Why Aren’t Gingerbread Houses Built to Code?

The team at IBACOS has, for some time, been greatly concerned by the distinct lack of building code regulations that are in place to control the standard to which gingerbread homes are built. This entire seasonal segment of the housing industry seems to have ‘slipped under’ the proverbial legislative wire and has been given free range to do whatever it wants from a design, engineering and construction perspective, provided the demands for decorative appeal and memorable taste are met.  

While traditional segments of the housing industry are confronted with the everyday challenges of meeting code and improving quality, driving  productivity, and making homes more affordable, these ginger-obsessed folks seem to have simply been given a free Christmas pass. This problem is then further compounded by the fact that the gingerbread housing industry is dominated by custom homebuilders. Mothers, Grandmas and children working late into the festive night, while never replicating the same home twice. Unless of course, they are part of the less-ambitious but growing entourage who take advantage of the gingerbread panelized housing manufacturing industry, which also seems to be highly unregulated, other than perhaps by the Food and Drug Administration.   

It would also seem that Santa Claus is not playing his part in this matter. As a world-renowned Chrustmas personality who is obviously a major social media influencer, and as someone, who it appears, eats more than his fair share of these homes - shouldn’t he be clearly demonstrating that he's playing in the 'nice guy' category by standing up and doing the right thing? Where is his voice, and where are the voices of his sit-on-the-shelf elves in the argument for gingerbread house fair-play?  

In Pittsburgh, at this time of year, there is a children’s gingerbread house building competition with all the winning homes put on display. This is a rare opportunity to actually witness the extent of this rampant code abuse on a vast community-wide scale. This is just one example from one American city... imagine the full extent of the code denial going on across the nation at this time of year! 

Now, of course, it's not our intent to dampen the nation’s Christmas spirit or ambitions, but something really needed to be said. The bottom line is that it’s time for these gingerbread homebuilders to get on board like the rest of us and start following the rules... by both baking and building to code! 

On a truer note, if by chance you are anywhere near Pittsburgh over the Holiday Season, that previously described gingerbread house community exhibit does actually happen - it's well worth a visit! Wishing all our homebuilding industry friends and families a happy and joyful Holiday Season and a great new year!