woah. WSJ says that as of 1/11/11, a new part of the 2009 IRC will require sprinkler systems in all new residential (1-2 fam. dwelling) construction. I wonder how "new construction" will be defined....and whether or not it will include major renovations.
I think when my county adopts 2009 IRC they'll make exceptions for suburban and rural locations. Since private wells can't supply enough water or GPM. Otherwise a onsite storage tank would be required. Which seems highly unlikley they adopt totally
seems completely unnecessary and adds to overall cost of building construction, frowned upon in this era. prob will be overturned in local amendments and next edition of code.
"But, given the industry is already struggling to turn a profit, companies say they can’t afford to add thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home."
What? Everyone knows that in non-boom years... building houses is not a glamorous profession. But-- boom or bust-- general contractors is one of the few professions a plebe can make six-figure salary.
Woe is me, I have to sell my Maserati!
Let's just do a comparison:
2,400 people die in house fires a year
35,000 people died of automobile accidents
Flimsy logic says that the majority of people who died in automobile accidents also drive cars. The same kind of people who are going to resist fire suppression systems because they already spend to much of their money on their cars.
I should also point out that fires occur most frequently in homes with gas ranges. In fact, the majority of house fires are started from people trying to deep fry food on open gas ranges.
Fully electrified homes really on suffer from fires due to poor wiring rather than operation of machinery.
1. I thought the point of sprinklers was to buy time for occupants to exit to the exterior of a building. In a single family dwelling, this is virtually as simple as opening a window in basically any room. If you had a 4 story house and couldn't survive a fall from an upper story that ones thing. But if the fire is so severe and dramatic that you can't get the window open in the room you are in, sprinkler's are not going to help.
2. Sprinklers cause HUGE amounts of damage when they go off in a residence. Is the expectation that every time someone burns a roast in the oven that you are going to have to buy all new - drywall, carpet, furnishings, electronics, etc...
3. There is a concept in fire codes called acceptable losses. Since the beginning of fire codes, loss of life has been balanced with widespread feasibility. A deadly house fire might kill 1 or 2 people at a time on average. While tragic, such a small scale loss of life on a case by case basis is not necessarily a justification for the negative consequences of sprinklers being imposed on tens of millions of domiciles.
If these were in my house, I would definitely shut the water supply off.
Is the expectation that every time someone burns a roast in the oven that you are going to have to buy all new - drywall, carpet, furnishings, electronics, etc...
Did you really just post that on an architecture website? You have no clue how these things work do you?
Pardon me...this has nothing to do with code changes, per se, but I got an interesting surprise when I remodeled my house a few years ago. The jurisdiction in which I live added a provision to the local code that required a complete residential fire sprinkler system in new homes and major remodels (which mine was). Although I was worried about the cost, I liked the idea of the extra safety for my family. I couldn't wait to tell my insurance agent for my homeowner's insurance about this great new safety feature for my house. Surely my insurance premiums would drop significantly! The agent, after a few seconds of silence said..."I hate to tell you this, but your premium is going to increase several hundred dollars per year." The agent then explained that the insurance companies had figured out that there was actually a statistically greater chance of significant water damage from an accidental release of the sprinkler system than there was for damage from a fire. Who would have guessed?
Dec 28, 10 10:51 am ·
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Req'd residential sprinklers / IRC 2009 changes
woah. WSJ says that as of 1/11/11, a new part of the 2009 IRC will require sprinkler systems in all new residential (1-2 fam. dwelling) construction. I wonder how "new construction" will be defined....and whether or not it will include major renovations.
any one know of other looming code changes?
I think when my county adopts 2009 IRC they'll make exceptions for suburban and rural locations. Since private wells can't supply enough water or GPM. Otherwise a onsite storage tank would be required. Which seems highly unlikley they adopt totally
seems completely unnecessary and adds to overall cost of building construction, frowned upon in this era. prob will be overturned in local amendments and next edition of code.
"But, given the industry is already struggling to turn a profit, companies say they can’t afford to add thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home."
What? Everyone knows that in non-boom years... building houses is not a glamorous profession. But-- boom or bust-- general contractors is one of the few professions a plebe can make six-figure salary.
Woe is me, I have to sell my Maserati!
Let's just do a comparison:
2,400 people die in house fires a year
35,000 people died of automobile accidents
Flimsy logic says that the majority of people who died in automobile accidents also drive cars. The same kind of people who are going to resist fire suppression systems because they already spend to much of their money on their cars.
I should also point out that fires occur most frequently in homes with gas ranges. In fact, the majority of house fires are started from people trying to deep fry food on open gas ranges.
Fully electrified homes really on suffer from fires due to poor wiring rather than operation of machinery.
Non-withstanding the whole cost discussion:
1. I thought the point of sprinklers was to buy time for occupants to exit to the exterior of a building. In a single family dwelling, this is virtually as simple as opening a window in basically any room. If you had a 4 story house and couldn't survive a fall from an upper story that ones thing. But if the fire is so severe and dramatic that you can't get the window open in the room you are in, sprinkler's are not going to help.
2. Sprinklers cause HUGE amounts of damage when they go off in a residence. Is the expectation that every time someone burns a roast in the oven that you are going to have to buy all new - drywall, carpet, furnishings, electronics, etc...
3. There is a concept in fire codes called acceptable losses. Since the beginning of fire codes, loss of life has been balanced with widespread feasibility. A deadly house fire might kill 1 or 2 people at a time on average. While tragic, such a small scale loss of life on a case by case basis is not necessarily a justification for the negative consequences of sprinklers being imposed on tens of millions of domiciles.
If these were in my house, I would definitely shut the water supply off.
Is the expectation that every time someone burns a roast in the oven that you are going to have to buy all new - drywall, carpet, furnishings, electronics, etc...
Did you really just post that on an architecture website? You have no clue how these things work do you?
Shit! Reggie wasn't minding the broiler again!
Pardon me...this has nothing to do with code changes, per se, but I got an interesting surprise when I remodeled my house a few years ago. The jurisdiction in which I live added a provision to the local code that required a complete residential fire sprinkler system in new homes and major remodels (which mine was). Although I was worried about the cost, I liked the idea of the extra safety for my family. I couldn't wait to tell my insurance agent for my homeowner's insurance about this great new safety feature for my house. Surely my insurance premiums would drop significantly! The agent, after a few seconds of silence said..."I hate to tell you this, but your premium is going to increase several hundred dollars per year." The agent then explained that the insurance companies had figured out that there was actually a statistically greater chance of significant water damage from an accidental release of the sprinkler system than there was for damage from a fire. Who would have guessed?
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