WestCon Tribune
February 2004
February News
84% of Builders Favor Code Oversight Group
Westcon would like to welcome the following four new members:
Dana Benson of D.B. Tile & Stone. Mr. Benson is located out of Vacaville, but works throughout
Northern California, specializing in tile, marble and stone.
James Benney with Paint Mechanics is located in Orinda and provides site evaluations, bid analysis, and color
consultation.
Two new associate members with Weir
/ Andrewson Associates are: Erick Moreau, AAIA member who has over 30 years experience including planning,
landscape and building design presentation work, construction documents
and construction administration. His projects have ranged from residential,
commercial, industrial edifices with wood frame, concrete block, tilt-up
or poured in place concrete structures. Jack Kemp, AIA
provides consulting services relating to construction and design claims.
He is a panel member on the American Arbitration Association Large and
Complex Construction Case Panel. Some of Mr. Kemp’s projects include:
residential, commercial, casino,
parking structures, recreational facilities and historic rehabilitation
projects.
Westcon welcomes these new members and looks forward
to their involvement with the association.
If one of the stated purposes of Westcon is to “offer expertise and knowledge to the construction industry”, how are we as an organization to do this? The Symposium that was spearheaded by Chris Nelson, Technical Roof Services, is one manner in which we can educate. Another is to take advantage of seminars and presentations in which our members are speaking (see the article about the ASCII at which Westcon member, John Schneider of All About Homes is one of the key speakers).
I think that the quality of the presentations that we regularly
have at our monthly dinner meetings is excellent, it is the reason that
we have 40 plus members and guests at our dinners every month. Just as Westcon meetings are interesting,
most of us belong to other organizations that put on construction related
presentations at their regular dinner meetings. In the words of that great (and retired)
“news reporter” O. Bradley O’Bradley, “we have
to dig down deep to get to the bottom to stay on top”. You can help your fellow members by letting
us know of upcoming events and programs that are being put on by the other
organizations to which you belong.
We will explore getting information about upcoming speakers at
our Westcon meetings to be published in the newsletters of local CSI,
AIA, and ICRI chapters. If
you know of other organizations that would benefit from a shared exchange
of speaker/programs, please let either Rikki Field, or me know.
Paul Goetz, Board President
84% of Builders
Results from the annual State of the Housing Industry survey conducted
for Automated Builder magazine
showed a resounding endorsement of the idea to establish a Code Oversight
Group to adjudicate legitimate disputes between code applicants and code
organizations. Of the surveyed groups (production builders, panelized
home manufacturers and modular home manufacturers) 84% of builders aware
of the idea say they favor the proposal.
Reasons of support for the Code Oversight Group include: the desire to
avoid conflict and litigation; a means of correcting inequities by putting
the builder or building product inventor and regulatory code body on an
even playing field; expectations
of receiving informed and expert help in understanding and interpreting
the codes; hopes of standardization of codes or universal code enforcement
across the nation.
A survey of letters coming in to Automated Builder showed the average time
to get a building product approved was a little under two years and the
average cost per product, just under $17,000. It was not unusual for applicants
to spend more time and up to and over $75,000.
Information from Editor and Publisher Don Carlson
in the January 2004 issue of Automated
Builder
“How
Will the New
International
Residential
Code
Affect You?”
February
21, 2004
8am
to 3:00pm
Hs
Lordships Restaurant, Berkeley Marina
Registration / Information Contact Gordon Goldman:
Phone: (925) 803-4018
Email: gsgoldman@comcast.com
A Practical Guide to Understanding
Current and Changing Health and Safety
Requirements for Residential Dwellings
Part 1 : The International
Residential Code, its adoption in California, and its impact on contractors
and inspectors. California
will soon be adopting the IRC, and it contains many changes from the current
California requirements, and will affect how homes will be built. Critics state that the IRC will erode
the current level of workmanship and quality of homes. Learn the facts
about the IRC, and when it will be adopted in California.
John La Torra, Building Official of Redwood City, and member of the code
development committee for the International Mechanical and Plumbing codes
will present an overview of California’s current code atmosphere,
its code adoption process, and highlight the major changes that the IRC
will present when it is adopted.
Part 2: “Quality in
Construction, An Inspector’s Role”; a discussion of the most
commonly missed health and safety requirements by builders and inspectors,
in the construction and remodel of residential dwellings. Taken directly from the newly published
Quality in Construction Manual; Guidelines for the Building and Inspection
Industries, this portion of the seminar will focus specifically on the
items most misunderstood by contractors and inspectors. Topics will include
the foundation, framing, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems
of a house. The manual includes
inspection checklists and code references for each of these areas, and
will be included with the cost of the seminar.
John R. Schneider and John La Torra will be presenting this portion of
the seminar. John Schneider is a licensed general contractor, a certified
ICC Combination Dwelling Inspector, and Industry Expert for the California
State Contractor’s License Board, and president of All About Homes,
Inc., a residential inspection company.
The
2004 renewal deadline was January 31st and the new Westcon Directory is
in progress.
Now is the best time to notify any associate or potential member you havespoken with about joining Westcon. If a new membership application is received in February, the new member will be included in the new issue of the directory.
IDEAS? If you would like to give a presentation to Westcon, or have ideas or topics you would like discussed, please notify Fred Field, Program Director at (415) 485–5882. All suggestions are welcome!
MEETINGS, MENU, PAST ISSUES, REVIEW
Published monthly by WESTCON (Westcon Consultants Association)
for general membership and friends. Publication of original articles or
reprinted material does not imply approval or endorsement. Submitted material
becomes property of WESTCON. Not responsible for accuracy of content.
Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of editors of WESTCON.
Send submittals to Rikki Field at Box 305, Ross, CA 94957: (415) 451–4897