07-14-2010, 01:08 AM
A partial explanation for the high price could be the recently implemented national lead certification for contractors. From my understanding a contractor (any kind) the deals with buildings that have (or are believed to have) lead paint now have to be certified for the handling of such. Apparently this makes contractors in general more expensive, plus brings added costs to the work site. I read a rant somewhere recently about this concerning window replacement and it said that under the new laws when a window was replaced both the inside and outside area around the window had to be tented among other lead handling measures adding approximately $150 to the cost of replacing each window. Apparently violation of the certification process or proper job site procedures results in obscene fines.