In June, we updated you on proposed legislation that would make life easier on remodelers taking on projects involving lead paint. If passed, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012 would allow homeowners with no children under age six or pregnant women in the home to forego the more expensive training and safety measures [...]

Here is an important piece of news for builders, if you haven’t already heard: Builders all over the country are being fined for not properly following the Residential Lead-Based Paint Regulations. Housing Zone has an in-depth article that lists out examples of builders fined for not following these practices. Did you know that the highest [...]

EPA’s Paint Law Frustrates Hardworking Contactors Home Construction Improvement “Here on our Home Improvement site we’ve been covering the EPA’s new Lead Paint Law closely since early spring when it went into effect. We’ve written lots of articles on the new law, training, fines and cost implications. So far we’ve met very few people that [...]

The New Remodeling Rules WSJ – Personal Finance “According to an April 15 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, annual spending on remodeling is expected to accelerate this year, with nearly 5% growth over 2009. This year could produce the first annual spending increase for the industry since 2006, the [...]

Tax Credits Make It Difficult to Interpret Housing Data WSJ.com Developments blog “The home buyer tax credit continues to complicate the task of figuring out what’s going on with underlying demand for homes. … After the tax credits expire, buyers will have less reason to rush. If interest rates start to rise from today’s unusually [...]

Energy Star under fire, faces major overhaul Inhabitat “The Energy Star Program may be facing a major overhaul after congressional auditors reported that they were able to receive certification for a number of ridiculous fake products including a gasoline-powered alarm clock. Maine’s Senator Susan Collins announced that this week she will be proposing changes to [...]

New Lead Paint Law Effective April 22, 2010 Home Construction and Improvement “The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has new lead paint laws going into effect on April 22, 2010. The new lead paint laws require any renovation work performed on houses built before 1978 to be performed by a certified contractor. Obviously his new [...]