The Intersection of Code and Construction in Outdoor Living

Explore the secrets of exceptional outdoor living design by industry-leading experts. You'll dive deep into the critical elements of deck and railing design, from navigating complex code compliance and safety requirements to selecting innovative materials that balance durability and environmental consciousness. Learn cutting-edge techniques for strategic lighting, structural integrity, and professional construction methods that elevate outdoor spaces from ordinary to extraordinary. This podcast goes beyond traditional training, offering insider insights that will empower you to create stunning, functional, and compliant outdoor environments that inspire and endure. Whether you're an architect, contractor, designer, or other building professional, this course will transform your approach to outdoor living, turning your projects into true masterpieces of design and functionality.

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Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the SpecShaman podcast, the show that explores the world of building product manufacturers, architects and engineers, sustainable design and technology and trends. We engage in thought provoking discussions with renowned experts, industry pioneers, and visionaries who are making a significant impact in the construction industry. Join us as we explore groundbreaking ideas, revolutionary concepts, and the latest advancements shaping the built environment.

The SpecShaman podcast is hosted by Laura Elliott, the lead instructional designer at Ron Blank & Associates. Laura is a seasoned interviewer with a passion for uncovering the untold stories behind success. I hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Let's get started. Welcome to the Blueprint of Outdoor Living podcast. I'm Laura Elliott, and I'm joined here today with Jeff Cirovi, architectural sales manager for KeyLink, and Jason Fora, VP of marketing development.

Combined, these gentlemen have decades of experience in manufacturing and wholesale building materials distribution across various product lines and bring a wealth of expertise to the table. Welcome to you both. Thank you, Laura.

I'm excited to kick off this second episode of this wonderful series, and we're going to look at some code compliance and challenges over engineering and perfect builds. So let's get it started. Can you explain the importance of code compliance in construction projects? Well, I'll take a stab at that.

Code compliance is set in the United States by the International Code Council, ICC. And it breaks it out into two separate categories, the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. Most of our product and references in our podcast will be focused on residential applications.

Therefore, the IRC, the International Residential Code, will be the code that we oftentimes refer to. So what are the common code challenges that you see contractors face on a day to day? The biggest challenge, I think, is just consistency. Every code jurisdiction is different.

Although they all adopt some form of the code, it's interpretation. And so Steve mentioned it in his portion, but knowing who your local code official is, knowing what they're looking for, knowing what those nuances maybe are, it's going to help you be a better contractor, a better design professional, for sure, because there are some discrepancies. There are a couple of places in the country where they still do not allow, even though it's code, they don't allow horizontal cable.

And we know that they reintroduced that back in early 2000s, right, Jeff? Correct. And they approved it. And so there are some locations, Fairfax, Virginia, Fairfax County doesn't like you to do that, and parts of Chicago are also in the same, you know, in the same interpretation of that code.

So it's just important to know, you know, it helps you to better plan, it helps you to better set better expectations with your clients, and helps you keep things on the track, on track, you know, in a timely fashion also. When we look at code compliance, code compliance for contractors typically falls into the anchorage of the railing post to the substrate, could be a wood, a deck made out of composite material with a wood substructure. We're starting to see today a lot of new materials coming into the structures, structural components for decks, aluminum components, steel components.

Typically we look at how that product is, the post is anchored into that structure. Additionally, code also requires certain deflections. Deflection is also a consideration for code compliance.

Railings today must meet or exceed the requirements set forth by the ICC for deflection, both at the post, in the center of the post, at the post brackets. We test the post, and we all test them as a manufacturer, I speak for my company Keeling, we test them to the point of failure and beyond to create the best possible product out there. So how do municipalities handle inspection challenges? As Jay mentioned before, it comes down to interpretation.

First and foremost, the ICC updates the code every three years. The most current code that we're looking at today is the 2024 code, which will be revisited over the next three years and reintroduced again with changes in 2027. So depending on the state, the state typically adopts a code year.

