Possible New York State Requirement Would Cost New Homeowners Thousands

There is a newly proposed mandate to all builders that could make homes safer, but could also end up costing tens of thousands of dollars.

The New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council is proposing that all new one and two family homes being built be mandated to have a fire suppression sprinkler system installed.

Many organizations including the New York State Association of Realtors and the New York State Building Association are encouraging people to tell lawmakers and the code council to oppose mandated residential fire sprinklers in New York.

Aren't sprinkler systems good to have in homes?

Most would  assume that having a sprinkler system installed in a home to protect it from fires would be a good thing.  They can actually put fires out quickly and stop it from causing more structural damage to a home.  Anyone who has dealt with the chaos that follows a home fire would agree that is incredibly important.  However, there is one huge downfall to them.

They aren't cheap.

Fire suppression sprinkler systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars

While a sprinkler system is important, they are also very expensive.  While talking to WKBW, Domenic Cortese, President of Cortese Construction Services says that his estimates put the price of a new sprinkler system between $30,000 and $40,0000.  That would be added to the cost of building a new home.

It's not that these organizations have a problem with sprinkler systems.  Most would agree that they are a huge upgrade.  The problem is with a mandate.  They believe it should be the choice of the home builder whether or not they get put in the home to avoid making homes less and less affordable to build.

Where it stands right now, builders are just required to provide an estimate of what it would cost to add the sprinkler system to a home.  If the mandate passes, they will be required to add it to the cost of the build.