’ This is a common ploy of fly-by-night contractors who are based out-of-state and use their pick-up trucks as their place of business."

Complaints against incompetent contractors are among the most common received by the BBB and range from poor workmanship and incomplete job performance to actual home foreclosures. Not to mention the nightmare scenario of uninsured workers and the workman’s comp claims that can arise from that.

While you may not entrust a major renovation to someone who shows up on your doorstep, you may give in to temptation for a supposedly small repair. That’s a bad idea, because minor repairs can have major ramifications. Repairing a door jamb without properly installing flashing, for example, can lead to water damage in the decking below, in the adjoining wall, and to the siding covering that wall. It also can create an ideal environment for insect infestation, which will lead to additional damage years from now. A qualified professional, in contrast, will do the job correctly the first time and is capable of dealing with whatever he encounters – saving you much more money in the long run.

Other questionable bargains may come from friends or relatives. Your unemployed neighbor who dabbles in deck repair might look like a great deal until you notice an unexpected slope to your decking. Another case that comes to mind is an area couple whose father flew in from out of state to do their wiring. Unfortunately, much of his work was not up to local code, and it had to be ripped out and redone before their project could be completed.

The bottom line is that while it’s easy to be emotionally blinded by a good deal, you need to look at exactly what you’re getting – and the long-term reliability and stability of the company you’re getting it from – for that bargain price. There’s nothing worse than paying for the same repair twice, unless it’s paying twice and then paying for the additional damage caused by that poor repair.

As Cole notes: "There are thousands of reputable contractors who will deliver quality work, on time and within budget. Consumers can avoid costly mistakes and scams by doing some research before opening their wallets."