Newsletter

Contractors State License Services is committed to the continued growth and education of your career as a licensed contractor. It is our intention to provide you with valuable information of what's new in the construction industry, important events that you may want to attend, and helpful business and exam preparation tips. You can also stay connected with CSLS through Facebook, Twitter, Linked in and You Tube. IN THIS ISSUE
April 2011

• OVERVIEW OF THE TITLE 24
• INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER
• THE EPA-RRP RULE...WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
• CSLS IS CELEBRATING EARTH DAY
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY
• CSLS SCHOLARSHIP
• INDUSTRY NEWS

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An Overview of the Title 24 California Building Code

California is one of many states that has taken measures to assist persons with disabilities in their daily lives. Part of this effort is reflected in the laws instituted by the Americans with Disabilities Act (hereinafter “ADA”). The purpose of these laws is to guarantee disabled persons accessibility to all privileges and services that are available to the general public.

The implementation of the ADA laws in California is the responsibility of the Department of Rehabilitation. Their efforts consist of providing information; technical guidance; and training on ADA laws concerning employment issues, accessibility services, and public awareness programs. The Department also provides physical access surveys, referrals, and publications to other state agencies and services that deal with ADA laws and disability rights. This includes California state government and building codes, housing and employment regulations, and all federal regulations concerning disability and accessibility according to ADA laws.

Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations

California’s building regulations and standards are contained within Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (hereinafter “CCR”), published by the California Building Standards Commission. There are regulations passed by California agencies charged with enforcing the state’s various laws and requirements for contractors and property owners. Title 24 includes all regulations for how buildings are designed and constructed, and is intended to ensure the maximum structural integrity and safety of private and public buildings.

Title 24 standards apply to the structure of buildings as well as their mechanical systems such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The construction of plumbing, electrical systems, and fire-suppression systems all are regulated by Title 24. With increasingly restrictive use of energy and concern for release of greenhouse gases by the state, Title 24 has been expanded to include energy conservation, such as the use of CFL light bulbs, which are now required in all state government offices, as well as emissions of environmental pollutants by building systems. (1)

Accessibility is also the subject of Title 24 standards. Most new buildings and remodeled areas of existing buildings are required to be accessible. General guidelines as to what must be accessible are as follows.

Single-family and duplex or 2-family dwellings are generally not required to be accessible except when they are part of a condominium or planned-use development.

Existing privately-funded multi-family buildings can generally undergo remodeling or alterations with little or no access work required except for public or employee areas.

New multi-family buildings of 3 or more apartment units or 4 or more condominium dwelling   units must be accessible.

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Existing commercial buildings, when remodeled, must have the following access features:

• At least 1 accessible building entrance with signs at the inaccessible entrance to direct the disabled;
• A path-of-travel to the remodeled area;
• Access in the remodeled area itself;
• Accessible toilet rooms that serve the remodeled areas;
• Accessible public telephones and drinking fountains serving the remodeled area;
• Accessible parking areas and spaces for the remodeled area with accessible spaces close to the accessible building entrances.

New commercial buildings must meet all minimum access standards for new buildings including                accessibility of:

• Building approaches (from arrival on site to the building entrance);
• All building entrances;
• All paths of travel within the building including corridors, elevators, and door widths;
• All areas and uses throughout the building;
• All toilet rooms;
• Public telephones and drinking fountains;
• Parking areas and spaces, including provisions for tall van parking.

Historical buildings, when remodeled or altered, must have the same accessible features (entrance, path-of-travel, area of remodel, toilets, phones, drinking fountains, and parking) as other buildings. The California State Historical Code does provide limited exceptions when the historical aspect of the building would be threatened. Such exceptions, however, must be applied for on a case-by-case, or item-by-item basis.(2)

Title 24 standards are enforced by county and municipal inspectors and regulators. These entities may pass stricter standards of their own, and many do consideration of their particular location, geography, climate, and vulnerability to natural disasters such as mudslides, drought, fires, and earthquakes. These more restrictive standards must be reviewed by the California Building Standards Commission before they can go into effect, but it is always advisable to check with your local Department of Building and Safety for the most up-to-date and current laws and regulations in the city or county you are working in.

Additionally, Disabled Access regulations have been reprinted in the Book entitled California Access Compliance Manual. This book and additional information can be obtained from the Division of the State Architect at www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov .

 

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CSLS is Celebrating Earth Day

Join us for our Earth Day Celebration
On April 29th CSLS is hosting an Open House at each
of their school locations. Vist our website www.makemeacontractor.com to contact a school near you for scheduled speakers and vendors for this event.

At all school locations we will be offering:

» Raffles
» Special Offers
» & More!!!

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Customer Service: Not to Be Taken Lightly

In this day and age, customer service is more important than ever to insure continued success of your business. First of all, with the economy as it is, jobs are more difficult to come by so keeping happy customers is vital for referrals and future business.  One unhappy customer means not only that you’ve lost that person’s business but all the potential referrals that could have followed.  Also with the availability of the internet, bad news can travel real fast and not just within a customer’s immediate group of contacts. With the use of such sites as pissedoffconsumer.com, ripoffreport.com and angieslist.com, consumers now have access to a forum to vent their dissatisfaction regarding poor services that they have experienced.  You really don’t want to end up on one of these sites with a negative review. Consumers are using these sites more and more to make decisions regarding service choices, so you want to take extra care to avoid upsetting a customer relationship, even if it means absorbing a financial cost regarding a disagreement. The ultimate price to you getting negative reviews could be far more costly.  So, making that extra effort to keep your customers happy is critical. In addition to providing exceptional quality of work to each and every client, here are some additional customer service tips that you should make part of every job:

• Always, always, always be on time.
• Keep your clients up-to-date on the job progress.
• If your clients try to contact you get back to them within the day if not the hour.
• Be sure to clean up the job daily.  Never leave a mess.
• Watch your language and that of your crew, even if your client talks like a drunken sailor.
• Respect the property owner’s site, especially if this is a residential property.
• Be sure to send a thank-you card at the end of the job. This will leave a good impression.
• Do a follow-up call a few weeks after the completion of the job to make sure the customer is still satisfied.

 

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CSLS Awards Stanley Amey with a Scholarship

Stanley Amey is a family man that believes that what you do and how you do it matters in life.  Over the last several years he and his wife have struggled through several lay-offs and this has especially been challenging as their daughter is soon to graduate high school and college expenses are looming. CSLS has chosen Stanley to be the recipient of the In-School Law & Trade License Exam Preparation program for getting his C-33 painting license. Stanley understands the value of learning and hopes to be able to apply the knowledge that he gets through this program and continued learning to provide a “dependable and wonderful service to his clients”. He is also looking forward to being able to give a helping hand to other qualified workers in his industry by hiring them for projects he works on in the future.

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Industry News

The Contractor State License Board fees have remained at the same level since 1993 but that’s about to change.  As of July 1, 2011 the CSLB contractor licensing fees will be increasing for those contractors who are applying for or changing their contractor license. Renewal fees for licenses that expire on or after July 1, 2011 will also be increased.