Building Code Upgrades

History

The State of Florida first mandated statewide building codes during the 1970’s at the beginning of the modern construction boom. The first law required all municipalities and counties to adopt and enforce one of the four state-recognized model codes known as the “state minimum building codes.” During the early 1990s a series of natural disasters (including Hurricane Andrew), together with the increasing complexity of building construction regulation in vastly changed markets, led to a comprehensive review of the state building code system.

The study revealed that building code adoption and enforcement was inconsistent throughout the state and those local codes thought to be the strongest proved inadequate when tested by major hurricane events. The consequences of the building codes system failure were devastation to lives and economies and a statewide property insurance crisis. The response was a reform of the state building construction regulatory system that placed emphasis on uniformity and accountability.

Savings on Property Insurance

The insurance discounts provide some financial incentives for homeowners to strengthen their existing homes and for new construction to be built to the strongest options in the Florida Building Code. These new insurance rate discounts in Florida began to take place in 2003. They apply to both existing construction (houses built prior to 2002) and new construction built to the new statewide Florida Building Code (FBC). To qualify for these discounts, most insurance companies require a certification of the key construction features.

What type of work is involved?

The changes in Florida building code has drastically changed the way we build in both the residential and commercial markets. The most common upgrades to existing structures built before the code changes are described below.

Upgraded Roofing Systems – New codes dictate higher resistance to wind loads. New roofing systems, underlayment and fastening requirements.
Installment of Impact Resistant Windows - Why use Impact Resistant Windows? Either of the two cases described above will result in substantial economic loss.

In the past 20 years or so, impact resistant windows, along with tests to measure their level of impact resistance have been developed. Their purpose is to protect against wind borne debris. While shutters may provide some added protection, they are not tested for water penetration in the way that impact resistant windows are. And why is it important that impact resistant windows be used in a retrofitting project? Two reasons are evident.

When a window fails from the impact of a projectile, it allows the buildup of high internal pressures on the structure. Subsequently, the structure is likely to fail in some fashion.
When wind driven rain is propelled against windows which are not designed for this environmental extreme, water intrusion into the structure is likely to occur. Additionally, if a projectile fractures a non-impact resistant window, water intrusion is guaranteed to occur.

Upgraded Building Envelope Systems Improve impact resistance and moisture intrusion control, energy management and in some cases fireproofing.

Research on your own… Florida Building Codes 2004

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