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Vancouver Bans Doorknobs...

Insurance will do you a ****load of good when you and your family burn to death in your sleep because your built your house out of combustible building materials and decided that you didn't need those Orwellian smoke detectors.
You also presume I am going to build a ****ty house. News flash but there's more than a few construction methods that are against code but vastly superior to code. Same with building materials.
 
I never said they didn't go overboard with this but definitely you should have building codes. Don't forget most people do not actually build their own house anymore and there must be some assurance that the house they buy was built in a safe manner.
IMHO I think you should never build to code, but should strive to build better than code. eg. Code calls for 5/8" plywood well go for 3/4" not a huge difference in price but a stronger building.

The problem with a lot of building codes is you cant necessarily do what you just described. I am currently in the process of retrofitting a fire suppression system in my home with different type suppression methods in different areas. Problem is that aint kosher with the code people. Flexibility is NOT their nature. Mind you I am FAR exceeding code with even having a fire suppression system.
 
The problem with a lot of building codes is you cant necessarily do what you just described. I am currently in the process of retrofitting a fire suppression system in my home with different type suppression methods in different areas. Problem is that aint kosher with the code people. Flexibility is NOT their nature. Mind you I am FAR exceeding code with even having a fire suppression system.

Again I agree they can go overboard but that doesn't change the fact that building codes are a good idea to have.
 
Building codes haven't been around for thousands of years, at least in any wide spread fashion. So the insurance companies don't have the same requirements. So what? They have to cover for the loss. Building codes aren't for safety and the general welfare they are for insurance purposes ie reduce their expenses and risk. That don't have to inspect the dwelling and take on the risk the inspector may have missed something. A lot of public building inspectors are bought off anyhow. You will find most building codes were pushed by the insurance industry long before safety groups got involved.
575 people were killed in the Iroquois theater fire because of structural deficiencies and lack of proper escape exits. Things that are mandated now. A lack of across the board common sense mandatory safety standard is idiocy.
 
You also presume I am going to build a ****ty house. News flash but there's more than a few construction methods that are against code but vastly superior to code. Same with building materials.

I am in the process of designing my new house, please share this construction materials, methods and fire suppression systems that are not code but superior....

thanks
 
575 people were killed in the Iroquois theater fire because of structural deficiencies and lack of proper escape exits. Things that are mandated now.

I could really care less. My home. My land. I build it the way I want.
 
Insurance will do you a ****load of good when you and your family burn to death in your sleep because your built your house out of combustible building materials and decided that you didn't need those Orwellian smoke detectors.

It is generally not the house, but the added furnishings that fuel the fire and release toxic agents while burning.
 
Getting awfully melodramatic over doorknobs, aren't we?

first they came for my doorknobs, but I did not speak out ...
 
I am in the process of designing my new house, please share this construction materials, methods and fire suppression systems that are not code but superior....

thanks

Fire suppression for the server room as currently designed use an IG55 type system, code guys are having problems because for the suppression to work properly the room has to be flooded and sealed. There's only one exit. IG55 is an argon or nitrogen flood type system that essential evacuates the existing air out of the room and replaces it with inert gas. We were also looking at using ACP (Aluminum Composite) panels as a fire resistant upgrade to the wall and ceiling paneling as they are very light weight and have good thermal properties, which for code purposes is in a very grey area. Another words they don't fricken know. My electrical system is an electricians nightmare. I have had trouble with the code people over it. I have solar panels, solar thermal, wind generation, and battery banks and very sophisticated inverter system. Lots of wires and accessories everywhere. Oh did I mention the cisterns, lordy you would not believe the bs you have to go though to have one of those.
 
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ugh, does that also apply to steaks?

No. The contaminants in meat get there during the butchering process and are on the surface of a steak. Cooking takes care of that.

But with chopped meat, the surface has been ground up and mixed in thoughout the chopped meat, so the entire batch of meat must be cooked to ensure that the harmful bacteria have been killed.
 
This is just silliness but then where I live they have banned fireplaces a few years after an ice storm where everyone lost power and families without fireplaces moved into family friends places that had them so they could stay warm.

Gotta love politicians wasting time on nonsense and refusing to deal with the stuff they were elected to do.

Where is this?
 
Insurance will do you a ****load of good when you and your family burn to death in your sleep because your built your house out of combustible building materials and decided that you didn't need those Orwellian smoke detectors.

Esp. in a place like CA where they have extreme fire danger and many homes close together. They have alot of regulations on caring for their property to minimize fire danger too.
 
