Orlando Sentinel - 01/14/05
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizhouses14011405jan14,1,1471743.story?coll=orl-business-headlines
Building code changes could take 1 1/2 years
By Dan Tracy
Sentinel Staff Writer
January 14, 2005
Builders now know what caused thousands of new homes to leak during the trio of hurricanes that doused Central Florida last year, but it may take as long as 18 months for regulators to fix the problem.
Changing the state's unified building code -- which sets standards and procedures for new-home construction -- won't happen anytime soon. A year-and-a-half could pass before the rules governing residential construction are altered.
The reason: "We are in the business of building consensus," said Raul Rodriguez, chairman of the Florida Building Commission, which oversees the code. And that, he said, will take months.
The commission, based in Tallahassee and overseen by a 24-member board of building professionals appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush, will meet next week to start reviewing a 65-page report on leaky homes released Wednesday by the Florida Home Builders Association.
The study, written by a forensic engineer who specializes in building failure, determined that rain from hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne seeped into homes through their concrete-block walls, windows, doors, roof vents and soffits. Causes included everything from poorly designed walls and faulty installation of windows to cheap dryer vents and sloppy stucco work.
The study recommended several changes to the code, as well as voluntary changes in building practices that would result in redesigned foundation slabs, improved expansion joints, and windows that funnel water out of a home rather than allowing it to puddle inside.
But even though the statewide builders association endorsed the changes, Rodriguez and others insisted they must be thoroughly reviewed before they are adopted.
Orange County's chief building official, Bob Olin, is on a faster timetable, however. He said he plans to push Central Florida's city and county governments to adopt changes to the building code within the next six months.
Olin wants the code to define the term "weather resistant" as preventing the passage of water into a house. He also supports inserting a complex test into the code to prove a house can repel water.
Such local or regional changes are uncommon. But last fall, the city of Winter Garden amended its building code to require that builders put an extra coat of sealant on new homes before they are painted.
A similar change has been adopted by M/I Homes, one of the region's largest production builders. Dana Bennett, M/I's Orlando-area president, said his company will probably spend more than $1 million fixing as many as 120 houses damaged by the storms. M/I has built about 1,000 houses in the region in the past four years.
Bennett thinks better paint is the answer to waterproofing houses in the area, so his company is adding a second sealer coat of paint to exterior walls. Previously, M/I workers had sprayed one coat of paint on a house, then gone over that with a wet roller.
M/I, he said, was surprised by the leaks, calling the hurricanes "an event no one had ever seen before."
Rodriguez said he understands the sense of urgency expressed by Central Florida homeowners and builders, and he promised to appoint an eight- or nine-member committee next week to analyze the FHBA report and other studies into water intrusion. That step could take six months. New rules could be adopted then, he said, with the proposals taking effect in July 2006.
Code changes customarily take effect in July. For example, a set of revisions approved a month ago takes effect this July.
Rodriguez said he wants to avoid "the appearance of addressing the problem" by doing something quickly that proves ineffective. "We certainly understand that water intrusion was a very serious problem," Rodriguez said. "We also understand that water intrusion was a complex issue."
Rodriguez said he would be willing to consider Olin's proposition, but no sooner than those of the FHBA.
Many of the problems highlighted in the FHBA report -- cracked stucco, leaky windows, improper installation of flashing -- were among the most common construction flaws revealed in a 2003 series by the Orlando Sentinel/WESH NewsChannel 2 that examined 406 homes built in 2001.
That series, which was a statistically valid assessment of new-home quality in the area, found that 80 percent of the homes surveyed had cracks, leaks and mold, due in part to poorly installed windows and thinly applied stucco.
Among the code changes suggested by the FHBA report were: Cutting a ridge along the edge of a foundation, which would allow water leaking through a wall to flow out into the yard rather than into the house; improving the expansion joints between the first and second floors of two-story homes, to push water to the outside; adding a second layer of tar paper or plastic wrap to increase water-proofing of stucco-covered walls; and mandating better installation techniques and testing of windows to require that they be watertight.
Builders say they support the report's recommendations. But many also contend that the extraordinary nature of the three storms absolved them of any blame in the leaks. Although at least 10 large production builders, including M/I Homes, are repairing houses, other builders are telling owners to file insurance claims.
Builders also say they intend to quickly launch an education campaign that is basically aimed at teaching better installation practices to construction supervisors and workers.
Dan Tracy can be reached at 407-420-5787 or dtracy@orlandosentinel.com.
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