FREE Engineered Pole Building Plans! Yep, you heard it here first…. on Roller Derby (borrowed from Cheech and Chong’s 1973 album Los Cochinos from a skit about the “Evelyn Woodhead Sped Riddin’ course”). Today’s article was sparked into being by an email I recently received: “I’m an architect trying to provide bid documents for a […]

When I attended Bowdish Junior High School in the early 1970s it was located in a rapidly growing area of the Spokane Valley of Washington. When the classrooms were filled beyond capacity, the school district opted to throw their resources into the rental of temporary classrooms (also known as portables). As an adult, and knowing […]

One of the great things about post frame (pole) building construction is the ability to add interior raised spaces (think lofts, mezzanines and second stories). One of the most overlooked things about adding such space is proper engineering design. In general I have found them to be inadequate to support the loads. This can result […]

When things appear to be going from bad to worse The original question was posed by the reader, Jimmy, as to the adequacy of materials supplied to construct his new pole barn (by a builder, not a Hansen Pole Building). His story first appeared in my column just a few days ago. Here is Round […]

History of the Development of a National Standard of Practice for Wood Design From time-to-time you might see the term NDS® (National Design Specification® for Wood Construction appear in my blogs, and it is referenced on every set of Hansen Pole Buildings plans, as well as within the International Building Codes. Me, being the curious […]

South Dakota Department of Transportation Fabric Covered Hoop Barn I’ve been in South Dakota all but a few days in 2016, I figure another 50-60 years or so and I might even be considered to be a “local”. Last Saturday I was a participant in a 5k “fun run” in conjunction with Sisseton’s Horse and […]

And long-time reader Vincent Phelps has another great question: “CBS Sunday morning had a segment on CLT, Cross Laminated timber. It brought timber frame construction to mind. Your thoughts on this technique for the Pole builder?” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-the-high-life/ Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a large-scale, prefabricated, solid engineered wood panel. Lightweight yet very strong, with superior acoustic, […]

This was a question asked of Hansen Pole Buildings’ Managing Partner Eric Graff, by one of our Building Designers, Elijah. To begin with, let’s examine the 2012 International Building Code requirements for the Risk Category of the building. 1604.5 Risk category.  Each building and structure shall be assigned a risk category in accordance with Table 1604.5. Where […]

During each 3-year-cycle of the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC), there exists an opportunity to propose modifications and improve the codes to recognize new and innovative construction.  During the final two weeks in April, the code proposal hearings were held in Louisville, Kentucky where several hundred proposals were discussed and considered […]

The Argument Against Building Codes The argument against building codes isn’t a haphazard attempt to loosen restrictions. Instead, it’s often made by experienced contractors and other industry veterans who are frustrated by certain trends and aware of hazards or risks the general public may not realize. When construction teams “build to code,” what does this […]

Some Building Code History I’ve reflected some in the past about Building Codes from history, where the generally accepted first code was in the Code of Hammurabi: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2013/07/engineer/. In July of 64 A.D., a great fire ravaged Rome for six days, destroying 70 percent of the city and leaving half its population homeless. According to […]

I’ve been doing some of my own research on solar power lately, and have found some interesting stuff. The real interesting part of this article is not in the cool solar product – it is on how to solve the problem they do not know they have with the pole barn (post frame) building in […]

Prefabricated Roof Trusses – They can Make You or Break You In yesterday’s blog, Mike the Pole Barn Guru started to share some secrets which should both increase your bottom line as well as allow you to sleep soundly at night. A short recap here, for the full account, read Part One posted yesterday, May […]

Redwood for Post Frame Building Columns Just this week we had a client in the California Bay area interested in a roof only post frame structure. His caveat, he really wanted to have Redwood columns, as opposed to properly pressure preservative treated timbers. The characteristics of redwood make it a popular choice for outdoor applications. […]

Why NOT to Mess With HOAs Homeowners Associations (HOAs) are normally begun with every good intention in mind, however in my humble opinion they are a restriction upon how one determines their own property should best be used. An HOA is an incorporated association, usually created by a developer who prepares the Covenants, Conditions, and […]

