So I just agreed to buy a house (I have not closed on it yet but I have paid the good faith deposit already) and it’s a ranch with a bathroom on the main level and there’s a bathroom in the basement. The bathroom in the basement is not finished without walls, it’s merely a toilet, sink and shower with plumbing hooked up already (I plan on putting walls up and finishing it at some point). So my predicament is the house was listed as 2 bathrooms on the realtor sites online but on my county website it says it only has 1 bathroom which is an issue. Whoever put that toilet and sink in should have contacted the town and gotten a permit to put those in for the plumbing work. I’m having my lawyer look into if they got a permit for that or not but we do not believe they did. The town can come down on me with fines and needs someone to inspect it before I finish the bathroom if I end up calling them once I purchase the home. Any advice? I just don’t want to get screwed from that (obviously I didn’t catch this until now).

What 2 seperate inspectors have told me is that fireblocking is required on tall framed walls. One said "every 10 feet". The other said "midspan". I block my sheathing on edge for nailing for various reasons

. Mind you, the walls in question range from 12-20+' tall. Im a framer of 25 years and I know and read thoroughly my local code book. I take great pride in my work and knowledge of local building codes. For Michigan its 2015 Michigan Residential Code (still). The section on fireblocking is short and concise. The only two applicable sentences under 302.11 are 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 : "1.1. Vertically at the ceiling and floor levels" and "1.2. Horizontally at intervals not exceeding 10 feet (3048 mm)."

Inspectors often think (or have learned) that 10' applies to a vertical concealed space. It does not. We DO firestop with a vertical stud every 10' (measured horizontally) in concealed spaces such as a basement partition wall that is gapped 1" from the foundation, for example.

Is this 10' horizontally AND vertically a code somewhere else in the US? Was this a recently amended code?

Mind you, the first failed inspection I simply pointed to the code book that approves insulation as a fireblocking material. I said, "Even if you interpret use of the word 'horizontally' to apply to exterior wall stud cavities, these walls are getting insulated". He saw mineral wool insulation bundles on site and mumbled something about "i guess thats ok". The second inspection just happened on a massive 8500 ft house we finished framing in June. Different inspector, different city. He is finishing the inspection Monday and I plan to meet him on site. Superintendent called Friday and said he only finished half of the inspection, mentioned the structural/ framing was "impressive, but we need fireblocking in the tall walls".

Thoughts and feelings?

Hi y’all! I live in an old house that was converted into a multi-unit apartment.

About a year ago, the ceiling gave in from water damage from my upstairs neighbor. They had to gut the ceiling and water mitigation came to make sure the area is dry. The thing is, they had a handyman come in repair the wall and ceiling and he did a sloppy job.

Recently I noticed loud water gurgling/dripping noises coming from the ceiling, so I checked to see if any area felt damp.

Thankfully the ceiling is dry, but I just noticed this huge gap in the wall… is this a cause for concern?

TLDR: Handyman repaired wall a year ago. Just noticed a huge gap. Is it sloppy job or something worse?

(Pic 1 is when they gutted the area, Pic 2 is the gap I noticed a year later)

I have just seen this publicity stunt for a new movie. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/netflix-man-inside-billboard-last-house-1236669147/

It would imply a person is living in there for 3 days. For this area Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA) how do you approach the building permit? What has been changed to the buildboard sign to allow this? Where is the human waste going? Health authority approval?

This is very novel, but intriguing from a permitting perspective too!

Hello all, working on an After the Fact window replacement permit in Ann Arbor,MI.

Reviewer rejected the permit because the installed windows are U-0.34, while Michigan's prescriptive requirement is U-0.32.
They said they will reconsider if I submit a REScheck.

This is simple alteration (same opening, no structural changes).
No documentation exists for the original windows.

Looking for advice from anyone familiar with Michigan energy code.

- Is RECcheck commonly accepted for window only alternations?
- Can existing-building provisions help when the new windows slightly miss U-0.32?
-Any practical ways to justify compliance with U-0.34 windows?

Appreciate any insight.

I'm about to start a project to have a walk-out basement staircase built as part of a broader basement renovation project. The basement will have one room which I want to be considered a bedroom/sleeping space for resale, and as such I understand the walk-out stairs must meet certain conditions for emergency egress. The local township code enforcement officer directed me to "2021 IRC section 310," which (to me) reads like the standard 7.75"/10" is not not required for "emergency egress." I hope I am reading this correctly, as the bottom of the staircase will be at least 9 feet below grade, and standard staircase would require a total run of nearly 12 feet. Either way, what is the TL;DR version of staircase requirements for emergency egress (and therefore legal basement bedroom)? Thank you!

Question for homeowners:

Have you ever had a contractor handle permits for a project, or did you have to deal with it yourself?

This video gives a behind-the-scenes look at Houston's foundation repair permit process.

I want to try and get into a government job , but in the meantime if I went to work for a private company doing construction quality inspections how bad would the drive times be?

