September 2021 Building Connections by HBRA of Fairfield County

T H E E - M A G A Z I N E O F T H E H B R A O F FA I R F I E L D C O U N T Y - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

UPCOMING

FEATURES

October GMM November GMM OSHA 10

HBRA Golf Outing October GMM COVID-19 Resources Latest Updates

MEMBER BENEFITS mynpp.com NAHB Benefits

Your Monthly Newsletter Building Connections is a monthly digital magazine produced and published by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Fairfield County. Inside you will find the latest association news, legislative updates, upcoming events, and featured articles about the industry.

hbra@buildfairfieldcounty.com www.buildfairfieldcounty.com @hbraffc (203) 335-7008

2021 2021 OFFICERS President Kim DiMatteo ACBI

Sr. Vice-President John Hertz Hertz Construction

Vice President Rob Michaud

Michaud Development Group

Secretary Michael Wood Wood Builders

Treasurer Steven Roth

Elevator Service Company

Immediate Past President Anthony DeRosa DeRosa Builders

PWB Chair Stephanie Rapp

Stephanie Rapp Interiors

2021 DIRECTORS Luigi Altamura Altamura Homes

Propane Pete Battaglio Hocon Gas

Max Bender Bender Supply

Karen Bradbury

Closet & Storage Concepts

Ken DeLeo

Doherty & DeLeo

Brian Kurtz

Interstate Lumber

Peter Sciarretta

Hemingway Construction

Alex Shook

Pella Commercial

Lisa White

Breakwater Renovation & Design

LIFE DIRECTORS Joanne Carroll JMC Resources

Michael Palumbo ERI Building & Design

Jerry Effren The Greyrock Companies

Peter Gaboriault Bear Paw Builders

Gary Fanali City Carting

Terrence Beaty William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty

Peter Fusaro Preferred Builders

Chris Steiner Steiner, Inc.

2021.

L ET T ER F RO M TH E EXECUTIVE OF FICER

Hello Members, I hope you all had a great summer! We had such a great time at our golf tournament this year. I’d like to give a big thanks to our golf committee and Sarah for making this event such a success! We are planning for a big fall, and I look forward to seeing you all. Nov 1 and 2nd we will be holding an OSHA class with Ring’s End. On November 3rd, the PWB will partner with the HBRA to host PWB night featuring speaker Barri Rafferty. Throughout the months of October and November we will be hosting a membership drive as well as a Members doing Business with Members contest-be on the lookout for more details soon. Be sure to keep our online membership directory in mind whenever you are looking for a business: www.buildfairfieldcounty.com/directory. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can do anything for you or your business. kerry@buildfairfieldcounty.com

Kind Regards, Kerry Brunn

FOR ALL YOUR

HARDWARE, HOME, & LUMBER NEEDS

1452 Barnum Ave, Bridgeport, CT (203) 366-4757 northeastco.com

L ET T ER F ROM TH E H BRA PRESIDEN T

Hello All, I hope you are all doing well and have enjoyed this beautiful summer. Our industry continues to thrive, and I know most of you are busy trying to keep up with demand. We are hard at work at the HBRA to ensure that we are the best we can be. Our 501C3 has been approved by the state! This will entitle us to take donations, and therefore we will be able to do some good for our community, and get more publicity for our organization. We are very excited to get going with this and we will give you more updates when we have them. HBRA of Fairfield County has joined forces with the state to tackle the problem of lack of workforce. We have formed a Workforce Development Committee and have made great strides in planning how to get more people in our field. We will continue to update you. We are looking for members that are passionate about workforce development to join our committee-if you are interested, please reach out to Kerry. Please know that registration and sponsorships are open for the HOBI awards that will be held on November 17 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT. Please help us make sure that Fairfield makes a strong showing at this event. Register here: https://www.hobiawards.com/ As a reminder, IBS will be taking place in Orlando, FL on February 8-10. This is always a worthwhile event. Please be sure to register here: IBS Registration Thank you all for continuing to be involved and active. We will continue to make 2021 a successful year for the HBRA. Regards, Kim DiMatteo

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H BRA EVEN TS

Thank you to all who attended the 2021 GMM At the Beach!

Thank you to our sponsors, without whom, this event would not be possible.

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MEMBER N EWS

Leigh Overland and the Great American Home This home, which I designed to be the personal residence for my wife and me, showcases how Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF), can be used to create a modern, strong, efficient, and nearly maintenancefree home at the same cost — or less — as traditional building techniques. An ICF home can look like any style of residential building when completed and will cut electricity, heating and insurance costs by 50 - 75% while minimizing maintenance for years to come. My most recent ICF homes also features a SIP roof (no roof rafters), metal stud interior walls, (factory made, delivered, and set up in days), infloor radiant heat and “cooling,” and triple-pane European doors and windows. These homes resist fire, hurricane, mold, rot, mildew and termites. Visit the website for TheNextGreatAmericanHome https://www.nextgreatamericanhomes.com

JOB BAN K

Available Jobs:

These opportunities are offered by the HBRA members listed in the specific advertisement. Please do not contact the HBRA regarding these listings.

