An Emergency Order has been issued in response to Hurricane Irma applicable to counties identified by FEMA.

This Order, valid for 90-days, allows Division 1 contractors, including general, building, and residential contractors to self-perform roof installation and repairs for wood shakes, asphalt & fiberglass shingles, tiles, metal, and flat roofs within their respective contracting scope. 

The Order also allows building departments, if needed, to issue local specialty roofing licenses to roofers who are qualified in other localities within the State. These specialty licenses would be subject to local disciplinary oversight like other local specialty licenses.

If your cedar fence posts are rotting at the bottom, like most will, you need to replace them with new post that will last for years to come. The rot probably developed because the posts were not installed properly. If you install the new posts the same way the old posts were installed, you’ll just have to do the whole thing over again a few years from now again.

Cedar has a reputation for durability because it’s one of the naturally durable woods, but unless a few guidelines are followed, cedar posts can fail in as few as five years. Three factors contribute to this early failure: poor drainage, low-quality wood and poor protection against insect damage.

To get the most out of your new posts, here are five things you can do:

1. Soak the bottom of the posts in a wood preservative containing copper napthanate, such as Cuprinol. Available at some paint stores and home centers, this wood treatment is specifically designed for in-ground applications.

2. Place about 6 in. of aggregate in the bottom of the posthole to allow for drainage. The bottom of the post should extend a few inches into the aggregate as shown.

3. Pour the concrete so that it’s above the soil level. Trowel the top smooth and slope it so that water runs away from the post.

4. Apply high-quality exterior acrylic latex caulk, or silicone specifically designed to adhere to concrete, at the base of the post. This will seal the gap between the concrete and post that’s caused by freeze/thaw cycles.

5. Don’t use posts that contain sapwood. Sapwood is lighter in color (usually yellow) than heartwood, which is dark. Instead, use heartwood, because it’s denser and more insect-resistant.

Florida blower door Testing / Training

The Florida Legislature has delayed the effective date of certain sections of the Florida Building Code, 5th edition until June 30, 2017. (http://laws.flrules.org/2015/222)
The included sections are:
a. R402.4.1.2 of the Energy Volume relating to mandatory blower door testing for residential buildings;
b. 403.6.1 of the Building Volume requiring a second fire service access elevator; and
c. R303.4 of the Residential Volume requiring mechanical ventilation for residential buildings.

Florida Building Code Binding Interpretation Report Number 134

Date: 04/26/2017
Report: 134
Edition: 2014? Fifth Edition
Sections: 454.1.2.5.3; 454.1.6.5.3.1; 454.1.6.5.3.1.1

Question:

Whether a section of a public pool?s open-type perimeter overflow gutter which abuts the top of the pool’s entry stairs, is subject to the Florida Building Code?s gutter specifications or stairs specifications.

Comment:

For health and sanitary reasons, the Department of Health has required a perimeter overflow gutter system for public pools for over 30 years without incident and without having to fully comply with the specific stair specifications found in Section 454.1.2.5.3 of the Florida Building Code. The addition of the stair specifications Code as they relate to public swimming pools were added to Chapter 4 of the Florida Building Code in 2002 without being properly coordinated with the gutter system requirements when creating the state unified building code. The next edition of the Florida Building Code (6th Edition) has been amended to clarify the language in the Code, by adding an exception from the stairs requirement where a gutter is used as a top step in a pool stair. The exception states:? Where a gutter is used as top step, the gutter’s 2″ slope from lip to the drain shall be continuous for the full length of the stairs, and the riser from the gutter to the next tread need not be uniform with the remaining risers and treads.   

Answer:

A public pool’s open-type perimeter overflow gutter which abuts the top of the pool’s entry stairs, is subject to the Florida Building Code’s gutter specifications and not the stairs specifications except where the gutter is used as the top step, the tile on the gutter for the width of the steps shall be slip resistant. ____________________________________________________________

Notice:

The Building Officials Association of Florida, in cooperation with the Florida Building Commission, and the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation provides this interpretation of the Florida Building Code in the interest of consistency in the application of the Building Code statewide. This interpretation is binding and not subject to acceptance and approval by the local building official.

In general, anyone who is paid to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 (Dec. 31, 1977 and back) must be certified.  This includes all firms, even sole proprietorships.

Examples of the types of firms covered:

• Residential rental property owners/managers
• General contractors
• Special trade contractors, including
  • Painters
  • Plumbers
  • Drywall
  • Carpenters
  • Window Installers
  • Electricians

Firms can’t advertise or perform renovation activities covered by the regulation in homes or child-occupied facilities, even though they are certified renovators, built before 1978 without firm certification.

Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board plays fast and loose with disciplinary process

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State lawmakers call to abolish the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board

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For 44 years, the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board has regulated contractors without any government oversight. That could end soon. Today, state and local leaders said they want the Florida Legislature to abolish the licensing board and fold the work under county government, like other similar boards in the state. The calls follow a Tampa Bay Times investigation that detailed the fast and loose approach of how the board handles complaints against contractors. The Times also found that homeowners feel cheated, ignored and even stonewalled. Contractors feel the same way and some believe the board targets anyone who speaks out

As of July 1, 2016, section 489.103, F.S. is amended to add a new exemption for apartment community employees or apartment management company employees. The employees are exempted from contractor licensing requirements when they are performing minor repairs to existing electric water heaters, electric heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems when the repair costs do not exceed $1,000.00 and are not the functional equivalent of replacing the system. Employees are required to have one year of apartment maintenance experience and hold an apartment maintenance technician’s certificate from the National Apartment Association (NAA) to qualify for the exemption. The NAA certification course must be accredited by the American National Standards Institute and consists of a 90 hour training course covering identified topics and completion of examination requirements. The exemption only applies to employees of apartment communities of 100 apartments or greater and does not prohibit local jurisdictions from creating local license requirements for the performance of such work.

The Construction Industry Licensing Board consists of 18 members: 4 general contractors, 3 building or residential contractors (with at least 1 building contractor and 1 residential contractor), 1 sheet metal contractor, 1 pool contractor, 1 plumbing contractor, 2 building officials of a municipality or county, 1 roofing contractor, 1 air conditioning contractor, 1 mechanical contractor, 1 underground utility and excavation contractor and 2 consumer members.

Now all they have to do is get along and agree…