The question is; does Houston even have a building code? I know that they did not have zoning in the past. Has that situation changed?
I would think every state, county and city would have building codes. I'll have to ask Hubby when he gets home. Doesn't each state have a Licensure Board?
Yes, Texas has a building code. Not sure which but I would guess for plumbing it is the international plumbing code. But Texas may also allow private engineers or architects to perform inspections and submit an affidavit of code compliance. They are thankfully few but there are engineers/architects who turn a blilnd eye to violations as long as the money is green. So the house may not have been inspected. Or the municipality could have hired a blind inspector under compliance with ADA. Who knows these days?
Yes, we have a building code. Having lived in CA, NY, MA, and WA in addition to Houston, I think the housing here is on average better built and far more affordable than in those states. It may well be that the journalist decided that the woman’s story, rather than the builder’s, had more audience appeal. Or, perhaps, she really did play no contributing role in the problem. Hard to say. In any event, the main construction issue in the Houston area is making sure that the foundation is done right because we have unstable soils.