Starting June 1, 2009, State of Michigan Residential Builder’s and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors will be required to fulfill continuing education coursework in order to renew their licenses.
Licenses will also be renewed for a period of 3 yrs instead of the current 2 yrs.

The contractor is required to successfully complete not less than 3 hrs of “activities demonstrating continuing competency” per calendar year during the first 6 calendar years of licensure and 21 hrs per 3-yr cycle since the issuance of his or her license.  Any contractor who has had a license for more than 6 years is only required to complete 3 hrs of CE per license cycle.  These hrs include 1 hr of codes, 1hr of safety and 1 hr of legal issues. New licensees after June 1, 2008 will be required to take a 60 hr prelicensure class.  Applicants will also have to state that they own a current copy of The Michigan Residential Code.

Currently, Michigan’s Builder’s Licenses are on a 2-yr cycle with approximately half renewing this May, and the other half in May 2009.  Neither one of these renewals will require the continuing education.  Your renewal will be for three years and it is during that time that CE credits must be taken.

Jeannine Benedict of The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth told me her Department is still in the process of developing rules and procedures for the program.  Renewal applications (which are customarily sent out 120 days prior to expiration) will contain information on these requirements.
Michicode.com  will be developing and providing these classes once the rules and procedures are in place. Keep an eye on our CLASSES page.

tinbug Articles residential

Before the first shovelful of dirt is moved, there are important code required design criteria which must be met for single family dwellings.  Chapter 3 of the International Residential Code addresses these and I will review them in this article.  I will save snow, wind, live and dead loads for another time.

Light and Ventilation

Habitable rooms (space for living, eating, sleeping or cooking) are required to have glazing not less than 8 % of the floor area of that room. That is; a 10’ X 10’ room needs 8 sq. ft. of windows.  Of those 8 square feet, 4(or half) have to open to the outside. Of course there are exceptions.  First, the windows don’t need to open if adequate mechanical ventilation is supplied.  You don’t need the windows at all if you have mechanical ventilation and artificial light.  Finally, sunrooms and enclosed patios are allowed to be used for natural ventilation if 40% or more of the exterior walls of the sunroom are screened.   You must take into account that emergency egress requirements  in bedrooms is maintained(This will be discussed later).

Bathrooms are required to have a minimum 3 sq ft of windows, half of which need to open unless you have the required ventilation.

Interior stairs have to have lighting which illuminates the entire stairway located near each landing.  The controls for the lighting must be at every floor level when the stairs have six or more risers. Exterior stairs are required to have lighting near the top landing and both the top and bottom landing if it leads to a basement.  The light switches are to be inside the dwelling.

Minimum room areas and ceiling heights.

One room per house need to be at least 120 sq ft and other habitable rooms can be no less than 70 sq ft.  One exception to this is the kitchen.  The minimum dimension of any habitable room is seven feet. Hallways are required to be a minimum of 3 feet. “Habitable rooms, hallways, bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements have to have ceiling no lower than 7 feet.  There are a number of exceptions for beams and girder, unhabitable basements, and bathrooms.

Sanitation

“Every dwelling unit” has to have a toilet, sink and tub or shower. They also need a kitchen with a sink, and water and sewage disposal.  Kitchen sinks, lavatories, bathtubs, showers, bidets, laundry tubs and washing machine outlets must have cold and hot water.

Shower and tub areas have to be made of a non-absorbent surface at least 6 feet from the floor. Water resistant drywall is no longer allowed to be used in tiled shower or tub areas (2006 IRC and IBC).

Glazing

The requirements for glazing address hazardous locations and the requirements for safety glazing which must be used in these locations.  For an excellent article which covers this subject in depth and gives you a historical and safety perspective about glazing go to the Code Check Web Site.  There are 11 areas considered by the IRC as hazardous locations.  There are also 10 exceptions to these locations.  Most importantly are doors, pool/sauna, hot tub, shower and tub enclosures/walls and fences,  large windows which are close to the ground, guardrails and glazing adjacent to stairways and ramps.  Section 308.4 of the 2006 IRC covers these locations along with the exceptions.  Skylights and greenhouse glass requirements are also covered.

