NAHB remodelers around the country say that figuring out how to explain to their customers why they should pay the additional costs that come with compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule is raising more concerns than the required lead-safe work practices themselves.

Few prospective customers know about the rule, remodelers are reporting, and some of them even ask if they can just forget about complying with the federal mandate.

Breaking the law can lead to fines of up to $38,000 per day for the remodeling company — so that’s not an option, these remodelers say. Instead, it’s up to them to explain the importance of the lead paint rule without scaring the client into deciding against a remodeling job — or worse yet, finding an uncertified contractor.

A few remodelers shared their techniques for selling home remodeling under the lead rule.

Incorporating the Rule Into Your Sales

“I really think the best way we are handling the situation is to not get excited about the rule when we are visiting with our clients,” said Mike Davis, CGR, CAPS, CGP, with TMT Home Remodelers in Redmond, Ore. “I just treat this like any other part of the sales process. We talk about why the rule exists and why we have to follow the rule. So far, nobody has balked about the process, only the price.”

With this approach, remodelers can incorporate an explanation of the rule and its requirements into their first conversations with the customer. Testing for lead can become part of the home assessment, and the costs of compliance are included in the estimate if the home tests positive for lead or was built before 1978.

“I ask a series of questions that incorporate the lead rule into the conversation with the potential customer,” said Bill Shaw, CGR, CAPS, CGP, of William Shaw & Associates in Houston. “I imply that all the contractors they are meeting with should understand and follow the rule.”

Shaw explains what the rule entails and the consequences of not following it — such as problems with selling the home or exposing children to lead paint. “The point is to make it a discussion and present myself as a knowledgeable professional,” said Shaw.

Remodelers may also want to leave some information with the prospective clients by sharing EPA materials or creating their own. On its website, the EPA has information for consumers about the dangers of lead. Remodelers are required under the rule to give their prospective customers a copy of the EPA’s “Renovate Right” pamphlet, which explains the rule and its requirements to consumers. The EPA also provides a fact sheet for consumers on the importance of hiring an EPA certified lead-safe renovator.

Selling Lead Testing

Like other NAHB members in the remodeling industry, Gary Case is frustrated by the EPA’s new requirements for contractors working in homes built before 1978.

After years of proposals, lawsuits, countersuits and testimony, “nobody is solving this problem,” said Case, owner of Signature Kitchens and Baths in Rockville, Md. “We may come in and replace the kitchen and do so in compliance with the law, but if there is lead somewhere else in the house, we certainly haven’t removed it.”

Signature’s approach is to convince prospective customers who live in pre-1978 homes to first have the testing done by a local company that will test every room for a total charge of $750.

“If there is no lead in the house, the customer knows — he gets a certificate, and then if he does the work with us we reduce the contract price by $750.” That’s an incentive for the customer to go with Signature and also reflects the cost savings of not having to use lead-safe work practices, he said.

If the house does contain lead, the testing reveals exactly where it is. It can then be removed, perhaps by Signature, and then be retested and certified as being lead-free. “The customer is ahead of the game, and that’s a better deal than not knowing,” Case said.

Overcoming Cost Fears

Remodelers can use a few different tactics to overcome customer anxiety about the increased costs of remodeling stemming from the lead rule. One method is to explain that no matter the costs, remodelers must follow the law. The EPA created the rule, and its requirements must be followed or a remodeler could be fined for failing to comply.

Another tactic is to explain the health and safety benefits of the regulation. The rule was created to better protect home owners and their families from lead exposure and potential poisoning. The extra effort it takes to contain the lead, work safely, and clean up after a project may well be worth the cost of saving a family member from ill health and other irreversible consequences of lead poisoning.

When speaking with prospective clients, Scott Reach, CGR, CAPS, CGP, with Scott Reach Builders in Houston, explains both the legal requirements and health and safety advantages of hiring a lead-safe certified renovator. He also emphasizes the value his professional work brings by leaving a home clean and dust-free — at least where the work was done.

“Lead is dangerous,” he said, “and our company is certified to work clean and effectively to protect families. The rule raises the bar for remodeling and we see this as an opportunity to emphasize our professionalism and commitment to quality service.”

Reach finds that cost issues fade in the face of these messages about legal responsibility, health and safety, and the professionalism and quality of the remodeling work. “We’ve gotten feedback from clients that they like how we work clean and contain the area to keep the dust down.” The conversation ultimately comes down to explaining the benefits of hiring a lead-safe professional remodeler to the customer.

Weeding Out Non-Compliant Contractors

Professional remodelers continue to struggle with shady contractors who are not certified and do not plan to follow the requirements of the lead rule. These professionals are using the EPA’s certified lead-safe firm logo in all promotional and marketing materials to establish their credibility and knowledge.

Dan Bawden, CGR, GMB, CAPS, CGP, with Legal Eagle Contractors in Bellaire, Texas, gives prospective clients a contractor screening test with qualifying questions about the lead rule and other professional remodeling expertise. He has a conversation with a customer explaining his qualifications, including certified lead-renovator status, and demonstrates how he can answer all the questions on the screening test. The prospective customer is then free to call other remodelers and use the test to compare their credentials with Bawden’s.

Similarly, Scott Sevon, GMR, GMB, CGP, CAPS, CGP, with Men at Work in Chicago, makes presentations to home owner associations about the rule, establishing his credibility, expertise and professionalism in the process and making the case that a certified professional will produce a better finished home remodel than someone who is untrained and uninformed.

Educating News Media

One strategy for raising awareness about the lead regulation has been to educate the news media about the rule’s requirements and costs.

Cindy Knutson-Lycholat, CGR, CAPS, CGP with Knutson Brothers in East Troy, Wis., said that she frequently writes for local newspapers and has written about the lead rule. One of her articles explained the purpose of the lead certification and why it’s important to hire a certified lead renovator for remodeling projects to protect the health and safety of a home owner’s family.

“For our area, most of the houses we work on are pre-1978,” said Knutson-Lycholat. “So it’s important that home owners know about the EPA’s lead renovator certification and hire only certified firms.”

Other remodelers, such as Scott Reach, have been contacting news media and appearing on radio shows, writing blogs and communicating directly with consumers through Twitter and Facebook with information about the lead rule. These activities demonstrate the remodeler’s expertise about the lead rule and safely remodeling pre-1978 homes.

For more information about the lead rule, visit www.nahb.org/leadpaint; or e-mail Kelly Mack at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8451.