This article’s content was published by the following source: Retrofit Magazine – March 17, 2016 Unless otherwise noted, the content below has not been altered by Hansen Pole Buildings We’ve come a long way since the first recorded building code was passed in 1772 B.C. Things were a lot simpler then and the penalties were very straightforward: “If a […]

Portions of the content for this post were courtesy of Charlie Wardell’s February 5, 2016 article in The Journal of Light Construction (JLC). About 45% of residential field inspections result in a jobsite code violation. The majority of post frame (pole building) construction is residential or accessory to a residence, which makes this highly relevant. […]

Information for this article includes contributions from a recent article by Val Van Meter in The Winchester Star. “With snow melting from the record-breaking winter storm, Clarke County is collecting information on the damage it has left behind. At that time, the information will be sent to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. The state […]

No, I did not hit my head on anything. My general opinion of Planning Departments is they are happiest when a property owner’s ability to use their property as they best see fit is highly restricted. Changes to Hutchinson, Minnesota city codes allowing larger garages on some residential lots gained unanimous recommendations from the Planning […]

Building Officials Are Your Friend Back in 1972 the late Jim Croce recorded and released the song, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”. As recorded, the refrain goes like this: “You don’t tug on superman’s cape You don’t spit into the wind You don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger And you don’t mess […]

In 1990, I had sold my first business – M & W Building Supply Company of Canby, Oregon and had retired to the city of my birth Spokane, Washington. At the time of my return, Spokane County had enacted an ordinance which greatly restricted the ability of home owners to use their own property as […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions Around about 1150 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is thought to have originated the phrase. It is highly unlikely he had the prescriptive requirements provided by Building Departments for post frame (pole building) construction in mind at the time. More powerful people than I have ranked and […]

Build to Match the Pole Building Plans Picture this, if you will….. A monitor style post frame (pole) building. The center portion is 24 feet wide by 48 feet long with a 24 foot eave height. On each side of the center is a 12 foot wide “wing”. The right wing is a roof only […]

Every Hansen Pole Building Kit Package comes with building plans which are drafted by a real live human being! They are then reviewed not once, but twice, by upper level team members – who catch just about every errant line. To insure the final building plans are correct (usually it is an issue of “no, […]

New Guides to Wood Construction in High Wind Areas My long time readers will probably recognize the name Dr. Frank Woeste, as he has appeared in a plethora of my articles. When it comes to wood design, and especially post frame buildings, Frank is at the top of the game. For the curious, here is […]

When Sometimes Submitting all the Right Stuff, Is not Enough I recently wrote about the lack of challenges involving acquiring a Building Permit in some jurisdictions: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2015/06/building-permit-4/. The process can be as simple as no process at all (you can build anything you want without a permit) to as difficult as feeling signing over your […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

Building Permits Around the World One might have the mistaken idea obtaining a Building Permit is the same pretty well anywhere in the United States. Unless you have had the opportunity to be involved in construction in various locales across the country, you might have the idea what happens where you are in “the norm”. […]

Hansen Pole Buildings is a proud member of the NFBA (National Frame Building Association https://www.nfba.org). Pretty much every Monday the Association sends out a newsletter, via email, to its members. In today’s newsletter was a link to an article written by Stephen Szoke and published in Construction Executive, May 5, “Building Codes: One Size Does […]

ASK THE POLE BARN GURU is for everyone – those who own, or hope to own, a pole building, contractors as well as Building Officials. Here is a real life interaction with a Building Official: “I have a customer erected pole barn 50 x 60 and very concerned with 50 foot span engineered trusses resting […]

Larimer County, Colorado I drive through the Fort Collins area about once a year. Other than the urbanized areas, the terrain is a classic example of Exposure C for wind (for a “fun” wind exposure story read https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/11/wind_exposure/ or to get more technical: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/03/wind-exposure-confusion/). One of our clients had been discussing with Hansen Pole Buildings […]

