Why The U.S. Builds Houses Wrong

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Coupla small points-- NYC requires new high rises to be built to "fire-resistive" standards...

Back when I was in the business, it was said that the entire amount of fire insurance premiums charged in the city for high rises would not pay for one building. Because not one high rise burned down. Sure a few small fires here and there, but nothing major.

So, when the median price for a new home in downstate NY is over $400,000, who the hell is going to piss and moan about a few thousand more for a solid building?

And local codes? Many years ago I remember an apartment complex in North Jersey that caught fire. The complex straddled the border between two towns. Damned if I can remember the names of the towns, but an aerial photo of the complex showed one half totaled and the other almost untouched. Guess which town had the stricter building codes...