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You are correct that the public does not want to pay for them, this does not mean the government should be allowed to adopt them as well The government should

by syshum 5y ago

You are correct that the public does not want to pay for them, this does not mean the government should be allowed to adopt them as well The government should not adopt anything as law that is not publically accessible, the law absolutely has to open access to all persons if you are expected to follow it. If the public does not want to fund the creation of building codes, then the building codes need to be done away with, or simplified to the point where the public will be willing to fund there The building codes, like most standards, are filled with all kinds of things that have nothing to do with safety which the the sole area the government should be concerned with. Government should have a safety code, then let the market compete for builders that want to voluntarily adopt the other standards

ghaff 5y ago
So there should be no minimum requirements for insulation for example since that's not really a safety issue or for pipe diameters etc.? There are a ton of things in building codes that are modern industry best practices that have nothing or very little to do with safety. While building codes sometimes get implemented overly slavishly with old retrofits, in general requiring contractors/builders to meet minimum industry best practices is a good thing given that otherwise it's even more caveat emptor than it already is. And, of course, any subsequent buyer has very little idea what standards the house was built to. (Which they may not anyway with older houses but at least codes are a start.)
- syshum 5y ago
  This is a difference in worldview as to what the proper role of government should be. For insulation, no I do not believe there should be a government enforced standard, and analog to the IT world, we have all kinds of "standards" almost none of them enforced by law. Companies advertise they are complaint with standard X, or Y because it advantageous for them to do so Builders of home could to the same, insurers of home could require it in order to insure a home, or provide discounts if a home is compliant with X standard, mortgage companies could require it, or factor it in to the appraisals. There are all kinds of market based, none government methods to apply standards Government action, which you must remember is back by the threat of violence, should be reserved for things that directly impact safety >>any subsequent buyer has very little idea what standards the house was built to. Here I do see a role for government, in disclosure laws, and enforcement of fraud if a seller claim a home was built to X standard and it was not

by syshum 5y ago

ghaff 5y ago

So there should be no minimum requirements for insulation for example since that's not really a safety issue or for pipe diameters etc.? There are a ton of things in building codes that are modern industry best practices that have nothing or very little to do with safety. While building codes sometimes get implemented overly slavishly with old retrofits, in general requiring contractors/builders to meet minimum industry best practices is a good thing given that otherwise it's even more caveat emptor than it already is. And, of course, any subsequent buyer has very little idea what standards the house was built to. (Which they may not anyway with older houses but at least codes are a start.)

syshum 5y ago
This is a difference in worldview as to what the proper role of government should be. For insulation, no I do not believe there should be a government enforced standard, and analog to the IT world, we have all kinds of "standards" almost none of them enforced by law. Companies advertise they are complaint with standard X, or Y because it advantageous for them to do so Builders of home could to the same, insurers of home could require it in order to insure a home, or provide discounts if a home is compliant with X standard, mortgage companies could require it, or factor it in to the appraisals. There are all kinds of market based, none government methods to apply standards Government action, which you must remember is back by the threat of violence, should be reserved for things that directly impact safety >>any subsequent buyer has very little idea what standards the house was built to. Here I do see a role for government, in disclosure laws, and enforcement of fraud if a seller claim a home was built to X standard and it was not