No. The contaminants in meat get there during the butchering process and are on the surface of a steak. Cooking takes care of that.

But with chopped meat, the surface has been ground up and mixed in thoughout the chopped meat, so the entire batch of meat must be cooked to ensure that the harmful bacteria have been killed.


meh, I'll take the risk
 
But the question is, should everyone be required to install lever knobs because it's so much nicer for you? I personally think it's a bit of a stretch to justify. It sounds like something our own government would do.

Helen Keller's parents tormented her as a young child by placing door knobs on the walls.
 
Fire suppression for the server room as currently designed use an IG55 type system, code guys are having problems because for the suppression to work properly the room has to be flooded and sealed. There's only one exit. IG55 is an argon or nitrogen flood type system that essential evacuates the existing air out of the room and replaces it with inert gas. We were also looking at using ACP (Aluminum Composite) panels as a fire resistant upgrade to the wall and ceiling paneling as they are very light weight and have good thermal properties, which for code purposes is in a very grey area. Another words they don't fricken know. My electrical system is an electricians nightmare. I have had trouble with the code people over it. I have solar panels, solar thermal, wind generation, and battery banks and very sophisticated inverter system. Lots of wires and accessories everywhere. Oh did I mention the cisterns, lordy you would not believe the bs you have to go though to have one of those.

ummm is this a house or place of business? How urban is the area? Is this a single occupancy dwelling?
 
I am in the process of designing my new house, please share this construction materials, methods and fire suppression systems that are not code but superior....

thanks
Sure. Build it all out of masonry, poured concrete etc. There's nothing combustible. Superior to code.
 
Sure. Build it all out of masonry, poured concrete etc. There's nothing combustible. Superior to code.

Funny you should mention that, our house will be built out of tilt-up concrete panels- however one 'bad' thing about concrete is an extremely poor insulation value. As far as habitability goes it isn't superior to code, 100 n what during the summer and in the teens during the winter with a wind that can pluck a chicken!

To get a mass thick enough to have thermal isolation rather than insulation the costs skyrocket. Not superior.
 
Funny you should mention that, our house will be built out of tilt-up concrete panels- however one 'bad' thing about concrete is an extremely poor insulation value. As far as habitability goes it isn't superior to code, 100 n what during the summer and in the teens during the winter with a wind that can pluck a chicken!

To get a mass thick enough to have thermal isolation rather than insulation the costs skyrocket. Not superior.
Well, it largely depends on how you do it. I've built buildings with concrete that are completely fire proof (per NFPA), highly insulated, and very comfortable in both summer heat and winter cold. They also happen to be rather expensive, but they are undoubtedly far superior to code requirements.
 
Well, it largely depends on how you do it. I've built buildings with concrete that are completely fire proof (per NFPA), highly insulated, and very comfortable in both summer heat and winter cold. They also happen to be rather expensive, but they are undoubtedly far superior to code requirements.

So your concrete/masonry homes are actually composite homes, using rigid insulation in between the layers of concrete/masonry, the insulated forms, and super light wieght concrete either air entrained or filled with some sort of fibers. yes QUITE expensive, we looked into them. 3X the cost per square foot compared to a conventional 'stick' wall.

I can't argue many buildings can be superior to code, but then money does become an object (as opposed to money being no object) I believe we were talking in a slightly more affordable context, at the very least interior walls, treatments and of course furniture that can be deadly from smoke and fumes.
 
It is entirely possible to build something that exceeds code but still will not pass because of the letter of the law and the person inspecting it being more concerned with what is written on their checklist instead of your results. I once built a little road race car when I lived in Illinois. It was a 1985 Pontiac T1000 (essentially a Chevette) with a 5 speed. It had the original 1.6L 4 cylinder in it, but ran a custom Isky cam, higher compression, a recurved distributor, a reworked carb and no computer. The carb was from a '79 and with the improved airflow of the cam, header and ported head I had to reduce the size of the jets in it to make it run right. It ended up being a really fun car to drive. It had more power AND got better gas mileage than it did stock. At the time they did emissions testing with a probe in the exhaust pipe and read parts per million for CO and HC. This thing was so clean it fast passed (the test can take up to 7 minutes) and the tech went back to make sure the probe had not fallen out. It would have passed for a brand new car in California by the numbers. But when he looked under the car with a mirror there was no catalytic converter so it failed. I ended up cutting the exhaust and welding in an empty converter case and it passed.
 
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