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Are US fire/building codes tend to require some costly processes and/or materials that can be argued to be sort of a diminishing return, or are they're more of

Are US fire/building codes tend to require some costly processes and/or materials that can be argued to be sort of a diminishing return, or are they're more of a sanity thing, like using GFCI outlets in wet rooms or using fire-retardant materials? Some time ago, outside of the US, I rewired my grandpa's old shack once, which was gradually built from whatever he had at hand back then (totally not to any code, like literal twists of copper and aluminium wires, idk how that shit held up for over 60 years), and the local code was mostly a bunch of "do things the right way please, don't do stupid shit"-grade standards that totally made sense to me. Plus some local opinionated defaults (so anyone looking at something wouldn't be caught by surprise). Although, I haven't went through any formal inspections (only unofficial LGTM nod from a friendly certified electrician), just replaced obvious "to scared to live here" hazards with less obvious ones. But I have no idea about the US codes and how complicated those are.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> are they're more of a sanity thing, like using GFCI outlets in wet rooms or using fire-retardant materials? Column A, Column B. They often require reasonable things. But the actual approval process is sort of a crap shoot.
- drdaeman 2y ago
  So it's not the codes that are the actual issue, but the bureaucracy?
  - bombcar 2y ago
    The codes can be a bit of a problem but it's usually minor (like requiring sprinklers where they didn't before, adds $10k, etc - though enough of these and it adds up). In most places its the bureaucracy - sometimes two cities with identical rules on the books will be completely different, because one is using permits and permit re-application fees as a major budget item, the other has one inspector who is always gone fishing.
bluGill 2y ago
Generally US code is good. Sometimes perhaps a bit too strict (read expensive to follow), but the rules are clear and built for engineering/safety reasons. However US zoning is often a mess. Often you are not allowed to build something you might want to because the neighbors say no.
ssl-3 2y ago
The US broadly does not have residential building codes; that's a job that is generally left to the States. And some States have not elected to enact building codes, leaving that responsibility for bodies like cities and counties. And some cities and counties within those states have also not enacted building codes, or they might even do their own thing. So, it's largely impossible to generalize a thing like that in the US, where we've got 50 different states, ~3,000 counties within those states, and nearly innumerable cities within those counties. A person in Chicago, Illinois (home of the Great Chicago Fire) will have a very different set of rules in their area than a person in Meigs County, Ohio (which is approximately "what rules?") would.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> are they're more of a sanity thing, like using GFCI outlets in wet rooms or using fire-retardant materials? Column A, Column B. They often require reasonable things. But the actual approval process is sort of a crap shoot.

drdaeman 2y ago
So it's not the codes that are the actual issue, but the bureaucracy?
- bombcar 2y ago
  The codes can be a bit of a problem but it's usually minor (like requiring sprinklers where they didn't before, adds $10k, etc - though enough of these and it adds up). In most places its the bureaucracy - sometimes two cities with identical rules on the books will be completely different, because one is using permits and permit re-application fees as a major budget item, the other has one inspector who is always gone fishing.

bluGill 2y ago

Generally US code is good. Sometimes perhaps a bit too strict (read expensive to follow), but the rules are clear and built for engineering/safety reasons. However US zoning is often a mess. Often you are not allowed to build something you might want to because the neighbors say no.

ssl-3 2y ago

The US broadly does not have residential building codes; that's a job that is generally left to the States. And some States have not elected to enact building codes, leaving that responsibility for bodies like cities and counties. And some cities and counties within those states have also not enacted building codes, or they might even do their own thing. So, it's largely impossible to generalize a thing like that in the US, where we've got 50 different states, ~3,000 counties within those states, and nearly innumerable cities within those counties. A person in Chicago, Illinois (home of the Great Chicago Fire) will have a very different set of rules in their area than a person in Meigs County, Ohio (which is approximately "what rules?") would.