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  1. M

    Retail + cafe + art gallery space - Mercantile use? Load factor(s)?

    As YC pointed out, you can think of 'Zoning' as what the use of the LAND is and 'Building Code' is what the use of the STRUCTURE is. If you don't have an approval from Zoning before you submit to Building, the plan examiner will likely send it back to Zoning for approval first.
  2. M

    Do You Still Refer To Architectural Drawings as "Blueprints?"

    The photo shows a true "blueprint"; by the 1950's it had become a reverse (white background with blue lines) that are more correctly called "bluelines" which carried through into the late 1990's. You could also get different paper that would print brown ("brownlines") and black ("blacklines")...
  3. M

    The Use of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

    When I was the in-house architect for a custom builder back in the early 1990's, adding the fiber mesh was all the craze and started adding it to all of our custom home slabs. It does have a peach fuzz look after curing for a day, but between normal construction activities during framing most...
  4. M

    How to pass building inspection?

    I think they figured that out at least six ways! ;-)
  5. M

    Truncated domes: function and location.............

    Was the driveway approach RAISED to match the height of the sidewalk, or was the sidewalk LOWERED (via ramps) to match the height of the driveway?
  6. M

    Sole plate alternatives to treated

    And deprive ICC from a paying customer? Heaven forbid! ;-)
  7. M

    Expecting Dad Planning Addition to Family Duplex in California

    Frost protection in California is generally 12" only (though in the Sierra's it may deepen). Generally the engineer's recommendations are close to what I'd recommend; however, if you're going to go to the trouble of pouring an additional footing and framing new walls around (outside) of the...
  8. M

    12ft exterior wall

    You would need an OnShape account to view the model.
  9. M

    Large generator serving 12 story assisted living installed 10 from property line, 13 feet from my front porch

    Nice sleuthing, Jeff! I wonder if the developer had attempted to purchase the "bookend" properties and wouldn't pay what the owners wanted. Unfortunately the residential building is now like what happened in the animated "Up".
  10. M

    Ungraded lumber

    Hey, now .. those colors were very popular .. in the 1970's! ;)
  11. M

    NTSB Report Bridge Collapse

    ONLY if the inspectors see their job as truly important to maintaining the safety of others. If they see their jobs as only a way to pay the rent/mortgage, there will be continued failures due to observable deterioration being ignored.
  12. M

    Accessible single office clearances in an open office space

    I had a similar experience to YC, except it was an assignment in our codes class from the textbook to create a plumbing isometric sized with the fixture units. Having been working for architects for the previous three years I had done many plumbing isometrics by that time; however, the textbook...
  13. M

    An average day

    That's just knots ...
  14. M

    An average day

    Drifting, drifting ... ;-)
  15. M

    An average day

    That's just the house smiling .. teeth under the tile mustache! ;)
  16. M

    Boat Repair Building

    EVERYTHING in California is different from anywhere else in the US!
  17. M

    Do You Like Trains? Keeping on Track with Thread Drift

    Drifting, drifting ... ;-)
  18. M

    The Building Code Forum Recommended Tools for Inspectors

    Although I was singing the praises of this app, we all need to realize that although a Swiss army knife gives you a lot of tools to use, specific tools work better and more effectively!
  19. M

    The Building Code Forum Recommended Tools for Inspectors

    I have an app on my Android phone (and have had for quite a few years) called "Smart Tools"; it includes bubble levels (including the ability to show roof pitch, percentages, inches per foot, etc.), a sound meter, a compass and a Luxmeter that can do both Lux and Footcandles (to name only a...
  20. M

    Expect the unexpected

    That's pretty shady ...
  21. M

    Solar: An Inconvenient Truth.

    My sister and her husband just experienced this. They had solar installed on their roof two years ago by a "reputable" solar contractor. They found out this winter that their 25-year-old comp roof was shot and had to be replaced. They called the solar company to have them dismantle (and then...
  22. M

    Hey Forum Where Was I?

    I live in San Juan Bautista, and the first photo is correctly identified as just south of Watsonville on Highway 1 - but mtlogcabin's clip is wrong. In (and around) San Juan there isn't any roads listed or named 'El Camino Real'. There IS a portion of the original El Camino Real that is at the...
  23. M

    FAR for the exterior staircase for a second floor ADU

    I agree with YC .. this is a zoning issue, and you'll need to review their description of what is to be included (or may be ignored) in the definitions. As an aside, one jurisdiction I worked in had a zoning provision that the building setbacks were actually to be measured to the roof overhang...
  24. M

    TBCF Hats, Shirts & Mugs Progress

    You could check out Queensboro.com as well. Not sure if they are better/same/worse than 4Imprint.com, but I have ordered just a few items at a time from them (as in 3~4) with my logo embroidered.
  25. M

    Read the directions

    "I'm not paying you to read, I'm paying you to install - and it better be done by the end of the day"
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