News, Trends, Community - November

Disaster/Insurance Restoration

Flood House

J acksonville, Fla.-based Paul Davis Restoration, a national franchise company and provider of fire, water and mold damage restoration services for residential and commercial properties, has opened a training center in Jacksonville. The centerpiece of the facility is the “flood” house training module—a full-scale, fully functional residential structure built within the new facility.

In accordance with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, the house is designed to be completely flooded with thousands of gallons of water under controlled circumstances as part of the IICRC Applied Structural Drying course and other related courses.

The 1,700-square-foot home has a full-size bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining area and bathroom. It also includes furniture, appliances, a variety of flooring types, home décor and electronics. For more information about Paul Davis Restoration, visit www.pdrestoration.com.

Online Remodelers Poll

Next month’s question:
Have the size and scope of remodeling jobs your company has completed in the past 12 months increased or decreased?

To vote, go to: www.qualfiedrmodeler.com/1909235. Votes must be received by Nov. 20 to be published in the December issue of Qualified Remodeler.

"As of October 1, 476,000 home-renovation contractors have successfully completed the training required under the EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.”

National Association of Home Builders

Exterior Design

CertainTeed Launches Contest

Valley Forge, Pa.-based CertainTeed Corp. is calling on building professionals to post videos of their exterior design projects using the company’s products on YouTube as part of a new contest. The winner will receive an Apple iPad. For more information and rules, visit www.certainteed.com/yourtake.

Surfacing Materials

Cast Polymer Demand

U.S. demand for cast polymers is forecast to gain 5.4 percent annually through 2014, reaching 216 million square feet, according to The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based market-research firm. A rebound in housing will be a key driver of growth, researchers said, adding that cast polymers will seize market share from traditional decorative surfacing materials, such as laminate. Demand for engineered stone is forecast to gain 11 percent annually to 53 million square feet in 2014, claiming the fastest growth of any cast polymer product.

Energy Efficiency

Refrigerators to Become More Efficient

Most new refrigerators will be 25 percent more efficient starting in 2014 as a result of new efficiency standards announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. According to the proposed rule, a typical new 20-cubic-foot refrigerator with the freezer on top would use about 390 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year, down from about 900 kWh per year in 1990 and about 1,700 kWh per year in the early 1970s.

Home-appliance manufacturers and efficiency, environmental and consumer advocates have agreed to jointly pursue with Congress and the administration new standards for six categories of home appliances (refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room air conditioners). These groups also recommend Energy Star-qualification criteria incorporate credit for smart-grid capability and a package of targeted tax credits aimed at fostering the market for super-efficient appliances. Read more about the agreement at www.aham.org/agreement.

The table (on the right) shows the percent of energy savings achieved by the proposed standards relative to current standards for select categories.

Universal Design

Two Homes for Life Awards Given

The National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council, or NAHB Remodelers, recently announced two winners of its fourth annual Homes for Life Award, recognizing excellent remodeling work for aging-in-place and universal design. Sponsored by Bayport, Minn.-based Andersen Windows, the awards were presented during the NAHB Remodelers gala held in Baltimore during the Remodeling Show.