2016 Value of Residential Building Permits Issued Exceeds $485 million
Insulation & Air Quality for New and Existing Homes Seminar Bowling Recap If You Drill it, Fill it! NAHB Supports Dodd-Frank Reform E-Permitting Status Update Children's LEGO Competition February Meeting Recap Save the Date for Marty's GMC Event Legislative Update Calendar of Events Did You Know? Feb New & Renewed Members Golf Tournament Builders Blitz Info
The total number of residential building permits issued increased by 163 from 4,847 in 2015 to 5,010 for all of 2016. However the estimated dollar value decreased $45million due to an decrease in both value and numbers for New & Rebuild construction. permits Remodeling permits saw an increase of 221, and a $5.4 million increase.
March 2017
IN THIS ISSUE
First Place Wood Lumber Score: 839 Second Place Beacon Marine Score: 827 Third Place Coastal Engineering Score: 799
MAJOR SPONSORS BLFR Architects Cape Associates, Inc. E J Jaxtimer Builder Inc Falmouth Lumber Company/Andersen Windows Mid Cape Home Centers/Marvin Wdw & Doors Paul J Cazeault & Sons Inc
Bowling for Beds Recap
TEAM SPONSORS Advanced Comm Technologies, Inc. Beacon Marine Construction LLC Botello Home Center Cape Cod Five Cent Savings Bank Coastal Engineering Company, Inc Eastward Companies Business Trust M. Duffany Builders Mullen Building & Remodeling LLC Shepley Wood Products, Inc. Specialty Builders Supply, Inc. The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod The Valle Group, Inc. The Wood Lumber Company
NAHB supports the administration's reform regulations in the Dodd- Frank Act that have hampered our nation’s housing recovery and slowed economic growth. NAHB supports common-sense regulations to protect American consumers and preserve our nation’s banking system. However, the tight lending conditions created by Dodd-Frank are preventing too many home builders from receiving loans and restricting mortgage financing to credit-worthy borrowers. Regulatory relief for mortgage lenders and small and mid-sized banks that serve their communities is critical for the nation’s housing recovery. NAHB has been calling for reduced regulatory burden on real estate lending since Dodd- Frank’s passage in 2010.
During the Builders’ Show, NAHB’s Board of Directors approved a new mission statement: “NAHB strives to protect the American Dream of housing opportunities for all, while working to achieve professional success for its members who build communities, create jobs and strengthen our economy.” The Board also approved a new vision statement: “Building Homes, Enriching Communities, Changing Lives.”
Board Approves New Mission Statement
More than 68,000 home builders, remodelers, designers and their trade partners saw amazing products, talked with suppliers, took in leading- edge education sessions, and enjoyed a great concert by Little Big Town during the NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) that took place Jan. 10-12 in Orlando. IBS is the largest component of the annual Design & Construction Week®, which also includes the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Design & Construction Week this year saw more than 1,500 exhibitors using 569,000 square feet of exhibit space.
The 2015 International Energy Conservation Code includes more stringent requirements regarding how tight a house needs to be.The Insulation Institute explains what these new air leakage standards mean and offers steps to help comply in this blog post.“Best practices reveal that sealing leaks during the framing stage is cost effective when labor is effectively utilized,” the post says. “In this era of skilled labor shortages, preventive methods must not only be effective and inexpensive but must also be easy to install.”One key takeaway: If you drill it, fill it. Thinking ahead as you build will make you more aware of areas of potential air leakage. Read more in the post.
If You Drill It, Fill It!
Softwood lumber, oriented strand board (OSB), ready-mix concrete and gypsum products all posted price changes in 2016 well above the 1.3% average for the Consumer Price Index, according to the latest Producer Price index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Builders’ Show A Great Success
NAHB Supports Dodd-Frank Order
Materials Prices Surpass Inflation
E-Permitting Status Update
Below are the current Cape communities using Accela e-permitting software broken down by what towns are using Accela for and how contractors can access it.
It was quite a lively discussion between our members and the panel of town Building Commissioners and Inspectors. Thank you to: Victor Staley, Brewster Justin Post, Wellfleet Paul Spiro, Sandwich Patrick Franey, Barnstable
Join your fellow HBRACC members and friends from the Cape Cod Landscape Association for a fantastic networking event!! IT'S TRUCK MONTH, so enjoy viewing the extensive inventory at Marty's and their beautiful new showroom at Marty's Chevrolet/GMC. And remember, as a benefit of being a member, you have access to discounts and savings opportunities offered by many top companies, including GMC!!! FREE! BBQ!
SAVE THE DATE Thursday April 27 5:30pm to 7:30pm
February Monthly Dinner Mtg sponsored by Mid-Cape/Marvin
Harry Saucier and Chris Saucier of Northeast Tool Supply were recognized for their generous support of the 2015 & 2016 Residential Construction Career Day. They have offered two years in a row to provide the hardhats and safety glasses to hundreds of students. Thank you!
