Orlando Sentinel - 12/10/04 - 12/15/04
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MY WORD
Home builders: We'll rise to challenge
By Bill Silliman
December 10, 2004
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpmyword10121004dec10,1,650876.story
After Hurricane Andrew in 1991, the home-building industry joined forces with industry experts, state regulators and local building officials to devise new construction practices that made new houses better able to withstand the unpredictable forces of nature.
Now, in the aftermath of another unprecedented weather event -- four hurricanes in a six-week period -- home builders again are tackling the tough lessons taught us by Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. We're working to understand exactly how new homes performed and why events like water intrusion occurred in some recently built homes.
Let me be absolutely clear: As an industry, home builders are determined to learn what worked well during the hurricanes -- and what needs improvement -- and contribute those findings as part of a collective effort with state and local officials to make new houses even better.
It's vitally important that this effort be conducted thoroughly and meticulously, not only for builders, not only for the tens of thousands of Central Floridians who make their livelihoods working as part of the home-building industry, but for home buyers as well.
As builders, experience teaches us that the reasons why structures don't live up to expectations often are complex and inter-related. The precise reasons why water intrusion occurred also may vary from community to community, depending on local conditions.
Experience also teaches us that consumers want their homes to look like residences -- not like fortresses -- and they want to pay prices that are affordable. The ultimate answer will be an effective solution that strikes the proper balance in terms of performance, appearance and cost.
Our effort is wide-ranging. We are talking to building officials, materials suppliers, subcontractors and structural engineers who are examining exactly what happened and what corrective measures are needed.
We know already that the post-Andrew changes appear to have worked just as the experts said they would. Newly upgraded wind-load standards kept roofs in place on newly built homes, for example. The home-building industry is also very proud of the fact that no deaths or injuries have been attributed to homes built under the post-Andrew building codes.
No one in their wildest dreams could have predicted that Florida would have been struck by four hurricanes in such a short time span. However, just as our industry did after Hurricane Andrew, home builders today are committed to understanding what it will take to meet the next test Nature hurls our way.
We will rise to meet that challenge.
Bill Silliman is president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando.
EDITORIAL
Ignoring the problem
Our position: The state building commission should have taken action to stop leaky walls.
December 10, 2004
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edped101121004dec10,1,1599267.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines
The Florida Building Commission betrayed consumers this week when it rejected proposals to ensure that the walls of new houses won't leak in a storm.
The need for the tougher codes is obvious. After this summer's hurricanes, local building officials throughout Central Florida have been deluged by thousands of complaints from people whose houses are only a few years old. Wind-driven rain seeped through the walls of their houses. Investigations found problems with the quality of paint and stucco-like material used to cover exterior walls on many homes.
Yet the Florida Building Commission, whose members include regulators and construction-industry representatives, said the issue is complex and needs more study. No it doesn't. In fact, the Orange County building official, who has already done investigations into this, is the one arguing strongest for these changes.Since the state panel failed to act responsibly, city and county governments should take it upon themselves to impose their own rules. State lawmakers also need to act. Leaking walls undermine a house's structural integrity. It should be addressed in the statewide code.
Local governments do have the authority to impose their own standards. The city of Winter Garden already has demonstrated courageous leadership by approving an ordinance that requires better sealing and rainproofing of the walls. It has set a good model for what local governments should and could require.
Without local action, local inspectors will be powerless to crack down on companies that build such houses.
Local action is only the first step. The need for waterproofed walls on new houses isn't something that differs from community to community. As everyone now knows, no place in Florida is spared from fierce storms. It needs to be a statewide requirement.
State Sen. Lee Constantine, who is credited with overhauling the state building code four years ago, needs to lead the charge to make the changes during next year's legislative session.
Rising to the challenge
Sentinel Staff Writer
December 15, 2004
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-edpletbox15121504dec15,1,7068833.story
Present and future
Friday's editorial "Ignoring the problem" and the "My Word" column, "Home builders: We'll rise to challenge," addressed changing the building code to prevent future leaks in new homes. But the builders still have an obligation to fix the problem for those of us who have leaks in our new homes. Also, are they making any attempt to fix the problem in homes they are building now?
I don't want to see sole emphasis on the future, leaving present homeowners stranded with poorly constructed homes. If this should happen, our leaks will leave a permanent ugly stain on the reputation of our builders.
John Anderson
Lake Mary
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Give old ideas fresh look
Friday's editorial "Ignoring the problem" certainly highlighted an industry-wide problem. It is said that, in the political process, there are participants and there are victims. Because members of the construction industry are very active participants in the political process, the end users of their products are often the victims.
While the building code has been strengthened in many ways since Hurricane Andrew 12 years ago, product liability, quality assurance and warranty issues are still not addressed in it, leaving homeowners and others to pursue unscrupulous builders through the courts, which is often cost-prohibitive.
It should come as no surprise to homeowners with storm damage that the legal process also favors contractors and developers over individual property owners when it comes to damage recovery, lien laws, license complaints and other aspects of construction litigation.
As in Orange County, building officials throughout the state would like to help private citizens when they are victimized by shoddy construction, but lack the legal means to do so. One thing that local governments could do is require contractors working in their jurisdictions to provide compliance bonds so that when latent defects are found and not corrected, the jurisdiction would have recourse to remedy the situation. If a particular contractor had numerous claims on his compliance bond, the companies would drop him, and he could no longer work in that particular jurisdiction.
After Andrew, no local jurisdiction in Florida began requiring compliance bonds. Frequently, it takes a severe weather event for latent defects to surface. Given the number of storms we experienced this past season, local jurisdictions may be giving old ideas a fresh look in the interest of protecting the lives and property interests of their constituents.
Lee E. Martin
Chief Building Official
School Board of Broward County
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