Builders’ Show Preview

1Fire Sprinklers

Fire sprinklers have been required in commercial buildings for many years now, and most states mandate sprinkler systems in multi-family dwellings. But a change to the 2009 International Code Council’s (ICC) residential building codes made fire sprinklers a requirement for one- and two-family housing units. As various states update their building codes over the next few years, some will adopt the ICC’s fire safety standards, while others will balk at the extra expense or worry about sprinklers ruining the living room rug.

“The biggest challenge we face is convincing people that a burning pizza is not going to set off the sprinklers,” said Peg Paul, a spokeswoman for the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC). “You need a real fire.”

Pennsylvania and New Hampshire are the first states to mandate fire sprinklers in new housing units. Effective Jan. 1, 2010, all newly constructed townhouses in Pennsylvania must contain a residential fire sprinkler system. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, the law also applies to one- and two-family homes in the Keystone State.

In New Hampshire, automatic fire sprinklers will be required in all residential units starting April 1, 2012. New Jersey is expected to follow suit, also in 2012. Maryland and Iowa are now evaluating the issue.

The National Fire Protection Association puts the estimated cost of installed fire sprinklers in new construction at $1.61 per square foot. But there are also savings to be realized, according to Darren Palmieri, residential product manager of Tyco Rapid Response.

“Sprinkler systems can offset other expenses, but it’s up to builders and developers to negotiate with the [local municipality>,” Palmieri explained. For example, fire hydrants can be spaced farther apart, and smaller diameter pipes can be used for water mains. In some instances, streets don’t need to be as wide to accommodate large hook-and-ladder fire trucks, according to Palmieri. “It opens up more land for development,” he said.

Palmieri would also like to show people that fire sprinklers are not big, ugly metal fixtures that stick out of the ceiling, nor do they all go off at once, raining water down over the family’s furniture. They typically don’t get installed in attics, garages and small bathrooms. Swing by any HFSC members’ booth to hear other fire sprinkler myths dispelled.

2Wall bracing

When a 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the good people of Louisville, Ky., in the early morning hours of April 18, 2008, most of them didn’t know it originated near Memphis, Tenn., at the New Madrid fault line. It had been pretty quiet since 1811 to 1812, when a series of earthquakes near the Missouri-Arkansas borders shook windows in Washington, D.C., and rang church bells in Boston.

But Memphis building inspectors have long memories, or maybe they just read the November 2008 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report, which predicted that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone could result in “widespread and catastrophic” damage across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and particularly Tennessee. Either way, they have stepped up enforcement of the International Residential Code (IRC) requirements for wall bracing, according to local builders.

“These codes have been on the books for a while, but in the past three or four years we’ve seen more enforcement,” said Adam Pitman, a southeast division engineer for Weyerhaeuser. Mind you, Pitman isn’t complaining; he’s happy to see a rise in sales of iLevel’s Shear Brace wall, a prefabricated wood panel that meets the IRC code for lateral (sideways) bracing.

Brian Powers, a structural frame specialist for Weyerhaeuser, has also noticed an uptick in Shear Brace sales in Jackson, Miss., an area prone to Gulf Coast storms. Powers traces his uptick back to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“A number of our [building inspectors> went down there to help out,” Powers recalled. “After they came back, there was a lot more enforcement of [existing IRC> codes.” Asked to explain the conservative shift, Powers chose his words carefully: “They were more enlightened,” he said.

3Adhesives and anchors

San Diego and Los Angeles are both on active earthquake faults, which means stronger fasteners and adhesives must be used in construction projects. But in 2007, the International Code Council mandated a redesign of mechanical anchors and epoxy for use on concrete, and the specialty hardware industry scrambled to meet the more demanding specs. These improved products have been coming on the market ever since last year, and building inspectors in numerous Southern California communities are expecting to see them in place.

Simpson Strong-Tie has developed three new mechanical anchors and an adhesive epoxy for use in seismic conditions. All of them meet the new ICC codes for concrete. The products are used in industrial and commercial buildings and retrofits of older structures. The anchors are a must-have for warehouse retailers on the West Coast.

“Seattle and Oregon are also big enforcement areas,” said Craig Pratt, anchor systems products manager Simpson Strong-Tie. “Florida is also a hot spot because of the hurricanes and high winds.”

4Lead-free plumbing

Concerns over lead content in drinking water led two states, California and Vermont, to enact regulations that prohibit any lead-containing pipes, plumbing fixtures and fittings that come into contact with potable water. The new laws went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

In California, the ban applies to kitchen and bathroom faucets (tub and shower faucets are exempt); pipes, fittings and supply lines; select brass fittings; shut-off valves; angle stops and solder. The law applies to anyone who sells, installs or repairs plumbing parts that carry drinking water supplies. Fines go as high as $6,000 per violation. All pipe, plumbing fixtures, solder or flux must be certified by an independent American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited third party.

Vermont does not require testing and certification, but like California, there was no grandfathering. The plumbing inventory with lead content had to be replaced by Jan. 1. The law was signed in June 2008, giving retailers less than two years to comply. (California dealers had a three-year grace period.)

“We’re a small market, and that created a problem for some of our members,” said Tom Lindberg, director of legislative and regulatory affairs for the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA). Plumbing distributors didn’t go out of their way to bring lead-free plumbing lines to Vermont, and the state’s attorney general didn’t want to hear any excuses, Lindberg said.

In California, the Lumber Association of California and Nevada began warning its members a year in advance. True Value began the conversion process with its suppliers in November 2008, and the changeover ultimately involved the co-op’s supply chain, logistics and field rep departments. Things kicked into high gear in December 2009, when all the non-compliant merchandise had to be removed from the members’ stores and the new inventory replaced. According to Christopher Galardi, True Value’s global product merchant for plumbing and heating, 22 suppliers participated in the conversion: Anderson Metals, Mueller, Watts, Moen, Delta, Globe Union, Homewerks Worldwide, Elkhart, Danze and BrassCraft.

5Toxic drywall

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received more than 2,700 reports of health-related concerns connected to imported Chinese drywall since December 2008; approximately 60% of these originated in Florida, where a number of builders imported gypsum board from China during the building boom of 2006 and 2007. But complaints—and lawsuits—have also sprung up in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The so-called “toxic drywall” appears to be a national problem.

Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), has raised the issue of compensation with the Chinese government. Insurance companies, law firms, environmental health advocates and consumers are slugging it out. Meanwhile, U.S. manufacturers of gypsum board are looking like a safe bet to many home builders.