“The code is a minimum standard, so a house that simply meets code requirements is the worst house you can legally build.”
Here’s an interesting article… https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2017/04/26/dont-build-better-houses?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=editpost
According to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, there will be around a million-and-a-half housing units built in the United States this year (unit includes apartments, condos, and single-family houses). Most of these units will be built to the standard of the applicable building codes. That sounds like a good thing, but remember that the code is a minimum standard, so a house that simply meets code requirements is the worst house you can legally build. Scared yet?
Our building codes, especially those related to energy use, are subject to the vagaries of politics and special interests. They take years to propose and years to adopt, and even then enforcement is spotty. At the time of this writing, only nine states have adopted the latest model energy codes (the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code), a majority of states (31) haven’t even adopted the 2012 model energy codes, and 10 states either have no statewide code or their code predates the 2006 IECC.
Meanwhile, a lot of work has been done in the past 20 years to improve the way we build houses. Thanks to the EPA’s Energy Star program and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program, many of the country’s building scientists have developed better roof and wall assemblies, moisture-control strategies, and insulation approaches that greatly improve the efficiency of a house.
So don’t just settle for “it meets the code.” Make sure that your contractor is qualified, competent and willing to explain details to you. It’s your home, and you will pay for “it meets code”, or you won’t, for the rest of the time you live there. Quality isn’t cheep and cheep isn’t quality. Pay a little more and do it right, and feel confident in the general contractor that you choose.