Many states today are 2018, 2021. Very few changes from 21 to 24, but however, there's a process in which all that is then incorporated into state codes and then downstream down to the local municipalities. It's important as we speak to architects and designers alike to know what code year the state and subsequent municipality is working with so that we have an understanding of which direction we're going in and knowing that upfront.

Yeah, it's definitely a tangle, you know, all the different, yeah, fire safety is the same thing. We even get to the point where, I'm sorry, Laura, I didn't mean to speak over you, but we even get into a point where there's interpretation. They read a document or a subsection of the code and it's how one interprets that.

And there's a process in which, if it's interpreted a certain way, there's a challenge process or a process in which we can go back as either a manufacturer or a contractor to go back and have that reviewed once again. But it is interesting. Now, many things are up to interpretation.

And one of the biggest loopholes on that, or at least discrepancies that I would see is the lighting code. You know, they state in the lighting code that you have to have visual light to go down through the stairs and hit the landing at the bottom of that stair structure. And last time I checked, I've never seen anyone in the code system come out after dark and use a light meter to see if that light actually gets to the bottom.

So, yeah, I mean, you need to have your stairs lit up, right? So, we typically tell people on stairs, you know, as a good rule, you know, there are some things you may have to do above and beyond. We talk about what separates and maybe makes a better contractor or a better design professional, you know, being aware of that and knowing maybe there is a discrepancy. You can just be proactive and adjust it accordingly.

You know, the term lighted paths of egress is part of the code. And it takes on a meaning for both residential and more so for commercial applications. Commercially speaking, you're liable for, you know, injury if it's not properly lighted.

There's some challenges there. We're just working on a project right now that we're spending a lot of time and energy around making certain that the lighting aspect for the ramps and the stairways are more than adequate because of the liability challenges that are present. So, lighting is a key consideration.

How do we look at welding and hardware? Are there key considerations for welding materials in construction? Most of the manufacturers today in the residential space are constructing their railing systems with anchorage into the post with a type of sheet metal screw or self-tapping screw, if I may. The posts are anchored into the substrate, depending on what that substrate is. It's typically an anchor of a certain diameter and length, preferred with a nut and washer on the bottom so that it's anchored securely into that structure.

Welding seldom is used in the residential side. However, you may have some shop built or some other types of assemblies that on a commercial basis may have some welding involved with that. However, there's certain prescribed methods in welding, making sure that the materials clean after that prior to finishing.

Jay mentioned earlier there's some challenges out there that you have to be very aware of when welding on site. Yes, some of those challenges really come down to, you know, do you have a consistent testing method? If you're getting items done from a custom fabrication shop, you know, when we work with the folks at KeyLink, they test their posts on a certain increment and they test them for failure. So they know that, you know, there's a lot of metrics behind that that are very accurate and very time proven.

Whereas if you're getting a custom job done and not only does steel corrode and it can have problems, you know, being on the coast and then with water in general, there's not a really good method of testing when those products are made custom. So when we're looking at hardware and fasteners, how are they used to up a standard? Well, let's go back to my wheelhouse, which is aluminum railing assemblies. And manufacturers today, including my company, are manufacturing systems that are designed to be incorporated with the post that is provided by that manufacturer.

And subsequently the fastener or the anchorage method from the railing section into that post is prescribed and tested. Oftentimes it's even supplied. What is not supplied in these instances would be the anchorage of the post to that substrate because we just don't know as a manufacturer, and I'm speaking all manufacturers, do not know what that substrate is going to be.

There's recommendations for those post anchorage, but there is not a prescribed fastener. I think I'm glad to work with engineers and I've worked on some projects already where we've had to go out and have an engineer describe or prescribe a anchorage method with a particular diameter and like the post and the threading, so on and so forth. And that's available.

We're glad to do that if we need to. But day in and day out, contractors typically purchase a anchor from their building supply material supply house and they use them. The biggest challenge would be oftentimes that they're using a lag screw, not a lag bolt that typically would require a nut and washer detail and oftentimes a bracket, almost like an elongated washer to support that.