Garages

A separation between the dwelling and a garage is a subject full of misconceptions.  “It’s a firewall….it has to have two layers of 5/8 gyp board on the garage side…., the door has to be a fire door with a closer are popular fallacies.   I can only speak for the last 20 years of CABO and BOCA requirements for separations,  but none of these have ever been required.  Here is what is required by the IRC 2006:

1. You can’t have an opening into a garage from a bedroom.
2. If you have duct work penetrating into the garage, it has to be made of a minimum of 26 ga sheet metal and cannot open into the garage.
3. Other penetrations of the separation wall must be fireblocked.
4. The garage shall be separated from the dwelling (including its attic) by ½ inch gyp board on the garage side (you could theoretically have open studs on the dwelling side).
5. If there is a habitable room above the garage, the separation must be 5/8 gyp board (type X).
6. The supporting structure of item 5 shall be protected by ½ gyp board.
7. If there is a door in the separation wall, it must be either 1 3/8 inch solid wood, solid or honeycomb steel minimum 1 3/8 inch thick, or a 20-minute fire-rated door. (Wouldn’t a fire-rated door require a closer and positive latching?)

Emergency Escape and Rescue/Egress

A requirement for bedrooms in basement has now become a requirement for all basements with the exception of those under 200 square feet and used only for mechanical purposes.  An emergency window or door must be installed.  For basements with all sides partially or completely below grade, the emergency window is usually installed.  The sill height of such window cannot be more than 44 inches from the finished floor.  The minimum opening area has to be 5.7 square feet (820.8 square inches), with a minimum height of 24 inches and a minimum width of 20 inches. The well outside the window has to be at least 36 inches wide and 9 square feet in area. If a casement window is used, the well must accommodate it to fully open.  If the depth of the well is greater than 44 inches, a ladder or steps shall be installed.  The ladder or steps can impede into the required area of the well as long as the window can be fully opened. The rungs have to be 3 inches from the wall, 12 inches wide and not more than 18 inches

apart. Bars or grates can be placed over these openings but like the window itself-it must be operational from the inside without the use of a key or special knowledge.

Bedrooms must also have an opening, either a door or window meeting the above requirements.  If the bedroom or basement is at the grade level, the minimum opening is reduced to 5 square feet.

One exit door is required from the dwelling unit.  It has to be a minimum of 3’ wide and 80” high and should be side-hinged. No keyed locks are allowed on this door. There should be a landing (the width of the door and 36” in length) outside all exterior doors (there is an exception for non-egress doors).

Stairs, Handrails, Guard

Stairways and hallways shall be 36” wide minimum, with 80” of headroom at the stairs.  When a stair is enclosed, any walls, sofitts and the underside of the stairs have to be covered with ½ drywall.

Maximum stair rise is 7 ¾” and minimum tread depth is 10 inches.  These dimensions tend to vary by jurisdiction.  In 2003, The State of Michigan amended these to 8 ¼ and 9 inches.  The maximum deviation from the biggest rise to the smallest can be no more than 3/8 of an inch.  Landings are required at the top and bottom of each stairway (some exceptions) and a stair cannot exceed 12 feet in vertical rise.

Handrails are required on stairs exceeding three risers. Their height should be 34 to 38 inches measured perpendicular from the nosing to the top of the handrail.  They need to be terminated into the wall or into a newel post and a 1 ½ inch space (minimum) must be provided between the wall and the handrails.  Handrail grip size can either be circular between 1 ¼ and 2 inches in diameter, 4 to 6 ¼ inches perimeter dimension for non-circular(with a maximum cross section of 2 ¼ inches or on those with a perimeter dimension more than 6 ¼ inches it requires a finger recess on both sides of the profile.  This profile must meet certain dimensional requirements (Section R311.5.6.3).

Finally guards are required where a raised floor surface is more than 30” above the floor/grade below. They have to be 36” high (minimum).  Open stairs with a total vertical rise over 30” would also require a guard which would have to be 34” high (minimum).  Opening limitations for these guards are 4” and 4 3/8” for stair guards.  Please note that the forbidden “ladder effect’ was taken out of the IRC in 2003.

Smoke Alarms

Hard wired, interconnected smoke alarms are required in all sleeping rooms, outside the sleeping rooms, and on each story of the dwelling including the basement.  Exceptions are allowed for additions and renovations.

