Brandon Nelson
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A Building Code I Love!
The International Residential Code (IRC) is the Yellow-Pages-thick volume of rules, regulations, and standards that define how your house must be built. It’s primarily about safety and structural integrity.
There are sections of the IRC that cover the foundation, framing, nail patterns, window placement, glass type, insulation, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, heating and every other nuance of your house. I guarantee that many of the design and construction details that you take for granted in your home are in fact regulated and purpose-installed because of the IRC. And it’s a good thing, because it keeps us safe and sound in our homes.
As a carpenter, I often scratched my head and rolled my eyes at some of the code guidelines I had to abide by — especially if the code inspector held the code to “the letter of the law.” I once built a deck in Marin County, California, and had to deal with an inspector who wouldn’t allow 1/16th inch deviation from the code. I was naive, and had to rebuild the staircase TWICE!
Another code that I’ve seen COUNTLESS deviations from for design and aesthetic reasons, primarily, but which has become one that I LOVE for the safety it provides, is the deck railing code, IRC Section R312. A deck more than 30 inches above the ground must have a perimeter railing at least 36″ high, and that railing must have no gaps greater than 4 inches. That is, a 4 inch ball should not pass through any part of the railing.
Hayden, our one-and-a-half-year-old, LOVES to hang out on the deck at our Sudden Valley home. It’s a 2nd story deck, with a long way to the ground below. The vertically-oriented, closely-spaced railing pickets keep Hayden ON the deck because he’s thicker than 4 inches, and because they’re vertical he can’t climb them (yet!)
Heather, my wife, and I can sit on the deck in our Adirondack chairs with our “Papa Juice” as Hayden calls coffee, and not worry about Hayden’s safety because of that code. It’s smart, it works, and I’m glad the IRC included it and enforces it!
