2006 IBC

[Kapohocat]

This morning I heard a rumor that the COH is going to the 2006 IBC. About as good an authority as the guy riding the bulldozer/Costco... but it was an employee of the building department...

Although we have heard various rumors for years that the COh is bringing the Bldg dept to modern times - nothing has yet changed. This one finally sounded like they are gettign closer... Just a word to the wise if you are sitting on the fence at the moment. If you arent building for a couple of years - no matter...


* COH - County of HI
* IBC - International Building Codes

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"


Edited by - kapohocat on 09/27/2006 06:57:06

[JerryCarr]

OK, I will display my ignorance. Exactly what is 2006 IBC? From the context, I presume it has to do with building permits and/or codes.

Mahalo,
Jerry

[Kelena]

I'm ignorant in a different way. My guess is the IBC is the international building code. I have NO IDEA what the COH is and why the COH would go to the IBC and what that means to me. Cat -- I owe you a call. I got busy. : (

[toucano]

Cat - Any guess how this will affect building here? From my admittedly limited perspective of how building codes currently work here, it is the lack of uniformity of interpretation and application that is the biggest gripe. Just tell me what the groundrules are and show me where I can find them in a written format!

[jdirgo]

COH is County of Hawaii. If they jump all the way from our current codes (which are something like 10 years out of date) to the current codes, it will be a huge jump. A lot of building codes were changed after the San Francisco area earthquake to make buildings more earthquake-resistent (and I heard that the tsumani in 2004 caused some other code changes, but I can't verify that).

The short answer is that building will be more difficult and the inspections more thorough (at least in theory).

John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell

[Seeb]

if they adopt the international residential code that could be a good thing every thing you need to build a 1 family house in one place, minus the energy code part. the energy code in the ibc is a killer

[aubrey and steve]

We saw a jump in structural costs when WA adopted the 2003 IBC. The cost of additional steel went up about 30%: additional rebar, simpson connectors etc. I would assume the 2006 IBC would be even more stringent due to Katrina.

[Kapohocat]

That is entirely my guess... it will cost more to meet the new standards... But again we have the safety issues versus costs.

On the other hand, many builders and draftspeople have already been beefing up to the newer standards, not necessarily 2006 but the ones in effect in many other states.

Plywood sheathing on the roof system is one of the additions... the builder I work with most closely already incorporates that item. And he also adds #4 rebar on grids in addition to the wire remesh on slabs.

And as the quality of lumber goes down the requirements on sizing of dimensional lumber goes up (example replacing a 4x12 with a 4x14/16 or 6x12). Lumber harvested years ago is much stronger than the newer harvests of lumber. Look at 2-car garage headers for example. I was told this was because the older lumber had reached larger diameters before harvesting making the inner core stronger ... but punawebbers from the NW can probably say better than i if that is true or not.

-Cat

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"


Edited by - kapohocat on 09/27/2006 07:56:54

[toucano]

Cat - I grew up in a lumber family.

Yes, today 'good' lumber is harder to find. I can remember my Grandfather's wigwam burners for kiln-drying lumber being stoked with 'scraps' of vertical grain Douglas Fir that are impossible to find now.

Most lumber is plantation grow for rapidity of growth now and the hybrids used sure do have wide spacing in the annular rings.

But lumber grading is still lumber grading. It is a bit of an art and a science whether you grade a piece of lumber Select Structural, #1, #2, #3. Lord knows I've seen a #2 stud that snapped when it fell 6 feet. I marvel and wonder why it wasn't graded a #3 or Utility Grade.

What is probably true is that today there are far fewer #1s and #2s in any give tree. But lumber that is graded #1s and #2s should (in theory) still be structurally sound and meet the span limits of the different span charts used to calculate what size of a give lumber species for a particular use given loads.

I think the ultimate decision of what lumber works where is the province of the organization(s) that are responsible for determining the engineering calclations for the charts/table used by building codes.

A building inspector might not like it that you want to use a 4x12 as a header, but the real authority is what size of a particular grade of a particular species the chart says works or doesn't work.

Would I change a plan to accomodate a building inspector even if I knew he was wrong and risk alienating him/her? Nahhh... this is Paradise and everyone is reasonable , accomodating, competent, and in a good Aloha mood.



Edited by - toucano on 09/27/2006 10:08:26

[Kapohocat]

What the architect I use regularly was saying was that the charts were using older data and the "F" strength wasn't the same anymore on lumber as the "old days".... From what i understand the Bldg inspectors will accept the signature from Arch signing off on sizing, but typically the arch will go with inspectors "suggestion".

I am on a Baja Calif forum also and the arch takes responsibility for it all - no inspectors! Wow!

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"