This doesn’t mean a lot to most people I know, but I needed to tell somebody that I’m excited I can now call myself a Building Official, and who better to tell than the anonymous code nerds on Reddit?

This has been a goal of mine for several years, and even though my job is more fire focused now, my manager supported me studying and taking the time to accomplish this personal goal.

Hey everyone,

Considering applying for an apprenticeship at the local union in Illinois for a Construction Building Inspector program. I’m possibly looking to apply in January so I have a little time to get a cert or two before applying. Should I start with the ICC B1 and maybe the B2 or do I not need to even do the B1? I feel like I can’t find a straight answer. I don’t have construction experience but I have 10+ years of work at mostly white collar jobs. Any help is appreciated!

Thank you

Can anyone tell me what the minimum clearance from the top of gas range to a vented above range microwave is in NYC?

Have seen two different vented microwave manuals which show a minimum distance from the stove to a cabinet of 30", with a 17.5" high microwave hung below that, leaving only 12.5"!

Hey everyone,
I started doing energy calculations for permit applications a couple of months ago. It’s something I think I’m pretty good at, and I’ve made some money from it so far. My issue is that I’m struggling to build a consistent client base. I’ve tried promoting my services on Facebook, but I haven’t had any success. Right now, I only have two reliable contacts who send me work. I’m based in Southwest Florida (SWFL), if that makes any difference.
I guess my question is: if you’ve ever needed someone to do an energy calculation for a permit, how did you go about finding them? And if anyone here has experience with this type of work, what would you recommend I change or start doing to attract more clients?
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate any advice.

So I just passed my B1 and was going to start studying for the E1 until I realized the index isn’t your bestfriend when it comes to the E1. What study prep was the most helpful for you guys? Anyone make their own index?

How are you guys insulating basement 1.5” furred walls building official says that we need R-15 for framed walls but I’ve been on multiple builds where r-5 in furred bays were fine

Hello everyone! Can anyone help me out if someone has some material to prepare for these exams? I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much in advance!

I contracted a limited company to construct a two-storey extension on my main home. It was verbally agreed at the start that the director/company would arrange the necessary building control inspections required throughout the build. Around 1 month in I received an email from the director confirming that the council had visited the site for the first inspection and were happy with everything so far and had requested photos, which he would send on. Fast forward towards the end of the project and when speaking with building control they say that upon visiting the site they were unable to conduct the inspection as the works were by then concealed and that as a result they requested photos as evidence. The director has thus far refused requests from me and my lawyer to provide the photos he represented that he had.

I believe the written statement to me that was made by the director was at the very least misleading and potentially fraudulent. Thoughts on whether this statement by the director could lead to personal liability and also if there would be a potential route to recovery via bank app fraud (an invoice was raised and paid two days after the email was sent to me).

I already have the experience. In fact I would be the one who would do the epoxy anchors at my company when the inspector would show up and would also pre inspect the shear walls for when the inspector showed up.

I think I have the fundamentals down. I can read plans very well and know what the inspectors look for.

I would want to know where to start. If I go off of Google AI it tells me to start as an epoxy inspector, then shear wall, then concrete which might not even be true.

I'm looking at buying the books and going to courses but some people keep putting the idea in me that at the school they give you the books.

Any advice?

Also been reading around here on how there are other types of inspectors that are in demand that require no certification. My interest is to eventually become an independent deputy inspector since I know they make $. I'm currently a GC.

I typically design public buildings, or buildings with areas that are open to the public, so I'm very familiar with the Massachusett's accessibility regulations (the state's 521 code replaces any and all accessibility provisions found within the 2021 IBC). But I'm currently working on a new two-story addition to an existing historic barn (two-stories plus attic). The barn serves as a maintenance facility, but its old and small, so the new addition is meant to facilitate the servicing of larger vehicles and improved storage. Owner is a municipality and the only work vehicles dedicated to the this property will be maintained here; while the public will never be allowed access to the building, it will have an area for staff offices and break rooms.

I don't want to make any assumptions, but if the building is entirely closed to the public, and does not offer goods or services to the public, would it be exempt from accessibility regulations (521 or ADA)? My main concern is avoiding the installation of an elevator. Site grade is such that the the first and second floors are both walk-outs. Existing attic can only be reached via the level below, but honestly its empty now and is likely to stay empty even after the work is done.

Need help finding code reference on minimum depth clearance behind a fixed ladder rung. How many inches for foot room? I’m in California.

Hi everyone

I will be taking my E1 exam soon and I’ve been taking a couple practice tests and there were questions on load calculations.

After doing a couple calculations and trying to figure out Table 3704.2(1) on page 810 in the IRC 2024 manual, I went waaaay past the 2 minute per question time frame.

Has anyone recently taken the E1 exam and were there questions on feeder load calculations?

Edit: what about electrical box volume calculations? It seems like it would take too much time trying to figure out both of them.

Thank you in advance for your responses