Post-Frame Building Design Manual Back in 2000 the then National Frame Builders Association (now National Frame Building Association – NFBA www.nfba.org) published the ground breaking first edition of the Post-Frame Building Design Manual. In the foreword, then NFBA President James T. Knight so aptly wrote: “The movement of the post-frame building into the commercial marketplace […]

Plans, plans, plans…. As one might imagine, with about two hundred new clients contacting us every day, we have some conversations amongst ourselves which are frankly at the least – interesting. I listened in on a discussion between Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Matt and Managing Partner Eric recently. Matt, “I have a lead that the […]

From the Client Mailbag… Lots of good stories out there and I have been in the mode to share stories lately. Here is one which went through our Technical Support Department recently: “Today I visited the building inspector. I was confirming my intentions of building a Hansen designed structure. The reason is I already have […]

Readers – The following is from the Dear Pole Barn Guru questions I get weekly, and the issues are so important when it comes to dealing with a contractor, I wanted to take time out to hi-light a few of them. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have some serious issues with a pole barn I […]

Recently I had a client pose the question, “What is the difference between Use Classification S-2 and U?” Chapter three of the 2012 International Building Code (IBC) provides provisions which control the building use classification of all structures as to use and occupancy. Section 312 specifically addresses “Utility and Miscellaneous Group U”. In general, Group U […]

Humor me here – do a Google, Yahoo or Bing search for either “Free Pole Barn Plans” or “Free Pole Building Plans”. Up should come a million or so choices. With all of those possibilities, it has to be a great way to go….right? To begin with, keep in mind free pole barn plans are […]

If it is On the Internet, It Must be True The internet is a great and wonderful place, a highway with a plethora of information rapidly available on nearly any subject. And for me, it has been my livelihood for the past dozen years. On the ‘net can be found websites like Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), or […]

Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Building Officials Building Officials…..these words alone spark fear in the hearts of some folks, although they shouldn’t. Your local Building Inspector or Plans checker is there to help make certain the next building project undertaken by you, your neighbors or friends is Code compliant – protecting the safety of […]

National Lampoon’s Vacation In the iconic 1983 movie National Lampoon’s Vacation, the Griswold family plans a trip to Wally World to see Marty Moose Just like the Griswold’s plans, sometimes best laid plans for buildings don’t come out just as anticipated. Wrong turns are made, dimensions sometimes go astray. Face it. In life, stuff happens. […]

Common Sense – It Isn’t Common Any More As reported in the West Frankfort, Illinois Daily American, in an article posted November 12, 2014 by Leigh M. Caldwell: “The much-discussed ordinance establishing codes for mobile homes, modular homes, portable buildings and pole barns will go back before city commissioners tonight for a vote. West Frankfort’s […]

When Plans Examiners Try to Apply the “CODE” to Pole Buildings Today’s example happens to come from the State of Michigan, however it could happen in any Building Permit issuing jurisdiction in the U.S. What is most interesting to me about this particular example is, last November I was invited to be a presenter at […]

The One Simple Secret to Pole Buildings Which Stand Up HINT: It has nothing to do with how it is built! Regardless of what anyone pays for a new pole building, whether investing in a complete kit package, piece mealing it together, or having it constructed – the general idea is to have the building […]

How to Get Building Code Approval for Something New Some folks have the idea Code approval is something easy. Well, not so much….but there is a quicker and less costly approach than what most folks might have initially envisioned. The information below was provided by Qualtim (www.Qualtim.com), and at the least gives some insight into […]

Don’t get me wrong – in case I have not previously gotten my message across in earlier articles – I genuinely like Building Officials. Most of them really do care, and go out of their way to help both do it yourselfers and building contractors. With very few exceptions, Building Officials, field inspectors and plans […]

If you didn’t read yesterday’s blog – it may be helpful to go back and read about my personal pole building house, inspired by my bride of 14 years. And then, moving on to sharing from another pole barn house challenge: A CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE We have a client in Colorado who has been trying to […]

About a decade ago my bride took a phone call from a potential pole barn purchaser. The female caller identified herself and then said despairingly, “My husband wants me to live in a pole barn house…and I don’t want to live in a barn!” Unfortunately the level of her panic told my wife this caller […]

