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Stricter ADA laws could be coming for Austin homes

Everyone, lets keep civility or I'll lock the thread for a day to a week until everyone calms down.

Ok...????
 
RickAstoria said:
Everyone, lets keep civility or I'll lock the thread for a day to a week until everyone calms down.Ok...????
You might try sending Jeff a PM and see if you can get him to settle down.
 
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jar546 said:
Don't buy the respect and knowledge thing at all.Do you have any clue whatsoever how many times I here "I've been doing it like that for 25/30+ years" ??

Just because you've been doing it for a long time does not mean you know what you are doing. Some examples:

1) Contractor living his whole life in the same area with a 42" frost depth. One of my inspectors called me to the job site for an irate mason. The corner of his addition setup was at a depth of 8" from the grass to the top of the footer form. The deepest portion of his setup was 32" to the bottom of the form. I had to back up my inspector and tell him to either excavate to do shallow frost footer with foam board or rip it all out including rebar and dig deeper then repeat. What do you think he said to me? It was this exact statement: "I've been building like this for over 30 years and never failed an inspection".

2) Framer stops me at the scuba shop on a Sunday to bitch about how one of my guys failed him for building a 2 story wall in a house and creating a hinge point by not framing balloon style in that area along with failing him for terminating a valley rafter in thin air and running a 2x4 to the 2x8 ceiling joist below. Guess what he said to me? "I've been framing for over 25 years and know what I am doing. You guys and your BS codes" Yeah, another clueless wonder with lots of time on the job.

3) I have plenty of those stories but have to get ready for a flight early in the morning so I am packing.

The bottom line is that experience does not guarantee competency nor does it get my respect. That is a union mentality, not a true gauge of ability.
Look, I don't know what you have against guys in scuba shops, but the mods said tone it down.

And those guys haven't been doing it for 30 years, they did it 30 years ago.

Brent.
 
Consider that programs of this type did not originate in California (ours is just more litigation driven). Texas has had their TAS program and certififcation for over a decade. So has Minnesota & Massachutes.

CASp is not an ICC "merit badge" for "minimally" qualified test takers (not all of you, but many).

The nature of the ADA as a standards program (much of which is not prescriptive) leaves to individual states to write implimenting code which is also not prescriptive enough (IBC Ch 11? too) so who is to determine the adequacy of compliance, the "suits" (who ADA allows compensation (reward) for their actions?
 
CASp AND the AHJ/BO determines the adequacy of compliance. Ultimately the AHJ/BO. ....(courts)

In CA every AHJ/BO, must be a CAS or have one on retainer
 
ADAguy - CASp is not an ICC "merit badge" for "minimally" qualified test takers (not all of you, but many).

Interesting comment - so if its many than why bother with this website, apparently you feel superior than thou maybe you should take your foot out of your mouth and insert it other places. Get a grip on reality - we all have strenghts and weaknesses and IMO we are all fortunate to be here thanks to one individuals or several persons personal drive. Stick to the factual information my friend and it will become a more conducive conversation.
 
Keystone said:
ADAguy - CASp is not an ICC "merit badge" for "minimally" qualified test takers (not all of you, but many). Interesting comment - so if its many than why bother with this website, apparently you feel superior than thou maybe you should take your foot out of your mouth and insert it other places. Get a grip on reality - we all have strenghts and weaknesses and IMO we are all fortunate to be here thanks to one individuals or several persons personal drive. Stick to the factual information my friend and it will become a more conducive conversation.
Rancor alert! I'm guessing the veins in Jeff's neck are bulging out..that can't happen with fatboy.
 
Keystone, "some" on this site appear to believe from their comments, that those who are less able are not "entitled" to the same legal benefits of our society as those of us who are able.

That being "forced" to correct noncompliant conditions is equal to "stealing" dollars from the pockets of businesses. Most costs are nickle and dime weekend warrior items.

Then again there are those of us who "care about" the implementation of the provisions of access that are mandated by the Federal Government.

How long is too long to wait for compliance?
 
ADAguy said:
Keystone, "some" on this site appear to believe from their comments, that those who are less able are not "entitled" to the same legal benefits of our society as those of us who are able.That being "forced" to correct noncompliant conditions is equal to "stealing" dollars from the pockets of businesses. Most costs are nickle and dime weekend warrior items.

Then again there are those of us who "care about" the implementation of the provisions of access that are mandated by the Federal Government.

How long is too long to wait for compliance?
How long indeed. Some have waited better than a hundred years. Would that you cared as much for all civil liberties.
 
ADA is the only civil rights law that requires people to spend money for a perceived future customer, salesman or employee that may never grace the doors of a particular establishment .

And now it is being extended to private homes
 
mtlogcabin said:
ADA is the only civil rights law that requires people to spend money for a perceived future customer, salesman or employee that may never grace the doors of a particular establishment . And now it is being extended to private homes
As the numbers increase, as we all get older, the businesses will have disabled customers and employees, employees that will no longer be forced to public assistance.
 
mtlogcabin said:
ADA is the only civil rights law that requires people to spend money for a perceived future customer, salesman or employee that may never grace the doors of a particular establishment . And now it is being extended to private homes
To start with, the costs to meet ADA requirements, especially new construction are minimal if any is taken into account during the design process. Obviously for retrofitting there may be some costs incurred but even those in most cases are not significant.

As far as being extended into private homes, that is a completely different matter that is not really part of the ADA. It's a local ordinance in one city that feels is important for citizens with disabilities to be able to access homes of friends and family. It's something that many of us would certainly appreciate. Again, there probably isn't any additional cost if the considerations are taken into account when designing a new home.

There obviously are many other local and national ordinances and laws that are much more stupid and senseless yet they are enforced every day.
 
Msradell said:
To start with, the costs to meet ADA requirements, especially new construction are minimal if any is taken into account during the design process. Obviously for retrofitting there may be some costs incurred but even those in most cases are not significant.As far as being extended into private homes, that is a completely different matter that is not really part of the ADA. It's a local ordinance in one city that feels is important for citizens with disabilities to be able to access homes of friends and family. It's something that many of us would certainly appreciate. Again, there probably isn't any additional cost if the considerations are taken into account when designing a new home.

There obviously are many other local and national ordinances and laws that are much more stupid and senseless yet they are enforced every day.
Once again, it is not in the scope of the ADA. ADA has nothing to do with single family homes.

The reporter and others misused the term.

Nothing to do with ADA.

It does have to do with a"type C" ANSI 117.1 unit.

We code "experts" and users need to know what code and standards we are to enforce.

I can understand why the news paper gets it wrong but the code/standards users should have a grasp of what to use and when.
 
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mtlogcabin said:
http://concretechange.org/http://www.visitability.org/

2 very informative sites but their lower cost estimates are based on homes built on improved subdivision lots that are fairly level and that is not the real world across this nation. We have homes with split entry daylight basements. Some with lots so sloped the driveways are 4 to 6 percent.
And that is an issue. But when built anew less of an issue.

Sloping sidewalks, deeper basements. Ramps. Remember visitablity not habitability.
 
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