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  1. Paul Sweet

    Sprinkler requirements for VB restaurant use

    If I remember correctly restaurants & cafeterias used to be A-3, and A-2 was for night clubs where patrons were likely to be out late at night and drinking a lot more than a cocktail before dinner and a glass of wine with dinner. At some point all eating establishments became A-2, probably...
  2. Paul Sweet

    Job security

    What project costs less than $10,000 these days? $10,000 / 1500 SF = $6.67 per SF. I don't think residential costs have been that low since the depression
  3. Paul Sweet

    Indoor shooting range Ventilation?

    Frank retired several years ago. Many of the posters are no longer active and some have passed away.
  4. Paul Sweet

    Lav Access

    (Barely) acceptable, but not good, as long as the trash can doesn't protrude beyond the edge of the lav. I don't see a requirement for the clear floor space to be centered on the lav.
  5. Paul Sweet

    How to pass building inspection?

    We used to issue most changes on letter paper that would be taped to the back of the previous drawing. Recently almost all the changes I've seen were issued as new pdfs of the entire sheet (or multiple sheets), even if the change just took up a couple square inches of the drawing. I don't know...
  6. Paul Sweet

    Old codes

    If I remember correctly the CABO code originally allowed 9" between balusters or horizontal bars. It was reduced to 6" in the late 80s, and later on to 4". BOCA was the same. I'm not sure about the other model codes.
  7. Paul Sweet

    Why Building Officials and Plans Examiners Should Be Familiar With and Have Access to ASCE-7

    Most of ASCE 7 used to be part of the model codes so you didn't have to buy yet another reference book.
  8. Paul Sweet

    Do I need sprinklers in this case? (VCC 2018)

    Virginia just adopted the 2021 code a couple months ago, and buildings that were under design at that time may still use the 2018 code as long as they apply for a building permit within one year. When was the building constructed? If it wasn't originally a restaurant, when was it changed to a...
  9. Paul Sweet

    Humidity control in tight houses

    Radiant cooling might work well in the desert Southwest, but it could be a disaster in the humid Southeast without very tight control of the dewpoint.
  10. Paul Sweet

    2021 IRC Insulation requirements

    You have to add 1" foam exterior insulation and use much longer nails for your siding. If you use wood siding it has to have an air space behind it or it will warp badly. I found that out the hard way on a house I built in the late 70s.
  11. Paul Sweet

    converting shipping containers to housing.

    CMS Intellicad is fully compatible with AutoCAD and does everything AutoCAD does for a lot less - $279.95. https://www.intellicadms.com/ I use VisualCADD, which is based on the old Generic CADD and is very easy to use. It's pricier, but well worth the $529.95. https://tritools.com/index.php
  12. Paul Sweet

    Townhome Separation Walls

    How do you sheetrock the floor framing for the second unit when there is only an inch or so to work in?
  13. Paul Sweet

    Copy right of Architectural Details

    You're probably OK redrawing a "standard" detail that is widely used. You shouldn't use unique details that were developed by another A/E or a franchise for their use. You shouldn't paste pdfs in any case. Information remains on-line long after it becomes obsolete or the product is discontinued.
  14. Paul Sweet

    Permit required for a change in use in PA?

    Bureaucracy at its finest. Every building built and used before a building code was adopted and COs were first issued is uncertified and therefore can't be used by anyone else without bringing it up to current code. Many small businesses are started by people working on a shoestring and...
  15. Paul Sweet

    intermediate handrail for monumental stair

    Intermediate rails are only required if the required width, based on number of occupants, is more than 60" plus the handrail projections. This is based on the IBC 1014.9 requirement for all portions of the required width to be within 30" of a handrail plus the IBC 1014.8 allowance for handrails...
  16. Paul Sweet

    Calculating Occupancy Based on 'Tables and Chairs'

    The 15 SF per person includes everything - tables, chairs, and circulation.
  17. Paul Sweet

    Breakaway CMU Walls in VE Flood Zones

    The details in the OP showing a reinforced block wall connected to the footing at the bottom and the beam conflict with the note to not connect the stemwall to the grade beam. I mentioned a ship in my previous post because I remembered driving along the Mississippi coast several months after...
  18. Paul Sweet

    Does a Fence Require a Permit?

    It's a wall if you want to regulate it. It's a fence if you don't care if it's regulated.
  19. Paul Sweet

    Breakaway CMU Walls in VE Flood Zones

    It might break if a large ship was washed up against it in a hurricane.
  20. Paul Sweet

    gas pipe sleeve or not?

    Sleeving the pipe will weaken the pier.
  21. Paul Sweet

    Sprinkler and smoke detector in office in new toilets

    There are almost no exceptions for spaces to be sprinklered in a NFPA 13 system. Restrooms don't require fire alarm initiating devices, but do require audio/visual notification.
  22. Paul Sweet

    Code Compliant Water Heater?

    All those bends probably add about 50 ft. the equivalent length of the pipe. I thought the overflow drain had a restriction on the total degrees of bends, but maybe that's just good engineering practice.
  23. Paul Sweet

    Sedalia proposes 2021 codes

    I find the old calculation a lot quicker, easier, and more straightforward than having to go to 2 extra tables to get heights & areas.
  24. Paul Sweet

    NC Residential Stairway Headroom Exception Question

    You could request a code modification to keep the present winder dimensions based on the fact that the existing structural floor opening is too small for the current winder dimensions. Another thing to watch out for is keeping the riser heights the same. This will probably limit the thickness...
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