Dryer Vent Wizard Contact Person: Jim Selden Address: 2490 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield CT 06825, US Phone: 2035575144 Email: jselden@dryerventwizard.com Full Time: 1 Job Title: Home Service Technician Start Date: Immediate Emilia Ferri Architecture + Design Contact Person: Emilia Ferri Address: P.O. Box 4535, Greenwich CT, US Phone: 2035457761 Email: emiliaferridesign@gmail.com Job Title: Architectural Associate Start Date: Immediate DeRosa Builders LLC. Contact: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/jobs/derosa-builders-03fb1b8f/residential-construction-superintendent-bb06ca0a Job Title: Residential Construction Superintendent Start Date: Immediate

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N EW MEMBERS

Antonio Stella Homes | Antonio Stella

Antonio Stella Homes is your digital resource for buying and selling homes in the Fairfield County, CT area with real time updates of all properties for sale so you have direct access of everything you need to know including all current market statistics and listings. Read More

Peter Stofa & Company, LLC | Peter Stofa

Born and raised in Europe, Peter was exposed to the world of fine European Craftsmanship. By working alongside his grandfather, he gained the skills and passion needed to create unique and luxurious living spaces. This knowledge is being incorporated into designing sophisticated homes in New England for over 25 years. Read More

Wellbuilt Company | Stephanie Odenath

Wellbuilt is a service-oriented firm specializing in real estate development, construction, and asset management. Headquartered in New York City, we also maintain offices and oversee projects in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Australia. Read More

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N AH B N EWS

What Does the Recent WOTUS Rule Change Mean for Your Projects?

New Home Sales Edge Higher in August

As NAHBNow previously reported, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the agencies) recently halted implementation of the “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) regulatory definition as finalized under the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), reverting back to a pre2015 WOTUS regulatory definition.

Strong demand, low interest rates and fewer existing homes for sale helped contribute to an uptick in new home sales in August even as home prices continue to rise. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in August rose 1.5% to a 740,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from an upwardly revised reading in July, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Sales are up 2.4% on a year-to-date basis.

The Sept. 3 announcement was an abrupt reversal because the agencies had previously committed to a series of public hearings, followed by a two-step federal rulemaking process, during which time the WOTUS regulatory definition as finalized under the NWPR was to remain in effect nationwide.

To help builders and developers understand how to move forward with ongoing or planned projects, NAHB developed FAQs to provide interim (unofficial) guidance based upon the Clean Water Act (CWA) statute, existing regulatory guidance documents, and past practices by Read More the agencies during previous instances of changing interpretations of the WOTUS regulatory definition. Read More

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HAVE YOU SEEN OUR COVID RESOURCES PAGE? Visit https://buildfairfieldcounty.com/covid-19-local-and-national-updates/ for the latest news

- Do you have news about your business that you would like to share with the HBRA membership? Email design@buildfairfieldcounty.com to coordinate an instagram story or a newsletter feature.

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N AH B N EWS

FHFA Extends COVID-19 Multifamily Forbearance Indefinitely The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will continue to offer COVID-19 forbearance to qualifying multifamily property owners as needed, subject to the continued tenant protections FHFA has imposed during the pandemic. This is the fourth extension of the programs, which were set to expire Sept. 30. On Oct. 1, FHFA will allow the Enterprises to continue offering COVID-19 forbearance to qualified multifamily owners, unless otherwise instructed by FHFA. “Given the uncertain nature of this pandemic, FHFA is taking further action to protect renters, property owners, and the mortgage market,” said Acting Director Sandra L. Thompson. Property owners with Enterprise-backed multifamily mortgages can enter a new or, if qualified, modified forbearance if they experience a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Treasury Will Review Reallocating Portions of Unused ERAP Funds on Sept. 30 On Sept. 30, the Treasury Department will be required by law to consider reallocating unused funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) that was passed by Congress in December 2020 to help renters and landlords who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress appropriated two rounds of ERAP funds totaling $46.5 billion and the law applies to the first ERAP, which allocated $26.5 billion to help distressed tenants and property owners.

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2021 MEMBER RECRUITMENT

CHALLENGE

SPIKE BIG | WIN BIG Invite new members to join the HBRA

All HBRA members are invited to participate in the 2021 Member Recruitment challenge during the months of October and November! The top winner gets an ipad mini, 2nd gets a $100 gift card, and 3rd gets a $50 gift card. Winners will be celebrated at the HBRA Holiday Party in December.

Members Doing Business With Members Members will use the form provided here to check off who they do business with. The top 3 will win a $100 gift card after verification. Contact information for any of these members can always be found on our member directory.

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N AH B N EWS

NAHB’s Online Courses in October Will Help New Training Center You Grow, Profit and Succeed Prepares Students For Acquire the skills and knowledge to grow your business in October Skilled Trades with live online courses from NAHB Education. Next month will feature business and project management topics tailored to independent home building operations.

The Home Builders Institute (HBI) opened a new Orlando-based facility for training individuals These interactive live online courses run for six hours, 1-4 p.m. ET for jobs in construction. The each day, and are taught by top instructors who are experts in their BuildStrong Academy of Orlando fields. will train and place area students Business Accounting and Job Costing: A Road Map to Profitability who want to pursue careers in the skilled trades for the Oct. 5 and 12; 1-4 p.m. ET building industry. Funded by The Review the basics of financial planning, budgeting, construction Home Depot Foundation, along business accounting, job cost systems, and financing options that with other private, public, and will enable you to effectively track, analyze, and communicate costs nonprofit sector partners, the of goods, overhead, and individual job costs. The financial scorecard, program will be free to trainees. or measurement of a company’s success, reflects proper financial Read More management and accounting. Read More

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Have a sales question? Email Ed at ed.schultek@sandler.com.

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