In Conclusion

I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of material covered in Chapter 3 of the International Residential Code. For those of you new to the Code, this is a great place to start and familiarize yourself with its requirements.  Those of you have been in the business for a while; this is a great chapter to frequently review because of the amount of information covered in it.  Unless otherwise noted, I have referenced the International Residential Code, 2006.

tinbug Articles, Residential Code residential

Recently, I performed a preliminary inspection on an eight story building whose upper 5 floors were being converted into residential lofts. Framing was near completion on one of the upper floors and trade work had been started. One of the first things I look at any residential use in a multistory building are:

1. Where does the bathroom exhaust go?
2. Are there clothes dryers and if so where do they vent? And…
3. Where does the heating and cooling come from?

I am looking to see if shaft requirements have been met.
On this occasion I found both the dryer duct and the bathroom exhaust entering into a single shaft.  The bathroom exhaust was protected by a fire damper at its penetration to the shaft.  The 4’ dryer duct was only firestopped at its penetration.  The shaft and ducts terminated at the 7th floor where an undampered 10” duct penetrated the shaft and terminated at an exterior wall of the building. The building was of type 1B construction and was fully sprinklered.  The design was reviewed under the 2003 Michigan Existing Building Code.

Smoke and Fire Dampers Required

Section 716.5.3.1 is very specific in requiring both fire and smoke dampers where ducts penetrate a shaft. There are many exceptions but none that allow either penetrations to be installed without a smoke damper.  Although the building code does not address dryer ducts, I know that dryer ducts cannot be dampered in any way. This would create surfaces for lint to accumulate and create a fire hazard.

Catch 22

While the State of Michigan had not adopted the 2006 International Building Code at the time, it had adopted the 2006 International Mechanical Code. Under the ICC, chapter 6 of the Mechanical Code and chapter 7 of the Building code have been nearly identical for the section on “Ducts and Air Transfer Openings”.  The 2006 now allows an exception for smoke dampers for dryer ducts, kitchen and bathroom exhaust in Groups R and B (previously this exception had only been for bathroom exhausts in B uses only). This exception is allowed under the following conditions:

1. The building is sprinkled with an NFPA13 system.
2. The openings into the shafts are installed with steel subducts at least .019 inch thick.
3. The subducts must extend at least 22 inches vertically into the shaft.
4. An exhaust fan is installed at the top of the shaft.  This fan must continuously run and be connected to an approved “standby” power source.

With some modifications (subducts and exhaust fan at top of shaft) this installation can bypass both the fire and smoke dampers. (There is an exception for fire dampers in any use group if you install subducts-provided there is a continuous airflow upward to the outside.  The only foreseeable problem is the 10 inch duct at the upper floor.  Subducting would be not be practical because of constraints of air flow, lint accumulation and height. The shaft could be continued horizontally to the exterior wall of the building bypassing any fire/smoke damper requirements.  The final issue is the renovation was reviewed under 2003 IBC and these changes do not exist in that code. The builder would have to apply for administrative relief through the local Authority Having Jurisdiction.

tinbug Articles Commercial, Mechanical

With the Advent of the International Family of Codes, we have come closer than ever to having a uniform building code throughout the United States.  The International family of Codes came about when the three model code organizations Boca, ICCBO, SBC got together and worked towards developing a single building code.

A Little History

No story about codes would be complete if we didn’t talk about Hammurabi.  King of the Babylonian Empire, Hammurabi created the first known building code in 2200 B.C..  It was a little light on technical information, no span tables or egress requirements.  It simply stated that if a builder built a crappy house and it collapsed, whatever happened to the occupants would happen to the Builder.  If the homeowner’s son lost his legs in the collapse, then the builder’s son would have to have his legs removed.

The first codes in the U.S. were the results of massive fires in some of our larger cities. Chicago created a building code in 1875 after insurers threatened to cancel insurance for properties in that city. In 1915 Building Officials Conference of America (BOCA) was founded. They published the BOCA National Building Code.  This was used primarily in the east and Midwest.  In 1922 The Pacific Coast Building Code Conference (later the International Conference of Building Officials-ICBO) adopted the Uniform Building Code.  Finally, in 1940, the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) published the Standard Building Code. These were the three model codes that were used in the U.S. Today they are known as the legacy model code organizations.  In 1972 the Council of American Building Officials is formed and they produce the One and Two Family Dwelling Code.
In 1994 the three legacy codes created the International Code Council to develop a single set of model construction codes, publishing their first, The International Plumbing Code, in 1995.
One of the first orders of business for the three codes was to reorganize their codes to a single format.   This not only enabled the writers of the new International Codes to compare requirements of each code when creating the new code, it assisted users of the legacy codes to locate requirements in the new code easier.  An example is in the mid 90’s; all three codes’ Chapter on egress was changed to chapter 10.  When the International Code was published, users could easily find subjects although most found major changes to the subject matter.

