Lead-safe add-on cost in Union City
Remodeling a pre-1978 home disturbs old paint even when lead is not the job, which is why Union City Lead Paint Removal sets up lead-safe renovation and remodeling in Union City. Kitchens, baths, room additions and repaints are the jobs in view. In California the EPA certifies renovation firms, and CDPH says its own renovation rules under SB 1076 are still in progress.
With 6,676 Union City homes dated to the 1970s alone, a remodel here may touch paint that went on before 1978, or may not. We plan lead-safe renovation in Union City, with Fremont and Newark next door, starting with a check of the build year.
Cabinet removal, wall demolition and tile work knock painted trim, doors and plaster, and the dust spreads through the house. Under the EPA rule the firm seals the work area, uses HEPA vacuums, avoids open-flame burning and dry sanding, and cleans to a standard before the room is reopened.
A repaint can be a renovation job: scraping and sanding painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home is covered if the paid job disturbs more than 6 square feet of paint inside a room or 20 square feet outside, and window replacement is covered at any size. A smaller patch is not exempt from good practice, only from the certification rule, and Alameda County Healthy Homes says contractors should contain and clean up chips regardless of size.
Joining an addition to an older house means opening a wall, and the old wall’s paint is part of what comes down. The firm plans the opening, protects the rest of the house and keeps debris sealed until it leaves. For a house built in 1978 or later the rule does not apply.
At the end of a renovation the certified renovator performs a cleaning verification, wiping with a disposable cloth and comparing it with a card. This is not a dust-lead clearance test; a lab result has to be ordered separately from a CDPH-certified inspector.
Alameda County Healthy Homes says most projects that disturb paint in pre-1978 homes need an EPA-certified renovator, the firm must be EPA-certified, and the renovator must do a cleaning verification. Its checklist for owners asks how the contractor will prepare surfaces, keep chips off the ground, clean up and protect workers, whether they have a HEPA vacuum, and whether they carry insurance including lead liability. Ask the same questions of anyone, including us, and check the EPA firm list and the state contractor license before you sign.
Renovation rules tied to SB 1076 are still being drafted by the state health department, so paid renovation work in California follows the federal EPA rule for now.
Lead-safe practices add setup and cleanup time to a remodel: sealing the work area, extra plastic, HEPA cleaning and the verification. The size of the area, how much painted surface is cut or sanded, and whether the house is occupied during the work all change the scope.
Planning a remodel? Two other pages help: lead paint inspection and testing explains what the walls may hold, and lead paint window and door work explains the window side. The full service list is on the Union City Lead Paint Removal homepage, which also shows the Union City housing numbers behind this site.
What are you remodeling, and when was the house built? Add the address, whether people live there during the work, and any lead test results you hold. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (510) 370-4182