New building-safety codes that require a fire sprinkler system
in all new homes in California starting next year could save
lives
– but also flood local builders with extra costs and a longer
road to recovery from the recession.
New building-safety codes that require a fire sprinkler system in all new homes in California starting next year could save lives – but also flood local builders with extra costs and a longer road to recovery from the recession.
Starting Jan. 1, all new one- and two-family homes and townhomes must have fire sprinklers installed in every room. Commercial property and multifamily units are already required to have sprinklers.
The California Building Standards Commission adopted the law in January to reduce fires and enhance fire safety. For many, the costs are a big concern.
“It’s a tough thing to swallow for new building codes to come out in a bad economy when sales are at their lowest,” said Ash Knowlton, vice president of construction for McCaffrey Homes.
Residential fire sprinklers are temperature controlled and only go off where there is a fire. They can cost about $2 to $4 per square foot, which could add between $2,000 and $5,000 to the cost of building each home, builders say.
Those costs will typically be passed on to buyers, Knowlton said.
“It’s never fun to have to pass on costs or to have your costs increase to build a house, especially in a down economy,” Knowlton said.
Clovis builder De Young Properties is reviewing the new costs. Affordability is still an issue in this market, said Ryan De Young, vice president of finance.
But the company isn’t against fire sprinklers, which will improve home safety and add value to a new home, De Young said.
But fire officials believe saving a life outweighs the extra costs.
“We have the technology to save lives, and now we have the law in the books in order to implement that technology,” said Fresno Fire Chief Joel Aranaz.
There are about 4,000 fire deaths a year nationwide and 83% of those occur in the home, Aranaz said. When smoke detectors became mandatory in the 1980s, the number of fire deaths was cut almost in half, he said.
