Within the construction industry there are some laws which always must be followed, and there are a number of reasons as to why this is. Many people who are looking to design their own homes are met with regulations which won’t permit them to do certain things with the design, and that of course can be incredibly frustrating when you are trying to design your dream property. To help us understand why so many of these laws are necessary, we consulted industry insider Dino Tomassetti, a man who has worked in construction throughout his career and who understands building code better than anyone.
Safety Of Those Involved
Much like the rest of the laws which we have in the country, the large majority of building laws are there for the protection of those who are building and those who will be living in the property. A perfect example of this would be asbestos, a material which was once widespread throughout the world of construction. After some years however it became apparent that asbestos was in fact harmful, and so it all had to be stripped out and then the law was changed to ensure that this material couldn’t be used. The same thing can be said about wearing a hard hat on the building site, these laws are there for everyone’s safety.
Protecting The Environment
More recently we have seen a number of regulations brought in which are designed to help the environment. These laws relate to the type of materials which can be used, the waste which is created and even the machinery which is used during the build. We can definitely expect to see a great many more laws being passed which seek to make the design and the construction process a lot greener than it currently is.
Looking After The Landscape
You will find that a lot of building code differs from city to city and state to state, very often this is because each locality will ave different views on the preservation of the landscape. For example if you buy some land in a protected area and you want to build, you are going to have to do so in a way which compliments the natural landscape. If you try to put a townhouse on some green belt then the planning committee are not going to allow you to do it. The same happens in cities and towns all over the world, many places want to protect their culture or the general landscape, in order for it to be preserved.
Ultimately these laws are in place to protect people from injury, to ensure that our environment is looked after and to maintain a certain style of beauty which exists. They can be challenging to get around, or frustrating to discover, but ultimately were it not for the regulation, it would be a free for all. Always be sure that you check out local laws before you decide to build somewhere.
