Example Lead Paint Projects in Livermore

Scope of work

Leaves and acorns swept up, plastic laid along the full base of each long wall and out past the drip line, the siding, fascia and window frames stripped with paste stripper and wet scraping, waste bagged each day, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, and a clearance check of the ground and the sills. The roof and any rotten boards are not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1950s ranch house in Livermore plan to repaint the whole outside and ask a painter what to do about the old coats. A test shows lead paint on the siding, the fascia and the window frames.

They want it gone before the new paint goes on, so the job is abatement. Form 8551 is posted at the house and sent to CDPH at least five days ahead, and the neighbors are told in writing. The oaks drop leaves and acorns onto the work area, so the ground is swept and the plastic is laid out past the drip line each time.

The goal

The goal is siding and trim with no lead paint left on them and soil free of chips under the oaks.

Process

1. Notice Form 8551 posted and sent; letters to the neighbors.
2. Setup Ground swept, plastic laid along each long wall and out past the drip line.
3. Stripping Siding, fascia and window frames stripped wet, waste bagged daily.
4. Paint Bare wood primed and given two coats.
5. Clearance Ground and sills checked for chips and dust before the plastic comes down.

Planning right

• Never dry-scrape or pressure-wash old siding. Chips and wash water carry the lead into the soil.
• Boards that are soft or split behind the paint are replaced at extra cost.
• Plastic is weighed down and checked each morning, since wind and falling leaves move it.
• Keep the clearance report where the next painter can find it.

Scope of work

Plastic inside each room and on the ground below, the sashes taken out whole, the old paint on the sashes, sills and casings removed with paste stripper and wet scraping, new glazing putty, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, the sashes rehung, HEPA cleanup and a wet-cloth check of each sill and floor. Rotten sill wood is replaced at extra cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1930s shingle house near downtown Pleasanton want to keep the old wood windows. The paint on the sills, sashes and casings of two front windows flakes in layers of white and green, and a test shows lead paint on all three parts. The shingles are bare wood.

Stripping the paint for good is abatement, so certified workers do it with the notice and clearance check that come with it. Because the house sits in the old downtown, the owners first ask the city’s Planning Division which rules apply to exterior work at their address.

The goal

The goal is two original windows kept, with no lead paint left on them and no dust in the rooms.

Process

1. Testing Sills, sashes and casings tested before any scraping.
2. Planning A call to the Planning Division about the address.
3. Setup Plastic laid inside and below each window, the rooms closed off.
4. Stripping Sashes out whole and stripped wet, sills and casings stripped in place.
5. Finish New putty, primer and two coats, sashes rehung, HEPA cleanup and a wet-cloth check.

Planning right

• Stripped and reglazed sashes keep the old look of the house.
• Sills that hold water rot first. Soft wood is replaced at extra cost.
• Replacing windows is a different job with different rules. Ask the city before ordering new ones.
• The windows on the other walls carry the same old paint. Test them before they are touched.

Scope of work

A visit to the porch and the front of the house, readings on each type of painted part, paint chips to the lab where a reading is unclear, and a written report that lists each part as positive or negative.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s craftsman bungalow in Livermore plan to have a carpenter rebuild the front porch. Paint is peeling in large flakes off the two columns and the porch roof edge, so they ask what the old paint contains before anyone takes a tool to it.

The test shows lead paint on the columns, the porch roof edge, the brackets and the window casings, while the stained front door tests clear. The carpenter can now price lead-safe work for the parts that carry lead and handle the door the usual way.

The goal

The goal is a porch rebuild that knows where the lead paint is before the first cut.

Process

1. Booking Build year and the porch plans shared with the inspector.
2. Testing Readings on each painted part of the porch, with chips sent where a reading is unclear.
3. Report Positive and negative parts listed, ready for the carpenter.

Planning right

• Test before the carpenter prices the job, so lead-safe work is in the bid and not a surprise.
• Taking out porch columns and trim in a house built before 1978 falls under the federal lead-safe rules.
• Keep children and pets off the porch floor while paint is peeling there.
• If the house sits near downtown, ask the Planning Division whether a rebuild needs review.

Scope of work

Plastic over the floors and across the doorways of both rooms, misting of the painted wall and trim before each cut, HEPA vacuums on the cutting tools, daily HEPA vacuuming and a wet wipe, a cleaning check before the rooms reopen, and bagged disposal. The framing, the new cabinets and the drywall are priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house in Danville are opening the wall between the kitchen and the family room. The contractor will take out the wall, the window trim on it and one door casing, and a test shows lead paint on the kitchen walls, the trim and the casing.

A wall and its trim come out in one go, far past the minor repair limit, so the contractor works with an EPA-certified firm and renovator, sealed rooms and a cleaning check. That work is priced as an add-on, and the family eats in the dining room while the kitchen is closed.

The goal

The goal is an open kitchen and family room with no lead dust left behind, with the extra cost limited to keeping the rooms clean.

Process

1. Test Walls and trim tested before the contractor prices the job.
2. Sealing the rooms Floors and doorways covered, both rooms closed off.
3. Wall out Wall and trim misted and removed with HEPA-vacuum tools.
4. Reopening check HEPA vacuuming, a wet wipe and both rooms checked before they reopen.

Planning right

• Ask the contractor’s bid to say who does the lead-safe setup and cleanup.
• Children stay out of the kitchen and family room until both have passed their check.
• Drywall patching after the opening is painted after the check, not before.
• The other kitchen walls carry the same old paint. Plan any later work lead-safe too.

Scope of work

Plastic on the ground along the wall and the driveway edge, the trim washed, loose spots misted and scraped, a bonding patch tested, two coats of a coating made to last 20 years or more on the fascia, rake, window trim and garage door, HEPA cleanup and a clearance test. The stucco is not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house in Livermore find that the paint on their wood trim and garage door is still firmly attached. A test shows lead paint on the fascia, the rake boards, the window trim and the garage door, and they want to keep the wood as it is.

Sealing the trim costs less than stripping it. The coating is made to last 20 years or more, which makes the job abatement. It is done by certified workers under a written plan, with the notice posted and sent at least five days ahead and a clearance test at the end.

The goal

The goal is the original trim kept in place, with its lead paint sealed behind a coating made to last.

Process

1. Plan Written plan prepared, Form 8551 posted and sent.
2. Washing Ground covered, trim washed, loose spots misted and scraped.
3. Bond test A small area coated to see whether the coating bonds to the old paint.
4. Coating Two coats on the trim and garage door, then HEPA cleanup and the clearance test.

Planning right

• Sun and rain wear a coating on the outside faster, so the south and west faces get a look every year.
• Soft or cracked wood has to be repaired first. A coating will not hold on it.
• Replacing a board later disturbs the lead again. Plan it lead-safe.
• Put the plan and the clearance result with the house papers.