Obscure state board split on change in building code
A FIGHT IS BREWING on Beacon Hill over how far the state should go in promoting the adoption of zero emission vehicles. Environmental advocates and many state lawmakers want new homes and commercial buildings to come equipped with the electrical lines needed to hook up electric vehicle chargers. Developers and home builders, however, say customers don’t want electric vehicles, the lines needed to charge them, or the extra costs associated with the lines. Caught in the middle is the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards. The obscure agency is in the process of updating the state’s building regulations, and so far appears to be siding with the developers and home builders. At a meeting in February, the board, apparently by a 4-3 vote, decided not to take any action on an electric vehicle proposal that would have required 4 percent of parking spaces at new commercial buildings to be wired for electric vehicles. New homes would require one space to be wired for an electric vehicle. Felix Browne, a spokesman for the executive office of public safety, which oversees the board, said the February decision does not preclude the inclusion of the electric vehicle measure in the latest edition of the building code, which is still months away from final approval. With no one knowing whether last month’s decision was final or not, advocates on both sides of the issue came to a board hearing on Tuesday to make their case. Emily Norton, Massachusetts director of the Sierra Club, urged the board to resuscitate the electric vehicle provision. She said the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are heavily dependent on the introduction of zero emission vehicles. Without charging stations located in buildings or at homes, she said electric vehicles won’t gain any traction. She likened the situation to people purchasing cellphones without any cell towers to carry their calls. Norton said the state wants to have 300,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025, but has only 7,000 now. She said it makes financial sense to approve the building code measure because it costs $1,000 to $2,000 to install the electrical line during construction as opposed to $7,000 when done as part of a retrofit. Rep. Jonathan Hecht of Watertown told the board the Legislature has a keen interest in the issue. He said 25 lawmakers have signed on to a letter urging the board to include the electric vehicle provision in the building regulations, and many more will add their signatures over the coming weeks. The Legislature last year approved and Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a measure promoting the adoption of zero emission vehicles. An early draft of the bill directed the Board of Building Regulations and Standards to amend the state building code to include requirements for the wiring needed to install vehicle charging stations. The bill that eventually became law retained the same language, but was amended to say the board “may” amend the code instead of “shall” amend the code. Industry officials are pushing back against the electric vehicle requirement. Tamara Small, the senior vice president for government affairs at NAIOP, which represents commercial developers, said her organization opposes the electric vehicle measure as well as a provision that did make it into the code requiring new buildings oriented toward the sun to keep 50 percent of their roof-space free for the installation of solar panels. “We as an organization don’t believe you should be mandating technology through the building code,” Small said. Scott Colwell, president of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts, told the board on Tuesday that customers aren’t buying electric vehicles. “Ninety-nine percent of cars are not electric vehicles,” he said. “You can’t fight the facts.” Colwell also said the state shouldn’t be picking which technologies to promote. California, for example, is aggressively pursuing hydrogen-powered cars, he said. “I think you’re creating a technology that might be extinct by the time you put it in,” he said
Hearing Held on 9th Edition to State Building Code
On March 7, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards held the first of two public hearings on the proposed 9th Edition of the State Building Code where President Scott Colwell, as well as Guy Webb and Paul Moriarty, Esq. testified in support of the amendments. The second public hearing originally scheduled for March 14th has been postponed due to weather to Tuesday, March 28th at 10:00 am at the MA Department of Fire Services, Springfield Campus at 100 Grochmal Avenue. While the Association supports most of the proposed amendments, the well-attended hearing raised two issues raised by others, including: (a) a request to impose mandatory requirements to install electric vehicle (EV) fit-ups for charging stations associated with both residential and commercial buildings, which was removed from the 9th edition proposal by the BBRS, being pushed by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups; and, (b) the installation of sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings pushed by the sprinkler association and fire safety groups. [See article quoting President Scott Colwell below] Thank you to those testifying on behalf of the Association, and those members of the HBRAMA Energy & Codes Subcommittee, led by former HBRAMA President Liz Kovach, who have been working hard behind the scenes over the past year to make the 9th Edition workable for our members. A special thanks also to former HBRAMA President and current BBRS Member, Mike McDowell, for his hard work on the 9th Edition, as well as BBRS Chairman, Richard Crowley, for his efforts on the 9th Edition process.
Calendar of Events
3/7/2017: Bruce Mohl Mass Inc.Commonwealth
Sparks Fly on Electrical Vehicle Provision
3/30 4p Northeast Tool Supply"Customer Appreciation Night" 4/3 8a MA CSL 12 CEU Class (Mondays - April 3 & 10) 4/4 12p HBRACC Executive Committee Meeting 4/6 8a Insulation and Air Quality for New and Existing Homes 4/10 8a MA CSL 4 CEU Class Morning (Monday - 4 hours) 4/11 4:30p HBRACC Board of Directors Meeting 4/13 7:30a Lead Paint MA RRP - Initial Class (Thursday - 8 hours) 4/23 1p 4th Annual Children's LEGO Home Building Competition 4/24 4p Membership Matters - New Member Orientation Mondays 4/25 2p HBRAMA State Assn Govt Affairs & Board Meeting 4/27 5:30p Marty's Chevrolet/GMC HBRACC Member Mixer w/ CC Landscape Assn 5/2 12p HBRACC Executive Committee Meeting 5/8 10a 2017 16th Annual Nail Banger's Golf Tournament
Membership Growth
How to Add an Event Once you are logged in to the MIC click on the Events button In Events click on Add Event. This will take you to the Events-Create screen. Complete the fields with the details of your event.
Matthew Anderson President Peter Kimball 1st VP/Treasurer Trevor Meyer 2nd VP/ Secretary Michael Duffany Immediate Past President Directors Warren Brodie John Cotton Brian Harding Stephen Klug Ben LaMora Tim Sawyer Tony Shepley Jack Stevenson Christine Duren Executive Officer chris@capecodbuilders.org Stacy Hylinski Administrative Assistant stacy@capecodbuilders.org
Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod (HBRACC) 3 Patti Page Way Centerville, MA 02632 O: 774-330-3140 F: 774-994-8284 capecodbuilders.org
Feb 2017 Renewed & New Members
Membership has grown from 157 in 2011 to 305 in 2016, over 90%
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