Emergency response time from your local fire department in the event of a house fire is an important consideration when purchasing or owning a home. If your home is more than 500 feet away from a municipal fire hydrant or more than five miles away from an 24/7 manned fire station, it might take firefighters more time than is their norm to reach your residence, perform a rescue (if necessary) and extinguish the fire. For those same reasons, it can also impact your home insurance rates. The benefits of fire sprinkler systems in commercial settings have been long established, with fire code regulations within U.S. and internationally in place for commercial buildings for many decades. However, fire code regulations for single-family homes are a somewhat recent development. Residential fire sprinkler systems have been required for new single-family home construction in California since 2011. Some facts about fire sprinklers you may not know or have thought about:
While it easier and less costly to install a sprinkler system while the home is being constructed (estimated to about $2 per sprinkled square foot or around 1% to 2% of the total cost of a new home) existing homes can be retrofitted. It is more expensive to install a system into an existing home. Some of the factors impacting installation costs are:
While pricey, I recommend that homeowners consider installing a fire sprinkler system using a qualified professional. It could be worth it just to improve your peace-of-mind regarding the protection of your home, family, tenants or other occupants (pets), your personal property, and possible place of business. Talk to your home insurance company about premium discounts that might apply. Plus, talk to your real estate agent on how installing a fire sprinkler system could perhaps increase the future market value of your home. |
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4/18/2022
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