Book Description

For those Canadian firms that are contemplating the export of housing or housing components, the Unites States is a compelling market. It is close, it is familiar, it is big and it is rich. It is also different. The United States has a wider range of climate zones and endures more extreme weather than does Canada - from the cold of the north, to the humidity and hurricanes of the south, to the heat and deserts of the southwest. In addition to the environmental challenges, there are code and regulatory issues for Canadians. There are five, major, building code models in active use across the U.S. at this time. In addition, there are a number of codes developed by individual states or by major cities. Also, each state and municipality may apply additional regulations and approval requirements to the adopted model code. So an exporter who wishes to market to more than a single state may have to meet the requirements of more than one code and each state's individual regulations and approvals may differ in detail even if they use the same code. Further, each building code of itself is a large and complex document and a considerable effort is required to investigate and determine how the design and assembly of a house or a housing component may be required to adapt for compliance. For many Canadian housing manufacturers this neighbour to the south remains an uncertain and an unrealized market. The purpose of this study is to help Canadian manufacturers of housing products gain an understanding of U.S. building codes and regulations for housing. The main focus is the International Residential Code (IRC), which is emerging as the prevailing standard for residential construction in the U.S. This study is also intended to provide a summary of the standards and approvals that may be required for code compliance of individual housing products in the United States. This Guide is divided into six sections: Section 2 provides an overview of the different U.S. building codes and develops a rationale for focusing this work on the International Residential Code. Section 2 also provides a brief overview of some of the statistical characteristics of the U.S. housing market. Section 3 summarizes the key differences between the International Residential Code and the National Building Code of Canada. Section 3 also provides a brief summary of some of the differences between the IRC and the Uniform Building Code. Section 4 provides a review of U.S. Energy Codes (Model Energy Code and International Energy Conservation Code) and the ENERGY STAR Program. It also provides a summary of several state code requirements of efficiency and ventilation. Section 5 provides a review of the Requirements for Manufactured Housing Section 6 provides a summary of the standards and approvals that are required for selected housing products in the U.S. Section 7 provides a brief set of conclusions and lists the next steps a new exporter might take.