A Process for Reconstruction
Are things starting to dry out? Have you treated for bacteria and mold and the studs are getting to below 20% in moisture content (you really need a meter to know!)? Well then it may be time to start rebuilding. Here is a basic outline of how the process works in Nashville:
- Home Owner or Contractor pulls building permit
- Arrange for a licensed electrician to do the needed repairs.
- Minimum needed is the change of outlets that were submersed by water.
- Arrange for licensed HVAC and Plumbing contractors if repairs are needed.
- Once rough in inspections have been completed for electrical, HVAC and plumbing:
- Ensure all penetrations in the floor and wall plates have been fire caulked.
- Seal up under tub drain pipe.
- Fix or make any framing changes.
- Call in for framing inspection
- Insulate
- Install sheetrock or paneling
- Tape & texture sheetrock (If funds are available, we recommend that this be down by a professional finisher.)
- Prime new sheetrock.
- Install finish floors
- Install kitchen cabinets or bathroom cabinets
- Install base board and window trim
- Paint walls (This can be done before item 10, but if you do it at that point make sure you use flat paint for touch ups.)
- Call contractors in for trim out on electrical, HVAC and plumbing.
- Once final inspections have been completed for item #14 call in for final inspection.
County to begin issuing building permits on Monday
BY TIM ADKINS • THE ASHLAND CITY TIMES • MAY 19, 2010
Cheatham County Mayor Bill Orange said the county will begin issuing building permits on Monday to residents who live in designated flood areas and whose homes were damaged in the recent flooding.
The decision to wait until Monday, the mayor said, comes at the recommendation of the company that is helping the county with the damage estimate reports.
“The worst mistake we can make is to rush this through,” Orange told a packed General Sessions Courtroom Monday night during the monthly County Commission meeting.
More than a dozen residents spoke out during the public forum. Many of them want to start repairing their homes, but they say the county is dragging its feet in assessing the damage and issuing building permits.
Orange explained that damage estimate teams have been assessing the 425-plus homes that were damaged in the unincorporated areas of the county and all the data should be ready by Thursday. Data on about 100 homes had already been completed by Monday.
The mayor said the county has contracted with 4D Solutions from Mississippi to help assess the damage and enter the information on computer. Each case file will consist of the damage report, photographs and FEMA maps, among other things.
Once the file is completed, residents who live in designated flood areas will have to make an appointment with the building commission office in order to move forward.
If property is in a flood area and is assessed at 51 percent or more damage, the owner will have to follow certain FEMA guidelines. For example, if a resident lives in a flood way, FEMA will require a no-rise certificate.
Orange said the reason for waiting until Monday to begin issuing building permits is because the process will be much quicker for residents since all the needed information will be in one file.
“We will be able to serve individuals in a more suitable fashion,” he said.
Building commissioner Kathy Reed said residents can start calling her office (792-7915) on Friday to set up an appointment. However, officials warned residents to be patient because the office can only help so many people each day.
Reed said her office will review about 10 cases on Monday, and she hopes to increase that amount each day after that.
Orange added that Ragan-Smith, a Nashville engineering firm that has been helping the county with planning issues since last March, will assist the building commission office in reviewing the files. However, only Reed can issue a building permit.
Some commissioners wanted to know how the county could speed up the process so residents could get immediate assistance without having to wait until Monday. They also wanted to know why the county couldn’t start helping residents now if all the needed data was available.
Orange noted that residents whose homes flooded and who did not live in designated flood areas can already apply for building permits.
Some of these are among the 425-plus homes that have been assessed. When the information is entered into the computer, officials said it notes that the home is not a flood area and a building permit can be issued.
Other Business
The commission approved a $2 million interfund loan from the education debt service to the general fund to help pay for flood-related costs.
The county must pay for the items upfront, but it will be reimbursed by FEMA and the state since the county was declared a disaster area.
The commission agreed to waive building permit fees for the restoration of properly permitted structures that were damaged by the flooding as well as administrative fees associated with the appeals process. The waivers will expire on May 1, 2011.
The commission agreed to allow residents to live in campers, recreational vehicles or trailers on their property while their homes are being repaired for up to 18 months.
James Fenton, the county’s economic and community development director, said FEMA may consider bringing in trailers to help residents with temporary housing.
Orange said a bid will be awarded on Thursday for pick-up of flood-related debris. The company will have 24 hours to be on the ground once the bid is awarded.
Residents with debris should leave it in the right-of-way, not in their yards. The debris should be separated into the following piles: wood, metal, household materials (such as carpet and furniture) and hazardous materials.
Building commission office announces guidelines for flood repair
THE ASHLAND CITY TIMES • MAY 12, 2010
The Cheatham County Building Commission office issued the following information on Wednesday involving the rebuilding and repair process.
For more information, call the department at 792-7915.
