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Not that remodeling in Boulder and Boulder County wasn't expensive enough!  Now an Environmental Protection Agency Rule supposedly approved in 2008 with little fanfare or press will be implemented and enforced in 2010.  So in addition to "Greening" up your remodel which means paying specialists $5,000 to $25,000 to review your plans to ensure that you are "Green" enough for the city/county - then adding all the cost of the requirements to be Green e.g. solar, geothermal to mention a few, you now have to hire men in space suits to dismantle your remodel if it was constructed prior to 1978 due to lead-paint.  Even simple jobs like replacing your windows now requires an EPA certified contractor to make sure no lead-paint dust is spread into the air (by the way isn't lead heavier than air?). 

Now I don't want to sound like someone who doesn't care about the environment because I do.  But when will this silliness stop?  It will become prohibitively expensive to do even the smallest remodel jobs.  Supposedly the EPA rule states that if you remodel more than 6 square feet you are subject to the requirements of the law. That's right 6 square feet!

If you think this sounds too ridiculous to be true let me tell you an actual story from a client of mine who recently pulled a permit to remodel his basement.  When the building inspector came to check the progress of the work all was fine with the basement.  He then moved into the upper stories of the home (which were not being remodeled and had been constructed 10 years earlier) to see what "green" code violations existed.  Not only did he require that new CO2 and Smoke Detectors be installed, but that the light fixtures had to have new florescent bulbs installed and the refrigerator needed its ice maker line removed!  Imagine that!  It is insane!

The U.S. House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming 403-12 margin to approve the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (H.R. 3548) that included, as an amendment, the extension and expansion of the Homebuyer Tax Credit. The bill already passed in the U.S. Senate yesterday by a vote of 98-0, and now advances  to the White House the President's signature.

The new bill includes an incentive for buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years, making them eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First time homebuyers – or anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years – would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010 and close not later than June 30.

More details, timelines and qualifications here>>