On a warm spring day in Larchmont, the caw of the seagulls beckons the sleek bikers and smiling walkers in chinos to the not-so-distant shore ”“ everyone, in fact, save for John Novaes. Perspiring in protective coveralls, he might as well be on the far side of the moon.

Novaes is one of the workers for Murphy Brothers Contracting in Mamaroneck who has been trained in lead-paint dust removal as required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hence the head-to-toe protective gear as he and his coworkers renovate a handsome Tudor-style house, under the supervision of Matt Price, Murphy”™s EPA coordinator and a project manager with the company.

Says Novaes of his outfit: “I”™ve lost five pounds. It”™s the best diet in the world.”

His “diet” is a sign of our environmental times.

“The green movement is here to stay,” says Gregory F. Ugalde, president and chief legal officer of T&M Building Co. Inc. in Torrington, Conn., and that state”™s representative to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“It”™s a big topic, though not as new and exciting as it was a year ago,” says Joseph Malcarne, president of Malcarne Contracting in Rhinebeck, which is poised to help homeowners take advantage of new federal Home Star legislation that would provide them with thousands in rebates for energy efficiency.

But while contractors like Malcarne are piling up green certifications from the Building Performance Institute and some homeowners, like Scarsdale”™s Dan Jaffe, are giving their dwellings a thoroughly green makeover, Ugalde says that the dance between the environment and the economy means that many homeowners are choosing how, when and where to go green.

The fed steps in
It”™s not always a matter of choice. The EPA”™s Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule, which went into effect on Earth Day (April 22), applies to virtually anyone who disturbs painted surfaces where lead may be present in homes, schools and day-care centers built prior to 1978. Any contractor, including renovators, electricians, plumbers, painters and maintenance staff, who disrupts more than six square feet of lead paint inside and more than 20 square feet outside is required to take an eight-hour certification course ”“ six hours of class and two hours of hands-on training. The refresher course is two hours of class and two hours of hands-on training.

Failure to comply can result in fines of up to $37,500 a day per incident,Â EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said.

The rule ”“ designed especially to protect children under age 6 and pregnant women from the effects of lead paint, which can cause neurological, reproductive and organ damage ”“ has its loopholes.

“Homeowners are not liable,” Kemery said. So if you yourself want to remove the lead paint from your home without any training, remove away at your own risk.

Also, public buildings are not specifically covered, though Kemery said they could be if they meet the standards of a child-occupied facility ”“ a building, or portion of a building, visited regularly by the same child, under 6 years of age, on at least two different days within any week for at least three hours a day, with the visits totaling at least 60 hours a year.

There is an opt-out clause for contractors, provided that they have a written statement from the homeowner that they are not working on a child-occupied facility or one in which a child or a pregnant woman lives. But the clause is good only until July 6.

Green and greenbacks
Critics claim that the EPA”™s new regulation went into effect without enough trainers and classes, thereby hamstringing contractors during one of the worst economic downturns in U.S. history. Kemery said that as of May 19, more than 223 training providers, many of whom have multiple trainers, have been accredited and that his agency is continuing to accredit them. To date, 12,000 classes have been offered and about 230,000 renovators have been trained.

Still, the larger point is well-taken: green costs. The new EPA rule certainly costs contractors in terms of time, though as Murphy Brothers”™ Matt Price said: “When you think about lead and the problems it can cause, it”™s the right thing to do.”

And surely, green adds to the homeowner”™s tab. Lead-paint dust removal tacks on 5 percent to a home renovation, said Michael Murphy, director of new project development for Murphy Brothers Contracting, although that is incremental. So if the renovation is $850,000, the dust removal would add another $5,000 approximately.

Not bad on a house worth $2.5 million. Generally, green renovation can increase costs anywhere from 5 to 20 percent. Not everyone, however, has thousands lying around for home renovation, let alone green renovation.

“Everyone supports being a friend of the planet,” said Ugalde, who builds throughout Connecticut and is on NAHB”™s executive committee. “But when it comes to trading in real dollars, it”™s a different thing. What you see are people doing some green aspects. If they buy a product whose cost is going to be recouped in 20 years, that”™s not good enough. They may opt instead for cabinets delivered close by, lessening the carbon footprint.”

“The public is very split on this,” Malcarne said. “There are those who want (to go green). But I can also quote a client who said, ”˜To hell with green. Make it affordable.”™ This is where it”™s important to be aware of the fact that there”™s a lot of ”˜green-washing”™ out there, a lot of junk getting green labels.”

You have to be willing to do the research, he said.

A true duet
There are some homeowners who have done just that to go entirely green. Witness Dan Jaffe, who since 2004 has lived with wife Abby in a charmingly modest Scarsdale neighborhood that borders Eastchester. But the couple saw a need for home improvement.

“We very much wanted ”¦ a house that was energy-efficient,” he said. “We feel very strongly about environmental issues.”

Jaffe did his homework, which led him to Trevor Spearman of Spearman Architectural Design P.C. in Thornwood. He came up with a green renovation plan that preserves the clean-limbed, earthy integrity of the Jaffe house”™s Arts and Crafts style. The eight-month project, launched in November, calls for the use of insulated concrete forms (ICF) ”“ made of concrete and Polystyrene ”“ to replace the basic wooden structure, making the house warmer in winter and cooler in summer while preserving trees.

Other green elements include Fiberglass windows; high-mass radiant heat conveyed through tubes and pipes in the floors, eliminating the need for radiators; a high-efficiency European boiler that contains the hot-water heater; spray-foam insulation for the ceiling; an attached garage with the potential for charging an electric car; and landscaping that works with Westchester County”™s beautifully rocky terrain.

Though the jury”™s still out on how many construction jobs green will create, the Jaffes”™ contractor ”“ Ed Robak, president of Robak Construction Corp. in Dix Hills, N.Y., and a specialist in ICF ”“ says he is getting a lot of interest.

Dan Jaffe takes that as a sign that the dance of the economy and the environment can be a true duet.

“If you”™re doing something for the environment,” he said, “it”™s going to be good for business.”

Tips from the Top

As the song says, it isn”™t easy being green. Dan Jaffe, whose Scarsdale home is undergoing a green makeover, has some tips for those looking to take the plunge:

“Sit down with your significant other and figure out what you want.”
Investigate and learn. “The Green Coalition (greencoalition.com) has a wealth of information.” Other sites include the National Association of Home Builders”™ nahbgreen.org and the EPA URLs epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/components.htm and epa.gov/greenhomes/overview.htm.
Pursue individuals who cannot only provide you with the necessary expertise, but also work well with you.
Remember it”™s your home. You”™re the boss on the project.
Above all else, be realistic, flexible and patient. “Sometimes things happen, and it”™s nobody”™s fault.”