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It’s pretty darn obvious that the colder nights are coming. For most of us, that means nothing more than reluctantly starting up the wood stove, or setting a baseboard heater.

But for builders, cold weather means a bunch of considerations – or a stop to some kinds of construction entirely. Here’s a quick rundown on Code-enforceable temperature limits:

Concrete (9.3.1.9): When the air temperature is below 5°C, concrete shall be

  • a) kept at a temperature of not less than 10°C or more than 25°C while being mixed and placed, and
  • b) maintained at a temperature of not less than 10°C for 72 h after placing.

Mortar (9.20.14.1): Mortar and masonry shall be maintained at a temperature not below 5°C during installation and for not less than 48 h after installation.

Stucco: (9.28.6.1): 

  • 1) The base for stucco shall be maintained above freezing.
  • 2) Stucco shall be maintained at a temperature of not less than 10°C during application, and for not less than 48 h afterwards.

Drywall mud: (9.29.5.10): In cold weather, heat shall be provided to maintain a temperature not below 10°C for 48 h prior to taping and finishing and maintained for not less than 48 h thereafter.

Now, juuuuust in case you and your loved ones are arguing over what the correct indoor temperature should be, here’s what the National Building Code of Canada says: “At the outside winter design temperature, required heating facilities shall be capable of maintaining an indoor air temperature of not less than

  • a) 22°C in all living spaces,
  • b) 18°C in unfinished basements,
  • c) 18°C in common service rooms, ancillary spaces and exits in houses with a secondary suite, and
  • d) 15°C in heated crawl spaces.”

"The Span Book" is an indispensable tool for builders and contractors.

We don’t often promote anything in these posts, but today is an exception. Shown here is an image of one of our most-used books: and it’s not the bulky, insomnia-slaying Code book, either.

This is the “Span table” book from the Canadian Wood Council (link here: https://webstore.cwc.ca/product/canadian-span-book-2009-4/ )

For those of you who lirez le francais, a French version is also available.

This book provides pretty much every possible joist, rafter, beam and lintel configuration possible, and is an essential tool for those folks who are doing renovations, small additions, garages, sheds and the like.

And it’s Code-compliant: the tables in the Wood Council book actually drive the tables in the National Building Code, but are more detailed.

It’s what we use to verify joist loads, deck loads, rafter assemblies during our plans reviews and our on-site inspections.

Today's post from our building inspection department is short and sweet - but important.
When you receive your building or development permit (they're printed on yellow paper) please post the permit in a prominent location.
This lets everyone know that you've been a good, law-abiding, permit-obtaining citizen.
It also does help our inspectors find your site when they are out and about doing field work.
Oh, yeah, it's also the law: by regulation, neighbours can appeal a building permit during  a period from 10 days after it's been posted. 
Now, we know that the lovely yellow paper doesn't fare well against wind, rain and the other elements: that's why, starting October, we started mailing permits with a handy-dandy plastic sheet .  Or, alternately, photocopy it place it on the inside of a window visible from the street.
Thanks - and happy building!

Hopefully, by now, reading these pages knows our enforcement folks at the planning department are really working on making sure decks are built using Code-compliant 6x6 posts.
The message is getting out, because we’re seeing fewer decks built using 4x4 posts, and fewer attached decks built using deck blocks (which really, shouldn’t be used for most decks at all!)
However, another issue has emerged that needs a bit of attention: folks attaching what are intended to be load-bearing elements (beams) to the sides of posts.
Our message, in two words, “Please don’t.”
Beams for decks must be fully supported by resting atop load-bearing posts.

We could bore you with all the jargon in the Code book, but the basic take-away is this: beams must be supported by resting atop a load-bearing element.

