Had a builder tell me to skip fire stops to speed up a house job

I turned it down even though it meant losing the job.

3 comments

3 Comments

Last year in Springfield, my buddy Mike was renovating a duplex and found the last guys skipped all the fire stops. A small kitchen fire ended up jumping floors in under two minutes, total nightmare. He said it was exactly like what @cole_lee described, those codes save lives, period. Mike spent months dealing with insurance and repairs, all because someone wanted to save a few hours. Now he tells that story to every new crew member.

cole_lee7d ago

I used to believe skipping fire stops was fine to save time on a job. Seeing a house fire tear through walls changed that view real quick. Those building codes exist to keep people safe, not as suggestions. You made the right call even if it cost you the work. Safety shortcuts aren't worth the risk.

calebwells7d ago

Back in 2018 I was pouring a slab for a garage addition and the framer was racing ahead, leaving gaps everywhere like it was a race track. I made a dumb joke about it just being air ducts for the spiders. @cole_lee is dead right, those codes aren't suggestions. Saw a video last year where a kitchen fire jumped a whole floor in under three minutes because of one missed fire block. You can't unsee that. I used to think speed was everything, but now I'd rather lose the bid than lose sleep.