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  1. G

    Egress from "wine cellar" (R310)

    Mechanical room is a reasonable label. There is no need for "future" mechanical equipment to be installed now. (Seems to be code compliant.) Wine cellar seems to be a proper name for a room. It is not a habitable room. The does not appear to be a habitability requirement for basements. That...
  2. G

    Check these stairs out

    Does anyone want to run the numbers on the stairs and provide some proof that the stairs are unsafe? (I am going to ignore the untreated wood fastened to the concrete. That is a prescriptive issue.)
  3. G

    Making a door larger to accommodate a 6' slider

    Those fine engineers who work for the APA might take exception to your statement. Even those engineers who do the shear prescriptions for the building codes should take exception. If you think it is unsafe, do the engineering that shows it is unsafe. (The advantage of being an inspector and...
  4. G

    Making a door larger to accommodate a 6' slider

    Electrical inspectors should not give structural engineering advice. It is seldom taken well.
  5. G

    Change of plan - openings between townhouses

    As I said above: the halves are owned by different parties. Therefore you should not do what you intend. To do what you want would require that the same party own both halves.
  6. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    Perhaps like floors.
  7. G

    Change of plan - openings between townhouses

    I think the issue is that units are owned by different individuals, a man owns one and his mother owns the other. Different ownerships require the rated wall. If the man owned both units, then there is no reason to require that his single family dwelling have a rated wall.
  8. G

    double key dead bolt security doors

    I see we have a problem in what the code covers (again). It only covers the initial construction and then work that requires a permit. Home owners can install any type of lock they want. Except in densely populated areas fires are overrated as dangers. --- I never used to use locks on my...
  9. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    Looking at the comments by dhengr and steveray reminds me of the importance of employing an engineer who can base an answer on previous experience rather than one who has little experience. Employing the later will result in a much higher bill. (Not to imply that either poster is deficient in...
  10. G

    Can you use isolated footings (as opposed to continuous) without engineering?

    If this is a prescriptive computation, the load on each pier is incorrect. If this is an engineering computation, the load on each pier is incorrect. And the engineering "answer" is different than the prescriptive answer. Prescriptive load distribution: 25%, 50%, 25%. Engineered load...
  11. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    DRP --- No ridge is needed. The usual reason for a ridge board is to provide some stability during construction and a surface to hold the nails. The problem with giving an answer is that I don't do designs like that and I have no prepared engineering that would indicate what issues are...
  12. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    In applying the prescriptive codes one does not mention stress or strain. They are only used after a design is determined to not be prescriptive.
  13. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    dhengr mentioned diaphragms in another thread. Many people have mentioned the thrust of the rafters against the shed roof. One aspect of a diaphragm is that it can be used to control thrust. In this particular instance the shed roof diaphragm transfers much of the thrust to the dormer end...
  14. G

    Dormer Ridge Board or Beam

    I will agree that pictures of different areas would help. The plans would also help. There might be an argument made that the original roof used the floor joists as ties - allowing a ridge board. Might even be able to continue the argument to say that the new rafters allow for a ridge board...
  15. G

    Reveiw of the 2009 IRC--What is a room?

    I read it as though a window without a screen is "open."
  16. G

    Reveiw of the 2009 IRC--What is a room?

    I tend to believe that the boundaries of a room are shown on the plans. Some rooms have "missing" walls or "additional" doors. In any case the design professional is in the best position to determine the boundaries. In your light and ventilation example it seems reasonable that since the...
  17. G

    Lateral load connectors

    Why would your AHJ ask the jurisdiction to adopt a law that the AHJ did not understand? (Seems to be a common occurance.) Overall the ICC writes prescriptions that can be used to show code compliance. Those who do not want to use the prescriptions can do engineering. I think this deck...
  18. G

    Lateral load connectors

    I never said you did. What you did do was ask them a legal question. That is: What does your adaption of the ICC code as law mean? Perhaps you were asking them to practice law without the proper license. --- If I ask my neighbor, if a 2x6 will span a certain distance. He can answer without...
  19. G

    Lateral load connectors

    No. I am saying that comments by licensed engineers may be regarded as practicing engineering without a license in states where they are not licensed.
  20. G

    Lateral load connectors

    duplicate ...
  21. G

    Lateral load connectors

    NH09 --- I suspect you are asking the ICC to practice engineering. They seem reluctant to do so. That is proper. So if the ICC guy is an engineer licensed in one state, can he give advice in another state and claim he is not practicing engineering ?
  22. G

    R703.8 Window flashing no longer required

    It is difficult to argue that flashing is needed. I have seen houses where despite there being no flashing, there is no weather damage to the structure. I have seen houses where despite careful flashing there is weather damage to the structure.
  23. G

    Would you accept this sill plate anchor?

    I would compare the actual spacing of bolts with the required spacing. I would also look up the strength of the actual and desired detail in the NDS for wood construction. Then I would make a comment. But I am neither the engineer or the AHJ.
  24. G

    Lateral load connectors

    I found this comment by an author of some book about the code "When researching for my book Deck Construction Based on the 2009 International Residential Code, I often spoke with the International Code Council’s (ICC’s) technical staff regarding this new figure. They agreed that this detail is...
  25. G

    Failed Footer Inspection, Not allowed to pour then found this

    Seems reasonable and well stated.
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