Unless one has grown up on a foreign planet, they are probably familiar with Hertz® Rent-A-Car. My lovely bride and I rent lots of cars (usually for about 50% of the year), so we are intimately familiar with Hertz. Hertz is not only #1, they also are nearly everywhere on the face of the Earth. […]

I have a very dear friend who tends to avoid possibly challenging situations, by pretending they didn’t occur. This is known as the ‘Ostrich Syndrome’. Post-frame, as an industry, sometimes suffers from some of the same ailment. I present, for your entertainment pleasure, International Building Code (IBC) Section 1807.3.1, which may very well be both […]

Government Gone Wild It never ceases to amaze me how politics does (or does not) work. Here is an ongoing, real life story involving a Hansen Pole Buildings client in Illinois. From an article by Sarah Hayden in the April 22, 2014 Moline, Illinois Dispatch/Argus: “Trustees on Monday also took an emergency vote an unauthorized […]

I believe in as little government interference in what a person constructs on their own property, as possible. The physical size of the state and the bigger-than-life attitude of some of its inhabitants has led to the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Among things which appear to be bigger in Texas are the size […]

Planning Department – Get Permission First, Don’t Beg Forgiveness Every once in a while I read a story and it just makes me wonder, “What were they thinking”? The story below appeared February 25, 2014 in a Post-Tribune article written by Kitty Conley: Variance granted for pole barn already under construction  CROWN POINT — The […]

Off The Grid A fair number of our clients, who construct their own pole buildings, have the pioneering spirit which made the United States a great country. They want to be as independent as possible, and avoid having to deal with governmental agencies as much as possible. Freedom, in the “Land of the Free” is […]

Whether the backyard is large, or small, it often ends up being the target landing zone for the pole building which needs a place to be. Usually, those with large lots are at an advantage, unless huge setbacks, weird easements, or strange zoning laws mess up ideas, before they can be brought to fruition. Before […]

Pole Buildings in the Nanny State I’m looking out of the sliding glass patio door of an ocean front, fourth-floor condo in Crucita, Ecuador this morning….watching the waves rolling up the beach. Over the last week, my bride, my brother and I racked up over 1600 kilometers in a rental car – checking out the […]

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans by flooding (remember, most of the city is below sea level), my then 11 year old daughter had a brilliant insight, “Instead of rebuilding, why don’t they move everyone to Wyoming”? Even though it may have been a less costly solution, the reality is, not everyone can […]

While contractors and future pole building owners may moan and groan about having to provide detailed plans for new buildings to their permit issuing authorities – it does better assure the new construction will prove to be Code conforming. Structural plan review, along with site inspections done by certified inspectors help to make sure work […]

Here is the scene…. Our client has ordered a pole building kit package which is designed around sidewall columns spaced every 14’. For those who care, the building has a design roof snow load of 30 psf (pounds per square foot) and the actual roof dead load carried by the roof purlins (including the purlins […]

Wind Happens… …even close to home (or home of Hansen Pole Buildings anyhow) in Roberts County, SD! Friday, October 11, at 5:25 p.m. a tornado touched down about 10 miles northeast of Dumont, (just across the border into MN) in a soybean field. As the tornado moved to the northwest, it struck a barn which […]

The following story by Zack McDonald appeared in the October 17, 2013 Panama City, FL The News Herald: “PARKER — Residents may want to hold off on building any pole barns, carports, garages or storage sheds in their front yards within the next three months. They might be asked to remove them at their own […]

(Disclaimer: for those dear readers who are not Christian, the reference to the Bible below is merely for illustrative purposes, and is not an attempt to sway anyone to or from any particular religious practices or beliefs.) Imagine, if you will, the Bible being revised every three years. Once the revisions were accepted by the […]

You Be The Judge While I have my own strong opinions about this particular case, I’d like for my readers to weigh in with their opinions, before I shout out mine, and the reasoning behind them. Weigh all sides of the story, then please share with all of us what you think of it. Here […]

