Wet blanket

    The Pennsylvania Builders Association’s plea to the Commonwealth Court to toss legislation requiring sprinkler systems has fallen on deaf ears. The court has ruled that one- and two-family homes built in the state as of Jan. 1, 2011, will require sprinkler systems.

     

    Aruging that the mandate would increase the cost of new homes by $15,000 and decrease th demand for building, the builders association is now encouraging those who want a new home to sign a contract by Dec. 31, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

    The Burn Foundation has countered the cost to repair damage is tens of thousands of dollars less in homes with fire-sprinkler systems.

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