Customer Reviews

Contractor's Guide to the Building Code: Based on the 2006 Ibc & Irc

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is interesting but it is written fron the point of view of a building inspector and not a contractor. If you are looking for a plain text book on what the code says - this is not for you. The author makes a habit of refering the reader to the IBC itself to get an answer and does not generally interpret the code for you.

This is a well written guide to the building codes. It covers a lot of
material that you don't get in "how to build" books. The fact that
this book has been rewritten multiple times over the years shows
(it's a good thing). He'd stated that he started keeping a "top
mistakes" notebook, and that when it grew to 10 pages long, people
started asking for a copy.

It's very much a practical book, covering a lot of the more common
building problems and reasons for code issues. I wish contractors that
I've had over the years had read this. I seriously doubt many of my
contractors have read the codes. It's organized well enough that
you can skim through quickly if you don't want to learn about "plaster
on lath".

There is a lot of information on occupancies and fire codes/egress
issues that you don't find elsewhere.

3 notes:
1) You probably still want a copy of the codes.
2) You still need to construction guide on how to do "plaster on lath"
if that's your game. this just tells you what code requires in terms
of thickness and materials.
3) Very little engineering guidance.

The only reason it's not 5 stars? Hmm. everything shouldn't get
5 stars, but this is a good book. If you're a contractor, you'll save
10x this amount for your first correction.