I am sent to the “dog house” quite often. Surely your significant other sends you there, too; no relationship would be complete without a good ol’ fashion exile.
But what if you ended up liking the dog house? More likely, what if you had no choice but to live in the dog house? Could you actually live in the four-by-four foot house with three-foot ceilings?
Not if you want to abide by the Chapel Hill Code of Ordinances. In fact, if it came down to it, you could face fines up to $500 or jail time.
Building and housing codes have been around for thousands of years, though they’ve gotten more specific and refined over time with advancements in public health and engineering.
The justification, a noble one, is public welfare; we as a society don’t want citizens to live in housing that is unsanitary, unsafe or otherwise unlivable.
The choice, however, should not be between either a home that conforms to the code or no home at all. When housing prices go up, many people end up in the streets, not in better homes.
My concern is that some of these ordinances are unnecessary, burdensome and costly. The more requirements placed on builders and homeowners, the more costly it will be to buy a home, and fewer people will have one.
Builders should include indoor plumbing, central heat and ceilings above 7.5 feet because that’s what homeowners want — not because it’s required.
If someone really wanted to build a house with 5-foot ceilings or live in a “little cottage,” though impractical, it shouldn’t be banned.
