Do uniform buildling codes save money, homes and lives?

An effort underway that will create uniform building cotes across all 50 states will help consumers, insurers and the building states benefit. The initiative is led by The Insurance Building Coalition (IBCC). Safety is the ultimate goal for IBCC chairman Keith Lessner.

Lessner claims, “Our concern is to see that buildings be built to withstand losses better.”  Lessner is also the vice president for the Alliance of American Insurers. Lessner then adds that uniform building codes could save lives, homes in the event if a disaster and might save people money in the long run, as well.

The membership of IBCC includes building and building code industry groups, insurance companies and insurance by itself. Every state is highly urged to adopt a uniform building code. Illinois, for example isn’t a uniform building code state at all.

Terrence Lepellere, vice president of member services for Building Officials and Code Administrators International a member of IBCC claims, “You build to a certain standard then go across the street and the rules change. That’s why builders and home contractors are typically in favor of standard codes.”

Lessner claims, “There are clearly ways to design buildings to make them more resistant, not only to natural disasters, but also to other types of problems, a well.”

The IBCC is trying to find out what kinds of losses could be remedied by lobbying states to enact uniform codes to address those losses and by working to shape model codes.

However, making homes more resistant to the elements often means making them more expensive to buy and to build. Putting a uniform building code into affect will require additional costs in the short term, according to Lessner.

Lessner claims, “One of the most contentious questions we face is how much money you should put into a building [so it will] withstand losses. There is some right amount of money that consumers should be willing to pay to make their homes safer.”

“The benefit to the consumers is that they are going to avoid all the costs associated with the loss of a home, and insurance is only one cost,” says Lessner.

“People are always throwing stones at codes, but a statewide code eliminates changes at the local level that increase costs,” says Leppellere.

Lessner then claims, “We added our weight to the debate in New York. In Florida, the insurance industry ended up being a major force in urging Florida to adopt a building code that included windstorm protection.”