ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Channel 9 has learned a plan to keep water from seeping through the walls of new homes is finally in the works, but local building officials will have to work quickly to get it done. The state building code, which specifies how all houses are built, can only be changed by the Florida Building Commission, which meets in Orlando in a few weeks.

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If the proposed changes aren't finished in time, they'll have to wait another year.

Steve Lewis is one of thousands of homeowners left with water damage after the hurricanes.

"It's a huge, just very stressful, situation," Lewis says.

He wonders if it was his paint, his stucco-like finish or some other problem that caused his walls to leak.

Orange County's building director, Bob Olin, says it's a combination of things and the state's building code needs some tightening.

"The more specific we can be, I think it's better for everyone," says Olin.

Olin has met with fellow building officials to talk about those specifics. The big one is defining exactly what "weather protection" means. The existing code only says houses should have it. His proposal will include a specific wind speed and duration of rainfall new houses should be able to withstand.

"That may not be the definitive code change, but that will give us much better information and protection than we currently have," says Olin.

Olin will also eliminate the exception that excludes exterior walls, which don't have stucco or some other covering, from needing protection. Under state law, he can't specify what types of materials to use to do it and he has to make sure products exist to achieve the waterproofing goal.

"I feel the best option is a statewide code change, because it's a statewide problem," Olin says.

Olin will try to balance builders' claims that the hurricanes were a freak event. If the code is too strict, it could cause new home prices to skyrocket. But he knows for homeowners like Steve Lewis, any water leaking through is too much.

Olin says, when the draft is finished, he'll take it to building officials and homebuilders to get everyone on board. Then he'll present it in December for the Florida Building Commission to vote on.

If the state code changes aren't done in time or don't go through, the backup plan is to create one local ordinance cities and counties can pass that would still keep the codes uniform across the state.

Central Florida will host a hurricane symposium at the end of this month to discuss building-related issues. The Florida Building Commission meets in Orlando on December 6th.