Well damn, you\u2019re still here? Excellent! Let\u2019s open the door by discussing the players normally involved in any significant home project. First, I\u2019d like to bring your attention to codes and codes enforcement. Some people think this is a nasty phrase. I mean, \u201ccode\u201d is a 4-letter word, right? Codes are good; contrary to some idiots who want to limit fascist interference in our lives! Just kidding, about the Fascist stuff I mean. I stand by the idiot part. Codes have been born out of need. They are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. Honest to God. You can look up the origins of codes but there are several historical accounts. The one I\u2019ve heard the most is the most plausible recollection of the first building code. It was a fire code that required an outside stair on any wooden building above 1 story tall. It became law following a hotel fire that resulted in loss of life. The point is that it was born of necessity. Makes sense. In the late 1970\u2019s, there was 1 primary residential code nationally called the MPS (Minimum<\/em> Property Standard<\/em>). As a designer, I was a licensed inspector and authorized to seal drawings for compliance. It was created to enforce (very loosely<\/em>) minimums for home construction being financed with federal backing. This code was rather rudimentary and truly enforced minimums. In Florida, most residential permitting and subsequent codes oversight was done on the municipal level. These municipal residential codes ultimately became rather substantial with a strong focus on structural guidelines. However, the SSBC (Southern Standard Building Code<\/em>) had been growing as one of the more authoritative criteria in the nation since 1965. It is my understanding that this code platform is the core of the current IBC (International Building Code<\/em>) of today. The IBC and the IRC (International Residential Code<\/em>) are the authoritative criteria for building in America today. These are incredibly comprehensive documents and cover virtually every aspect of construction today in minutia. They are remarkably (mind-numbing<\/em>) complex, as any of the structures they cover are. Truly, these books may be the leading cause of alcohol abuse in construction. Not really but it sure feels that way. As a Catholic, we breeze right through with a couple shots of Jameson. Anyhow, each new iteration of the code addresses changes in necessary topics like new materials, methods and technologies. They are an endless work in progress. Now, keep in mind the word \u201ccode\u201d which I\u2019ve tried to call a little attention to. It means MINIMUM! These documents, as complex as they are, are to regulate MINIMUM compliance requirements. Again, born out of necessity because \u2018professionals\u2019 will consistently fail to meet the minimums if you leave the door open! Der. These codes are to prevent you from being squashed, drowned, blown up, toasted, yada, yada, yada\u2026.by your own house. Not a bad thing ya\u2019 think? Now, if you still subscribe to the, \u201cThey\u2019re just trying to take my tax money and waste it!\u201d crowd; you\u2019re possibly an idiot. Frankly, the cost of permitting is significant because the expense of codes enforcement is significant. Even then, municipalities are often understaffed with qualified professional inspectors. This ain\u2019t easy stuff and even then, they simply can\u2019t catch everything. I\u2019m just sayin\u2019; You want these folks looking at what is being done on your behalf. Trust me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time construction has seen a number of technologies come and go. For example, in the late 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s we saw the introduction of \u201cFire Retardant Lumber\u201d. Sounds like a great idea, right? It was, in theory. We just didn\u2019t realize that the chemical treatment used also seriously weakened the wood. Especially in high-heat conditions like attics in the summer. Rooves fell in. Trusses would break. Not good. So, code said Fire Retardant Lumber had to go, or change. Wise. This happened with the early emergence of flexible plumbing pipe. Started great; ended poorly. Code has followed the rise and fall of numerous technologies; all the while trying to protect the consumer and the public in general. So, when you hear some Neanderthal bitching about code, you have permission to snot-slap them. Consider it a public service. There are idiots in the world that are unaware of their condition. Perhaps if they knew they could begin on the road to recovery. Besides, smacking a jackass can be cathartic. I am kidding\u2026sort of. I don\u2019t advocate violence, but I do get annoyed when people trash a system that is an element of this nations better qualities. Again, the word \u201ccode\u201d is almost code in itself. Like I said, the better word is \u201cminimum\u201d. Code simply enumerates and enforces minimums. So, when you hear a builder proudly expressing that they build to code, don\u2019t get too excited. Whoever stood on a podium and expressed their strict adherence to the least society will accept? Not a proud moment. The issue is this, codes are good. Very good. Building codes save lives every day and creates a level of safety that has come to be a world recognized standard. Damn people, it\u2019s time to sing the anthem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in summary, if you have a permittable project and the process is a little byzantine, suck it up and jump through the hoops. It\u2019s a survivable annoyance to protect you and those you love. In fact, hug your inspector. People treat them like they are Satan\u2019s spawn and they\u2019re just doing a truly thankless job. Okay, don\u2019t hug them. They are a little cranky usually because of overwork and crappy receptions. Maybe some cookies wouldn\u2019t hurt. Just sayin\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIt Ain\u2019t the House You Grew Up In\u201d Well damn, you\u2019re still here? Excellent! Let\u2019s open the door by discussing the players normally involved in any significant home project. First, I\u2019d like to bring your attention to codes and codes enforcement. Some people think this is a nasty phrase. I mean, \u201ccode\u201d is a 4-letter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","footnotes":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[]},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuhausknows.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}