What is a Code?

Building codes are regulations, when adopted by a municipality becomes law. Previously, most municipalities or states adopted one of the four model codes with amendments specific to their locale.
The purpose of building codes is to protect health, safety and welfare of the public by providing standards in construction.  I must stress that codes are minimum standards only.  The most important goal of codes is the protection of human life.  Property protection is also a concern of the code although life-safety always overrides property protection.  An example of this is slide bolts not being allowed on exit doors.  During the many inspections I’ve done of small commercial buildings, I have found rear exit doors secured with numerous “unapproved” locking devices.  I am told (by the owner) these are necessary to secure against break-ins. The code maintains life-safety over property protection and does not allow these locks. They must be removed.

Types of Codes

There are two types of codes-specification codes and performance codes. A specification code lists exactly what can be used.  For example Section 502.7.1 of the Residential Code requires Joist bridging to be …..”solid blocking, diagonal bridging, or a continuous 1-inch-by-3-inch strip nailed…..”  A performance code states a purpose that is intended and allows the designer to select the method of accomplishing this purpose. An example would be R801.2 “…..Ceiling construction shall be capable of accommodating all loads imposed…..”  The International Codes contain both types of codes.

Changes in the Code

The ICC publishes an updated set of codes every three years.  In the margin of the text you will see the occasional dark vertical line.  This means there has been a technical change in the code from the previous edition.  A small arrow indicates where an item has been deleted.  The State of Michigan, where I reside, makes state amendments to the ICC Codes.  The code is then published as The Michigan Building (Mechanical, plumbing etc.) Code.  In addition to the dark vertical lines and arrows, they use double vertical lines to indicate state changes to the code and an asterisk to denote International Code sections that were not adopted. While explaining how these changes are made to a code merits a whole other article, it is important to note that anyone can submit a code change, and hearings open to the public are held to discuss both sides of code changes.  Final say as to adopt or deny a change is left up to the “regulators”, those who enforce the code.

IBC vs. IRC

The scope of the International Residential Code and The International Building code is clearly defined.  Section 101.2 of the IRC defines it’s scope as construction, alteration……etc. of “detached, one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade in height with a separate means of egress…”  The one and two family part is easy.  For townhouses we must look at its definition in chapter 2.  “….each unit extends from foundation to roof and with open spaces on at least two sides”.  Now we easily understand townhouses (remember separate means of egress and no more than 3 stories).  Let’s say we have a condominium complex where one building has units in the middle that meet the townhouse parameters.  On the ends of these units we have “stacked ranches”-different units on top of each other.  Even though we are providing a 2-hr horizontal separation (required 2-hr separation for townhouses in section R317.2), we are unable to use the IRC to build this building.  It must be reviewed under the IBC (bringing fire suppression into the picture).
Maybe not!! R317.2 considers each townhouse to be a separate building.  Could you secure permits for each townhouse and review it under the IRC and secure permits for the stacked ranches using the IBC for review.  I believe you can.  This is where the design professional should solicit the opinion of the local official in the predesign stages.

Referenced Standards

An interesting note on the IRC-it is an all inclusive document.  That is it not only contains the building requirements but also mechanical, electrical and plumbing codes.  Just read the 500 plus pages of the IRC and you’ll know all the requirements for building these dwellings.  Not really.  In chapter 43 of the IRC and in Ch 35 of the IBC we have a number of pages of “Referenced Standards”.  These standards become part of the code, sometimes partially or sometimes in their entirety, depending on how they are referenced.
An example of this would be “The Wood Frame Construction Manual for One-and Two-Family Dwellings” from American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA).  This is reference in section R301.2.1.1 as one of the 5 methods of design for high wind/hurricane prone regions.  This document now becomes part of the code for these regions.

Free Advice

First and foremost, you should know which code the jurisdiction you are working in enforces.  You should have a copy of it also.  As far as understanding it, attending educational seminars is a great start but on any project I recommend you make contact with your local authority in the planning stages.  Contrary to common belief, most inspectors do not take pleasure in making you tear down what you have built.  Don’t wait until you’ve roughed-in 12 floors of a residential loft development before making contact with your inspector.

tinbug Articles