We're not worried about the post failing. We're worried about the connection failing through that blocking, hence the detail that we test for and demonstrate in our drawings pretty much across the industry. So what are the most critical aspects of working with contractors? Setting expectations.

Oftentimes contractors are looking for products that hopefully they're looking for products that meet or exceed code requirements. Manufacturers today in our space will be producing products that meet or exceed code, but it's ultimately up to the contractor. There's products available from all over the globe where we're a global society now.

People can buy product online. It doesn't mean it's necessarily tested. So they need to make certain that we're setting expectations.

Those critical aspects would be code compliance and making certain that they have the correct product for that. I think it's equally important when you're looking at those expectations to know what your suppliers can get. We have a lot of folks, there's a lot of special order products you can get, which are typically four to five-week lead times.

But what ends up happening inevitably is if you don't know exactly what your local distribution channel has on the ground, you may be let down because you missed one part and then you can't get it or you ordered something online and maybe it's out of stock. Maybe it's something that you're not familiar with. So pick products that you know the local manufacturing.

Talk to your local manufacturers. Talk to your local supply chains. Figure out and know what you're getting opposed to on a whim just letting your client pick a product that they saw online and it looked nice and shiny like a fishing lure and you follow it to your demise.

It's not always the most efficient path just because you saw it on the website. Talk about an extended lead time. You know? Exactly.

Yeah, exactly. So how do we incorporate HSW, health, safety, and welfare into regulations that influence construction projects? Well, I think just making sure your contractors, again, and your design professionals are up to speed on what those codes are and what those products they're specifying. There are companies that will have products available that don't meet IRC code ratings.

And there's a lot of, we see a lot of this in multifamily where you have a very competitive bid on a very large job. Most of those jobs for multifamily are probably going to run six figures or more. Tendency, right, would be to lean in and go and get, oh, I can save 5% or I can save 10%.

And they don't go that route. Again, having another person you can lean on to give a good recommendation. Jeff and I are just working on a project right now in Myrtle Beach with a contractor where he came to me with an example of what to do.

I gave him the examples that meet commercial, right, 42 high. But he also was within a mile of the coast. And I said, you really need to use a coastal coating, a 2605 powder coating.

There's so many companies out there that don't even offer a 2605. So again, he could have easily pushed that project through because they were asking for his recommendation. They weren't asking for a specific 2605.

So knowing what specs are, knowing, again, just knowing people in the industry that you can lean on, that's really important. I can't stress that enough. I think relationships are still important.

We still value those in our business. I see more and more of a trend though move away from that in some ways on a small percentage. And they just do it because the attraction of a lower price catches their eye.

And it's not always worth it. But that can always lead to some legal complications if you are bottom dollaring a project and you don't really understand the compliance and the safety and the performance that you need to have for a project. And I think there's always like an evolutionary cycle happening there where people will say, well, this is cost effective.

But it really isn't in the long term because you can run into some significant challenges, especially in commercial spaces. So are there other legal considerations that contractors should be aware of? Yeah, I mean, as far as Jeff can cover that, but as far as making sure you're tested and code rated, right? If people fall off of a high balcony, I mean, that's, you know, I stayed in a local hotel chain, you know, worldwide and at the beach and they obviously had specified steel and the steel components were rusted. They were extremely rusted.

So, I mean, at what level does failure happen there? Does it have to happen where someone leans in with some kids and they fall off to their death? I mean, it does happen in America, unfortunately, very sadly, but it shouldn't have to be that way, right? You shouldn't have steel, my opinion, with fittings on the coast. They're going to corrode and there's nobody there with the corroding meter, you know, waiting for things to corrode. And we know that they're compromised once that happens.

One of the aspects that's happened over the last, I'll say, 10 or 15 years now is that contractors must be registered within the state. Living in Pennsylvania, as I do, each contractor must have a state registration. I know in many states today, not only do they have to be registered or licensed, if I may, within their state that they work in, but they also have to take con