Upcoming state mandated wildfire resiliency code changes have some officials concerned about the possibility that new building requirements will cause building costs to soar.
Durango Community Development Director Jayme Lopko told City Council earlier this month the mandatory code changes are expected to raise building costs by 20%. La Plata County Commissioners heard similar estimates of 15% to 20% increases to building costs this spring.
Durango Fire Protection District Fire Chief Randy Black said the estimates have caused unnecessary stress for residents and he expect costs to rise nearly as much as predicted.
The code changes will require hardier, noncombustible materials for new developments and additions of 500 square feet or larger, although the city of Durango will maintain an existing code requirement pertaining to builds 400 square feet or larger.
“This doesn't affect your foundation, it doesn't affect your framing, it doesn't affect your plumbing, it doesn't affect your electrical,” Black said. “It doesn't affect your interior finishes, your drywall, your carpet, your appliances, your cabinets.”
Simply changing the material when one is already buying decking or siding isn’t going to raise the cost of his or her build by 20%, he said. He estimated total build cost could rise by 5% or less once the new codes have been adopted.
Homes recently built in Edgemont Ranch, Three Springs and Twin Buttes are likely already 99% compliant with the new codes, he said.
He said the wildfire resiliency code changes are a good and necessary product of a huge amount of collaboration between builders, contractors, engineers, insurance companies, fire department personnel and politicians.
The new codes will only apply to new developments. The greater risk to communities in regard to wildfires is older, existing structures that aren’t subject to the new codes, he said.
Interim La Plata County Manager Shawna Legarza said more wildfire resilient houses protect the whole community. She referenced a Headwaters Economics video describing how embers cause 90% of home destruction during wildfires.
Wildfire Battalion Chief Scott Nielsen said the biggest generator of embers in a subdivision is a house itself.
“Once you get several homes on fire, the amount of embers produced by petrochemical-laden lumber and building materials – it's insane how much fuel and embers are in a modern construction home,” he said. “If you can keep that home from generating kitchen on fire and generating the embers, that saves the block.”
The 2017 Lightner Creek Fire, Black said, began with a structure fire. If that were in a subdivision, it could have led to the fire growing exponentially from home to home.
“We want to do the right thing for the community now so it saves us 20 years from now,” Legarza said. “So it saves your grandkids, or your great grandkids – that people have defendable homes, and it's also easier for firefighters.”
In the long-term, more resilient and defendable homes are what will save insurance rates, Black added. He said insurance companies are relying on data to determine their rates.
“When the losses are decreasing, the neighborhoods are safer, and we've got the codes and the things that they can point to, that's what's going to make a difference in insurance,” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