GUIDANCE IN THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY
REGISTER WITH www.fema.gov OR CALL 1-800-621-3362 – NOTE FEMA HAS ON THEIR WEBSITE A BOOKLET “REPAIRING YOUR FLOODED HOME” THAT CAN BE HELPFUL AT THIS TIME ALSO
NOTIFY YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY OF LOSS – IF INSURANCE STATES NO FLOOD INSURANCE REQUEST A LETTER FROM THE COMPANY STATING THAT FACT
MAKE PICTURES OF INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF STRUCTURE – DOCUMENT ALL AREAS
YOU MAY ACCESS YOUR PROPERTY DATA ATwww.assessment.state.tn.us , YOU CAN ENTER EITHER YOUR NAME OR ADDRESS THAT WILL REVEAL YOUR DATA
REMOVE WALL COVERINGS, INSULATION, FLOOR COVERINGS AND FLOOR INSULATION TO ALLOW WOOD TO COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE RE-APPLICATION. AFTER ALL WOOD MEMBERS HAVE DRIED TREAT WITH A GERMICIDE TO PREVENT ANY FUTURE MOLD WITHIN THE STRUCTURE. PLACE ON ROAD RIGHT OF WAY – SEPARATE 1. HAZARDOUS (PAINT, CLEANERS, GAS CANS ETC) 2. NATURAL WOOD 3. WHITE GOODS/APPLIANCES 4. CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS
IF WATER ENTERED INTO THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OR HVAC UNIT CONTACT A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN OR HVAC CONTRACTOR TO CHECK PRIOR TO COVERING UNITS FOR FUTURE SAFETY OF THE STRUCTURE
FOR YOUR PROTECTION VERIFY THE CONTRACTORS WORKMANSHIP WITH FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS: CONTRACTORS BOARD (615-741-8307) AND/OR BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU (615-242-4222).
CONTACT SURVEYOR (LIST AVAILABLE) FOR AN ELEVATION CERTIFICATE OF PROPERTY IF IN DESIGNATED FLOODPLAIN/FLOODWAY
IF PROPERTY IS IN DESIGNATED FLOOD AREA AND IS ASSESSED AT 51% DAMAGE OR MORE THE FOLLOWING ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FEMA GUIDELINES:
IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8.030 OF THE CHEATHAM COUNTY ZONING REGULATIONS ANY STRUCTURE HAVING DAMAGE TO THE FRAMING (STRUCTURAL), PLUMBING, HVAC, OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS REQUIRES A BUILDING PERMIT
ITEMIZED COST SHEET INCLUDING MATERIAL AND LABOR
APPLICATION FOR FLOOD HAZARD PERMIT
DEPENDING ON AMOUNT OF DAMAGE ASSESSED MAY REQUIRE ENGINEER ELEVATION CERTIFICATE AND/OR HYDRAULIC ENGINEER (IF PROPERTY IS LOCATED IN A FLOODWAY) PER SECTION 5.073 OF THE CHEATHAM COUNTY ZONING REGULATIONS.
ALL ENGINEERING MUST BE REVIEWED BY THE ENGINEERING FIRM (ALL FEES FOR THE REVIEW WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT)
IF PROPERTY IS ASSESSED AT 50% OR LESS BEFORE YOU BEGIN REPAIRS YOU WILL NEED TO CONTACT CHEATHAM COUNTY BUILDING COMMISSION TO VERIFY WHETHER PERMIT IS REQUIRED.
CHEATHAM COUNTY WANTS TO REMAIN IN THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM IN ORDER TO DO SO WE MUST COMPLY WITH ALL FEMA REGULATIONS IN THESE SITUATIONS. WE UNDERSTAND THE HARDSHIP THIS DISASTER HAS PLACED ON YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND OUR OFFICE IS TRYING TO HELP YOU WITH THE PROCESS BUT WE ALSO NEED TO CONTINUE WITHIN THIS PROGRAM.
County to begin home assessments
BY TIM ADKINS • THE ASHLAND CITY TIMES • MAY 12, 2010
Cheatham County residents whose homes or businesses are in the floodplain and were damaged by last week’s flood will have to rebuild under current FEMA standards, officials said Monday night.
However, the owners must have their homes or businesses assessed before they can move forward.
“No one is saying you can’t rebuild, we just want to get the assessments done to determine how much damage was done,” said Kathy Reed, the county’s interim building commissioner.
County Mayor Bill Orange told County Commissioners during a special-called meeting that he is working on getting the assessment teams in place.
He said three teams of four individuals, including an electrician, a heating and air contractor, a plumber and general contractor, underwent training Monday to review the FEMA software program and were scheduled to begin assessments on Tuesday.
However, some commissioners said more teams are needed because of the massive undertaking and the county needs to get the rebuilding process started immediately.
More than 600 homes throughout the county have some type of flood damage, but not all of them are in the county. Homes damaged in Ashland City, Pegram and Kingston Springs will be assessed by those individual cities.
Orange said he would investigate hiring a private firm, if needed, to conduct the assessments. He planned to look into that alternative on Tuesday. If that’s the most viable option, then the county will pursue that, he said.
The mayor added that former county planner Sharon Caton, who now works on a contract basis for Kingston Springs, conducted the training for the assessment teams on Monday.
Many in the audience booed when Caton’s name was mentioned. Caton resigned from her position in February 2009.
Some commissioners questioned Orange if Caton’s company, Plans and More, was going to charge the county for the training. Orange said he did not yet know if she was going to.
Fee Waivers
Orange asked the commission to waive fees for all building permits related to flood damage. The county’s current codes cover fee waivers for “total loss,” which means 51 percent or greater damage.
The commission must approve the fee waiver, and the body is scheduled to vote on that Monday (May 17) at its regular monthly meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the General Sessions Courtroom.
Officials said there are several questions that need to be answered and the county needs to determine what types of structures the waiver will include and the time frame the fees will be waived before moving forward.
For more information, call the building commission office at 792-7915.
