Last Friday, Dec.17th, we held our "annual" Christmas party at Peachwoods/Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz.
After having to cancel last year's party due to the economy, we were long overdue celebrating the good year we've had in spite of these difficult times for so many. Our crew, now 15 employees strong, was there as well as half a dozen girlfriends/spouses. In addition to the festive room and tasty lunch provided by Peachwoods, we enjoyed our Secret Santa gift exchange, employee awards, a mercifully short speach by yours truly, and a new video I put together chronicalling the 15-year history of Cypress Construction.
The year was 1995. I moved to Santa Cruz to go to UCSC and study psychology. Faced with limited options for part-time work, I chose to put the skills that my parents had taught me to good use as a handyman, rather than slinging coffee at Starbucks. And Cypress Construction Services was born.
Last week, I put together a video history of Cypress - "From the Beginning." Enjoy!
Cypress Construction Services - "From the Beginning" - 5minutes 17seconds
10/23/10 - Aptos, CA - Diane Rossi and Shoreline Property Management held their first annual HOA Board Member Training Seminar this weekend at The Seacliff Inn in Aptos, and I represented Cypress Construction and met attendees at our vendor booth.
The program was offered to HOA board members from the central coast and south bay at no charge and included seminars by HOA lawyer Sandra Bonato, Esq,
who spoke with great authority and experience, yet in an engaging and understandable presentation on Board Responsibilities, Fiduciary Duties, and the Business Judgement Rule.
Diane Rossi, aside from being the creator of the seminar, gave an equally engaging presentation on Understanding Financial Statements, Budgets, and Reserve Studies.
Additionally, there were vendor booths where I and other vendors who specialize in working with HomeOwners Associations (insurance company, collections, landscapers, et al) had an opportunity to meet and talk with attendees about the services we offer, answer questions, and make new friends.
Attendees were treated to a generous continental breakfast and many raffle prizes offered by the vendors and Shoreline.
It was a rare opportunity to meet the entire staff of Shoreline.
For the 100 or so attendees and everyone else, it was an enjoyable, informative morning. Thank you Diane Rossi and Shoreline Property Management!
Tom Frank was a good man: a loving husband and father, a thoughtful friend, a consummate professional, a genuine and caring man who always wore a smile. On Saturday, July 31, 2010, a heart attack took Tom from us far too soon. Tom was 41. In the picture above, you can see Tom and his family---his wife Mary, and their two beautiful children. It is for Tom's family that the Frank Family Fund has been created.
Contractors must comply with new lead rule on home renovation projects By JONDI GUMZ Posted: 04/27/2010 01:30:21 AM PDT
SANTA CRUZ -- Local contractors are scrambling to comply with a new federal rule that took effect Thursday aimed at protecting children from exposure to toxic lead paint.
The Environmental Protection Agency rule requires painters, construction companies and handymen to get training in safe practices for renovation projects at homes, schools and child-care facilities built before 1978, which is when lead-based paint was banned.
About 74 percent of homes in Santa Cruz County are affected, based on census data.
Until information about health hazards came to light, lead was a standard ingredient in paint. It made paint last longer, produced brighter colors and kept mold down.
"We have to assume in an older home that there is lead," said Wiktor Kluzniak of Cen-Con, one of five firms in the county in the EPA database of certified lead-safe renovators.
Kluzniak, who employs 14 people, attended training in San Jose after he found nothing offered in Santa Cruz. At the class, he heard about companies fined for being out of compliance. The penalty is up to $37,500 per violation, per day.
"You can't plead ignorance," Kluzniak said.
About a dozen California companies are approved to offer training classes; all are outside Santa Cruz County.
The Santa Cruz Builders Exchange arranged for training Friday, taught by Environmental Safety Training Professions of Rancho Cordova. About 20 contractors attended and a second class is planned
Santa Cruz County's Health Services Agency has an active Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program providing information and testing, which is the only way lead poisoning can be diagnosed.
Last year, local pediatricians tested 3,252 children and found 33 with blood lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter, enough to cause permanent brain damage. Another 167 children had levels between five and 10, which researchers say is associated with loss of IQ.
Homeowners who hire a contractor must receive a brochure explaining the lead requirement and authorize repairs. It's possible for the homeowner to opt out if no children under 6 or pregnant women live there.
Michael Downey of Cypress Construction Services in Santa Cruz spent $3,300 on training in Fresno for two foremen and equipment such as vacuums with special filters to protect workers from exposure to lead dust.
He's waiting for his certification to be posted on the EPA Web site.
Kluzniak, who has a crew using the new protective measures for a job on the Santa Cruz Westside, has spent about the same amount on training and materials.
"I feel lucky I found out about it," Kluzniak said.
He's not charging a higher rate now but he expects that in the long run, the requirement for extra materials and tasks that take extra time like taped-down plastic sheeting will mean higher prices.
EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said regulations call for certifications to be posted within 90 days but some are posted in 30 days "as long as the materials are complete."The agency has undertaken an "extensive" outreach to contractors since mid-2008, he said. The campaign included mass e-mail and mailings to more than 1,000 trade organizations, unions and property management associations, trade show exhibits and information on the Web for officials who approve building permits.
