Fall 2008 News

The National Association of Waterproofers and Structural Repair Contractors (NAWSRC) held their annual convention in August.

The gathering took place in St. Louis, Mo., and included seminars, certification testing, and a small exhibit hall.  Attendees gave the highest marks to the “non-compete roundtables,” where waterproofing contractors could share business challenges, successes, and advice with contractors from other regions.

Also at the show, the association elected a new president and several new board members.  Dan Jaggars, owner of CL Support Services in Houston, Texas, replaces Rafael Rivas as president.

Jaggers has worked in the foundation repair industry for 38 years and holds leadership positions in the Foundation Repair Association (FRA), the Foundation Performance Association (FPA), and The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). He is also the on the certification board for NAWSRC.

Andrew Rehner, of Toledo, Ohio, accepted the position of vice president while Brandon Smith of Almont, Mich. was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer..

Mark McAlpin was selected as the newest member of the board. “When I met this group of guys, I realized this association was professional and something I wanted to be a part of,” he said.

The NAWSRC oversees a rigorous certification program; six contractor members passed the examination at the show.  “The ultimate goal is to put everyone on the same playing field,” says Michael Hogenson, director of the certification board. “Because this industry is not regulated you have to self-regulate to make the whole industry better.”

The certification tests are offered twice a year. The next chance to become certified is at the mid-year Meeting in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete February 3-6, 2009.

For more information on the event, visit www.NAWSRC.org.

The Sealant, Waterproofing & Restoration Institute (SWRI) held its Fall Technical Meeting in late September in Baltimore. The three-day meeting identified new trends in the sealant, waterproofing and restoration industry and provided the opportunity to network with industry peers.

Educational sessions included classes on air barriers, green building, VOC standards and much more.

With over 275 member companies, SWR Institute’s membership represents contractors, manufacturers and design professionals. For more information, go to www.swrionline.org.

The International Builder Show, to be held January 20-23, 2009 will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., this year.  It’s a change from the past four years, when the show was in Orlando, Fla.

Organized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the show is expected to feature 1,700 exhibitors and 250 educational seminars, attracting more than 90,000 attendees.

Hall-of-Fame football coach Lou Holtz will be the keynote speaker during IBS Grand Opening Ceremonies. Regarded as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time, Holtz took six different college teams to a bowl game, including Notre Dame, which he coached to the longest winning streak in the school’s history.

Sandy Dunn, president of the NAHB, says “Especially in these challenging times for our industry, attendees will benefit from hearing the advice of a legendary motivator and coach, as well as from some of the top minds in the business world on strategies for success in a changing marketplace.”
Registration for the 2009 International Builders’ Show is open to industry professionals and their affiliates. For more information, or to register, visit www.BuildersShow.com.

W. R. Meadows has launched a green building section on their website to help building professionals create environmentally sustainable con-struction with their products.

It includes information on LEED certification; the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system is a third-party certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

It also includes a listing of environmentally friendly products, courtesy BuildingGreen Inc.’s GreenSpec Directory, which claims to list only the top 5-10% of environmentally preferable products.

Lastly, the site contains green project profiles and links to green news.

New York City has become the latest municipality to encourage living rooftops.

Owners who install new green roofs in that city will now receive a significant tax credit, thanks to a bill that passed the state legislature in June. Green roofs must be installed on at least 50% of available rooftop space to qualify.  The credit works out to be $4.50 per square foot of roof area that is planted with vegetation.

New York has also decided to install a massive green roof over a reservoir upstream of the city.  The 90-acre lake is the source of much of the city’s drinking water, but the city has been ordered that it must be covered to protect it from bird droppings and other pollution.  Plans call for a concrete deck, covered with 12 inches of soil and topped with vegetation.  If completed, it would be the largest green roof in the world.

Currently, the largest green roof is a 24.5-acre park built atop a parking garage in Chicago.  According to Steven Peck, founder of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, residents near the reservoir are already agitating for public access.

“That should be part of the design process,” Peck says. “Make it a Central Park.”

The International Code Council (IRC) made revisions to its standards at a meeting held in mid-September. These changes will affect how homes are built in communities where the model 2009 International Residential Code is adopted.

The most controversial change is that fire sprinkler systems are now required in one- and two-family homes.  A well-funded coalition of sprinkler manufacturers and installers lobbied to make this previously optional standard mandatory.  Minneapolis has already opted out of the new requirement, citing technical concerns and the added expense.

Other changes include:

Carbon monoxide alarms: A new provision requires the installation of carbon monoxide detectors outside all sleeping areas, with the number required varying by the configuration of the space.

Wall Bracing Requirements: The new code increases the amount of wall bracing needed to resist wind loads for three-story homes, homes with large open plans and homes in high-wind regions. 

Window Fall Prevention Devices: Builders will now be required to add some sort of fall protection device in the installation of emergency egress windows. There is no standard for fall-prevention devices, so it will be up to the discretion of the building inspector whether a particular device will pass muster and meet the requirements.

Wall & Roof Cladding Inspections: Wall and roof claddings on multifamily construction must be inspected in high-wind regions.  

Shower Liner Test: Building inspectors will now be required to observe whether the liners under showers can hold 2 inches of water for 15 minutes without any leaks.