Last week I started discussing understanding the Building Code – and how it applies to post frame buildings.  Go back to Friday if you want to get caught up – this is part II of a two part blog. Again – this will appear “long” – but hard to break it up, and the tables […]

This is part 1 of a two part series – I know it’s long, but bear with me – this is too important to divide it up into too many “pieces”.  Good stuff here – read on: The information below is excerpted from the International Building Code (IBC) and based upon information provided by the […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

Finding Stuff on the Road Author’s Note: This is part 7 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! There are many Building Departments who offer nifty little handouts to property owners who […]

Biking On Down the Highway Author’s Note: This is part 6 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! Time for another lumber yard visit. They are in Michigan (I am really not […]

Author’s Note: This is part 5 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! Still in Wisconsin and I get into a discussion with a former builder. He tries to tell me the […]

The International Building Code (IBC) is the resultant of years of practical experience and sound engineering practice. The authors are a collective group of Building Officials and engineers, whose mission is to protect the safety of those who will be utilizing the structures built under the auspices of the Code. For practical purposes, every word, […]

Personally, I am no fan of having buildings exempted from structural plan reviews. As most of the agricultural exemption buildings tend to be pole buildings, some of them are prone to being under designed, under built, and subsequently fall down – which does not cast a fair light on the providers of pole buildings (such […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

Not everyone wants to conform to the rigid (and in some cases minimalistic) requirements of a “residential” (according to the Building Codes) airplane hangar. While a bit more work, a Building Permit can often still be obtained. Some permit issuing jurisdictions are tougher than others. In the case of an aircraft hangar which does not […]

Things Which Scare the Pooh Out of Me And we are not talking about things which go bump in the night or hide in closets waiting to jump out. Hansen Buildings’ Designer Rick recently ran up against an interesting situation. One of the responsibilities of clients is to verify the code information with their Building […]

Thanks to a High School Student My eldest step-son Jake, started a Facebook Group for students where he taught Physics at Lenore City in Tennessee. One of his students shared this with the group: “Three professionals, a mathematician, a physicist and an engineer, took their final test for their job. The sole question in the […]

OK, I was web surfing again! My wife thinks I spend all of my time on the ‘net Facebooking….well, I actually do some real research. I found this post recently on www.garagejournal.com, in reference to a comparison between all steel and post frame (pole) buildings. The poster cited this as why he regrets not having […]

Are Engineering Fees Expensive? Although many people call themselves engineers, frequently illegally, a professional engineer is someone who has demonstrated sufficient education and experience to a state licensing board through written examination. Having gone to school in an engineering discipline, graduated from an engineering program or worked for an engineer, does not qualify an individual […]

For the most part, Building Department Plans Examiners are really good people. Most of them are just trying very hard to do a job which gets little or no appreciation. The primary responsibilities of plans examiners are to review building plans and specifications and double-check all calculations to ensure they comply with currently adopted codes. […]

Most people who have ever considered construction of  any type of building in the United States have had to deal with their local jurisdiction’s Planning Department. Most of those same people may report this as being less than a fun experience. We Americans are fiercely independent, we value the ability to have the freedom to […]

This is Why Pole Barns Should be Engineered A line of strong thunderstorms moved through North Central Florida Saturday March 23, prompting severe thunderstorm warnings and a tornado warning. The photograph is of the remains of a pole barn, which is suspected to have been hit by a tornado. No other structures in the area […]

Considering construction a post frame building for commercial use? If so, many jurisdictions offer a pre application conference which will greatly ease the overall permit process, as well as providing a total view as to all of the requirements necessary to be met. Why should I go through a PAC? In my humble opinion, if […]

Yesterday I covered 7 of what I feel are 14 of the most important questions to ask your local building department.  This not only will smooth the way through the permitting process, but also  ensures a solid and safe building structure. Let’s talk about the last seven…. #8 What is the Allowable Soil Bearing Capacity? […]

I Can Build, I Can Build! Whoa there Nellie…..before getting all carried away, there are 14 essential questions to have on your Building Department Checklist, in order to ensure the structural part of the new building process goes off without a hitch.  I will cover the first seven today, finishing up tomorrow, so you have […]