On April 22nd, 2010, a new law will go into effect that will drastically affect the way a contractor or handyman or anyone that works on homes built prior to 1978 for compensation does their work. Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children. To protect against this risk, the EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, beginning in April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Last month, Cypress Construction Services sent Mark Steinhauer and Juan Acosta to a training course in Fresno, CA, and they both completed the course and passed the test and were Certified. Last week, we had a company-wide training meeting, in which Mark, Juan, and I taught the crew about the new rule, and how we will work differently to comply with these new standards. We created a 42-minute video of the training, and here you can watch a 2-minute sample of the video:
Requirements for Renovation Contractors Include: Certification and Training Requirements ■ All firms performing renovation, repair or painting work must become certified. This can be accomplished by applying to EPA or to the State, if it has an EPA-authorized renovation program, and paying a fee. ■ Firms must have one or more “Certified Renovators” assigned to jobs where lead-based paint is disturbed. To become certified, a renovator must successfully complete an EPA or State-approved training course conducted by an EPA or State-accredited training provider. ■ All renovation workers must be trained. Renovation workers can be trained on-the-job by a Certified Renovator to use lead safe work practices, or they can become Certified Renovators themselves.
Contractors, property managers and others who perform renovations for compensation in residential houses, apartments, and childoccupied facilities built before 1978 are required to distribute EPA’s Renovate Right lead hazard information pamphlet before starting renovation work to occupants and owners of homes, and owners and parents of child-occupied facilities.
Renovators must use work-area containment to prevent dust and debris from leaving the work area. ■ Certain work practices are prohibited. Open-flame burning, using heat guns at greater than 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit and the use of power tools without highefficiency particulate air (HEPA) exhaust control (to collect dust generated) are prohibited. ■ Thorough cleaning followed by a cleaning verification procedure to minimize exposure to lead-based paint hazards are required. ■ Generally, minor repair and maintenance activities (less than 6 square feet per interior room or 20 square feet per exterior project) are exempt from the work practices requirements. However, this exemption does not apply to jobs involving window replacement or demolition, or that involve the use of any of the prohibited practices listed above.
Exemption from the RRP Rule The training, certification and work practice requirements do not apply where the firm obtains a signed statement from the owner that all of the following conditions are met: ■ The renovation will occur in the owner’s residence; ■ No child under age 6 resides there; ■ No woman who is pregnant resides there; ■ The housing is not a child-occupied facility; and, ■ The owner acknowledges that the renovation firm will not be required to use the work practices contained in the rule.
Homeowners Working in Their Own Homes The RRP rule applies only to renovations performed for compensation. If you work on your own home, the rules do not apply. Even so, EPA encourages homeowners to use lead safe work practices, in order to protect themselves, their families, and the value of their homes.
Landlords Working in Their Own Property Landlords receive rental payments and maintenance personnel in rental property or child-occupied facilities receive wages or salaries derived from rent payments. This is considered compensation under the RRP rule. Therefore, renovation and repair activities performed by landlords or employees of landlords are covered by the rule. Work performed by landlords or their employees in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities must be performed using lead safe work practices, if lead-based paint or presumed lead-based paint is disturbed.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding this program, or how to comply with the new regulations.
02/17/10 - Did you know that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides energy incentives (tax credits) for individuals and businesses? That's right - the work that we've done for you in 2009 may help you get a break from the IRS if the type of work is included in their list of energy-saving building components. Residential Energy Property Credit (Section 1121): The new law increases the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes. The new law increases the credit rate to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements and raises the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements placed in service in 2009 and 2010. The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems. For more information, go to: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=206871,00.html http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/n-09-53.pdf
But here's a summary:
(1) Eligible Building Envelope Components.
(a) An insulation material or system (including any vapor retarder or seal to limit infiltration)
(b) An exterior window, skylight, or door (other than a storm window or storm
door) that meets or exceeds the prescriptive criteria established by the IECC for the climate zone in which the window, skylight, or door is installed.
(c) A storm window that, in combination with the exterior window over which it is installed, meets or exceeds the prescriptive criteria established by the IECC for the climate zone in which such storm window is installed. (d) A storm door that, in combination with a wood door that is assigned a default U factor by the IECC, does not exceed the default U factor requirement assigned to such combination by the IECC.
(e) Metal roofing
(f) Any asphalt roof that-- (i) has appropriate cooling granules that are specifically and primarily designed to reduce the heat gain of a dwelling unit when installed on the dwelling unit, and (ii) meets or exceeds either of the applicable Energy Star program requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) Qualified Energy Property.
(a) An electric heat pump water heater that yields an energy factor of at least 2.0 in the standard Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure.
(b) An electric heat pump that has a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) of at least 9, a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of at least 15, and an energy efficiency ratio (EER) of at least 13. (c) A central air conditioner that achieves the highest efficiency tier that has been established by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and is in effect on January 1, 2006. (d) A natural gas, propane, or oil water heater that has an energy factor of at least 0.80 or a thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent. (e) A stove that uses the burning of biomass fuel to heat a dwelling unit or to heat water for use in such a dwelling unit, and that has a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75 percent as measured using a lower heating value. (f) A natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or hot water boiler that achieves an annual fuel utilization efficiency rate of not less than 95. (g) A fan that is used in a natural gas, propane, or oil furnace and has an annual electricity use of no more than two percent of the total annual site energy use of the furnace (as determined in the standard DOE test procedure).
01/15/10 - Cypress Construction attended the GraniteRock Contractor's Expo at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Seaside, CA. Michael attended classes in Project Management, Mechanic's Liens, etc. Other classes offered included landscaping, retaining walls, pervious concrete, LEED point system, et al.
Our thanks to GraniteRock for the invitation, the great classes and display booths, and great (free!) food buffets.
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