Why I Appreciate This Forum

[ICE]

ICE, when will you release your "Codes gone wild" picture book?

There's not much of an audience beyond this forum.

 

[Simonsays]

It is hard to believe that it was over 14 years ago that I was asked to throw together a forum to replace the soon-to-be-doomed and removed ICC Forum. The ICC decided they did not want to be in the forum business so they canned it. It has been one hell of a journey because back then, just as now, I was working full-time as a Building Code Official for several municipalities. TBCF has been a labor of love. Recently, I was reminded of why I appreciate it so much.

Part of trying to grow this forum and keep it modern and relevant pushed me to start a Building Code Forum YouTube channel. One of the things that I forgot was that YouTube is filled with people of all backgrounds, levels of experience, knowledge levels, etc. The comments on some of the videos clearly show that. That is not the case here at TBCF.

I have been adamant about good moderation for this forum. As a result, we have highly informational content. Yes, just like YouTube, TBCF does have people of all different backgrounds, levels of experience, and knowledge levels, but not to the degrees we see on YT. Here, we all share a common bond of building codes, whether as designers, inspectors, plans examiners, building officials, or contractors. Of course, we may disagree, sometimes, it gets a little heated, but we moderate each other and make sure that there is a minimum level of professionalism. For that, I am thankful.

I may have created, nurtured, and maintained this forum, but it was all of you that built it, and make it what it is today. For that I thank you. The posts on this forum are much more informative than what you see on Youtube because our audience here is a niche of professionals, whereas YT can be anyone who is in the mood to troll.

So to each and every one of you. Thank you for making TBCF what it is today. Go watch some of our Youtube videos, look at the comments, and you will see the difference.

Time after time I have found answers and assistance in addressing sticky situations. I can't express enough appreciation for what you have produced.

 

[Paul Sweet]

I'm a semi-retired "man with pencil who draws" (A/E) who has tried to keep up with codes. This forum helps me understand the intent behind many code requirements. Thanks to Jeff and other contributors.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

The Canada section has really started growing recently, which is nice.

But in the years preceding that where there were only one or two of us on here, I still found value even just in the comparison between our code requirements. It has really benefited me in general situational awareness on what happens across the border.

Would be nice if there were more of us, but hey .... it's a start. Now that I'm doing almost entirely non-residential work, I find that even if I haven't a clue about the ICC codes, etc., the *situations* are such that I can take a moment and go, "ok, so what would I do if this landed in my lap? What are the Canadian codes/standards/whatever?" So there's that ....

For small Building Departments (like mine), this has been especially helpful. We don't have the budget, nor the time, to travel to code conferences or trainings that are out of our jurisdiction. This forum has allowed us the opportunity to read many different perspectives, learn new information, and to test and compare our own views with other code professionals.

When I first started, I was very much on my own. While I have a support network, I also find it handy to be able to bounce an idea off like-minded individuals when it comes to interpretation, or best practices, etc.

 

[jar546]

Would be nice if there were more of us, but hey .... it's a start. Now that I'm doing almost entirely non-residential work, I find that even if I haven't a clue about the ICC codes, etc., the *situations* are such that I can take a moment and go, "ok, so what would I do if this landed in my lap? What are the Canadian codes/standards/whatever?" So there's that ....



When I first started, I was very much on my own. While I have a support network, I also find it handy to be able to bounce an idea off like-minded individuals when it comes to interpretation, or best practices, etc.

Whatever the Canadians want, I will be happy to help you. I don't think you need regional sections but if you do, please let me know.

 

[Yikes]

Think about the amount of money this forum has saved the construction industry, either by clarifying code compliance problems before they became field correction issues, or by educating on code minimum requirements (should an owner not want to pay for features beyond minimum code compliance).

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Whatever the Canadians want, I will be happy to help you. I don't think you need regional sections but if you do, please let me know.

Nah. the only thing that would help is more bodies... just a matter of folks discovering the place. (And up to us Canadians to create some content that Google can index.)

 

[ICE]

US code has Imperial dimensions with the metric equivalent. Canadian code has only metric dimensions. In order to follow along with the Canadian threads one has to either understand metric dimensions or convert them to Imperial.

 

[Inspector Gift]

I lived in central BC for 3 years back in the late 70's. I loved it. The locals all used the imperial dimensions. They preferred feet and inches over meters and millimeters...

... Like one person said, "I climb stairs with feet, and measure them with inches!"