I continue to be baffled as to why it is pole building owners (and pole barn builders) all too frequently lose all sense of reality when it comes to proper pole barn engineering design. Case in point: “I’m adding a loft to a section of our pole barn (which was professionally constructed 10 years ago […]

Every six months the International Code Council (ICC) provides updated Building Valuation Data (BVD) to its members. The BVD table provides the “average” construction costs per square foot, which can be used in determining permit fees for a jurisdiction. The following building valuation data represents average valuations for most buildings.  Again it should be noted, […]

The nice thing about being in the post frame building industry, is whenever one begins to believe they have heard it all….someone comes along with a scenario which had not previously be considered. Recently we were contacted by a client who wanted to construct a new post frame building – on a sand dune. My […]

As an 18 year old sophomore architecture student at Montana State University, I had my very first exposure to moments. I was working full time daily until 9 p.m., which meant homework got done after I got off work….therefore, the 8 a.m. engineering class and my lack of sleep fog, did not go well together.  […]

A fair number of Building Officials are readers of my blog. This is not meant to offend any, but is an example of what pole building providers are faced with on a regular basis.  The following is a letter to one of our clients: “Mr. Fxxxxxx, This is the list items that need to be […]

Over the years we have provided, to clients, several post frame buildings in a county in California which will remain unnamed in this blog. This particular county has an actual registered building engineer who does the structural plan reviews.  Sometimes this can be a good thing, sometimes a challenge. One of our clients recently submitted […]

One of our clients, Derald writes: “How do you provide adequate intake venting for a ridge vent on a pole building?  I am assuming that you would drill 2” holes along the eave girt and install a wire mesh, like bird blocking.  How far apart would the minimum spacing of the 2” holes need to […]

Life has now ended….nothing worse could ever happen…..ever….send my money back. No – failure to get through an initial plan check is not a reason for suicide planning, or to be jumping up and down screaming. Whether the building (or just plans) were provided by us, or anyone else – the first step is to […]

Shear walls are designed to resist lateral forces, such as wind or seismic, and transfer these forces to the component below them, which might be other shear walls, floors, foundation walls,  slabs, footings or embedded columns. Shear walls prevent the roof or upper floors from swaying or moving off their supports as well. Buildings with […]

The NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) recently published an article to provide advice on the causes of structural issues. The article, “Lessons Learned From 10,000 Structural Claims”, was developed from a presentation given to the NAHB Building Product Issues Committee last September by its author, Walt Keaveny. There was some information in the article which […]

A client from Florida and I have been discussing wind speeds. The data we show in our system for his county was for the design wind speed to be 120 mph. Now where do we get our data? In many cases, direct from Building Departments. In other cases, we use the wind speed maps published […]

If you had a chance to think over the weekend of why we don’t check Design Criteria for you (see Friday’s Blog), the obvious reason would be “we just don’t know where your building site is”.  This is the “down and dirty” answer. Ultimately the more specific question clients ask me is, “will you pull […]

Last October Mr. W of Park County Colorado ordered a new pole building kit package from Hansen Buildings. Just like every quotation or Invoice we prepare, it lists specifically the “Design Criteria” for his specific building. Included in this were: The Building Code and edition (every three years a new edition of the code is […]

For those of you who are not Building Officials, stop laughing, I am serious. Building Officials have a job – to protect those who use structures (which include buildings). In Chapter 1 of the IBC (International Building Code), under Purpose of the code, it states, “This code is intended to provide minimum requirements to safeguard […]

As I said yesterday, in life, most everything is given some type classification whether it’s objective, such as motor vehicle operators’ licenses (automobile, commercial, motorcycle, etc.), or subjective, such as social status (wealthy, middle class, poor). Then there are those who are in “a class all by themselves.” My wife seems to think I fit […]

In life, most everything is given some type classification whether it’s objective, such as motor vehicle operators’ licenses (automobile, commercial, motorcycle, etc.), or subjective, such as social status (wealthy, middle class, poor). Then there are those who are in “a class all by themselves.” Buildings, like much of everything else, are classified, as well. There […]