This means that beams for decks have to be attached to the top of posts. (See image), and that anything else is not structurally sound by Code.
Sadly, there are some who will screw a crossmember intended to be a deck beam to the side of a post. This means that all the weight the beam or single joist carries is transferred to the screws used to hold it in place.
A Code-compliant 6x6 post can handle more than 10,000 pounds of weight while on a good day a screw can only handle a hundred pounds or so: there’s no comparison, when you think about it.
This is why we urge anyone thinking about a deck – either as a before-winter project or a dream for next spring – to call us first. As part of the permit application process, our inspectors will evaluate your plans and help you do it right.
We serve all the unincorporated areas of Charlotte and southern York counties, as well as Harvey, McAdam, Saint Andrews and St. George.

For the most part, those of us living in New Brunswick escaped the wrath of Hurricane Dorian – but as images and video from Nova Scotia show, the power of a hurricane is immense.

And New Brunswick will be hit: it’s not a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when” a hurricane will hit us. The lesson? Prepare now.

Hurricanes cause damage in two key ways: high winds and flooding/storm surges.
Here’s what our inspectors suggest as things to do in forthcoming renovations or new builds to better weather a hurricane.

1) Use hurricane ties to secure rafters/trusses to roof plates. This is easy to do in a new build, not so easy to do in a renovation setting.

A hurricane clip used in this outdoor deck roof. Exposed roofs (carports, verandas) are susceptible to wind uplift, so going with hurricane ties is a wise way to help mitigate the threat of wind damage.

2) Specify heel or drop-chord trusses in new builds. This allows for exterior sheathing to help tie rafters to the rest of the building

3) Over-use eaves protection membrane. In many cases, the combination of high winds and intense rainfall causes water to be wind-driven in places it normally doesn’t go. Alternately, roofs are exposed to rain after the winds remove shingles. Flashing roof joints with ice and water shield membrane, even when not called for by Code, can help reduce water damage.

4) Avoid gable roofs. Though popular, gable roofs present a face to wind that other roofing systems (hip style, in particular) do not.

5) Plan for strong wind and rain by pre-building a blocking system for roofs vented using an end-gable vent.

6) When using soffit-and-peak venting, only provide as much soffit venting as required by Code, to reduce wind intrusion into attics

7) Over-nail roof sheathing to truss/rafter members. Codes for U.S. areas subjected to high wind mandate nailing every six inches on all truss members, not just at sheathing joints.

8) Avoid staples for fastening asphalt shingles. Areas of the U.S. exposed to hurricanes mandate roofing nails, because they perform better in high-wind situations.

9) Build so that valuable portions of a home will be above flood levels.

10) For homes in areas subject to flooding, raise them using concrete walls that have “vents” at the sides to allow for easy infiltration and outflow of flood waters.

An illustration on best practice for building in anticipation of flooding. The lower portion, shown here, is built with concrete or concrete block, extending to 1 metre above expected worse-case flood level.

11) Install a backflow prevention valve.

A backflow prevention valve: for less than $100, this simple device can help reduce flood damage from backed-up sewers

12) Place outbuildings on concrete slabs or other footings.

These tips are taken from our “preparing for climate change” pamphlet, or a more comprehensive “preparing for climate change – a guide for builders” available for free at our offices.

This low-cost, over-the-counter screw pile is not suited for use on attached decks, platforms or stairs. (Contractor-supplied, Code-compliant piles are, however, suitable.)

We have run into a few issues of late with homeowners and contractors using an over-the-counter screw pile available over-the-counter from hardware stores. While advertised as a foundation screw for decks, these piles are NOT acceptable for attached decks. For one, they only allow for the attachment of a 3.5-inch post which is not Code-compliant for bearing any kind of deck load. Secondly they have not been approved as Code-compliant by the National Research Council of Canada, which oversees testing of construction products.

Please ensure that if you are using helical piles that they are the kind compliant for attached decks, and have met the engineering tests required to ensure they meet Code. Yes, they may cost more, but there is a wealth of testing to make sure they will do what they say they can do.

As always, please contact our planning and inspections department (and apply for/receive a permit) before beginning construction: you don’t want to rebuild an improperly-constructed deck, and we don’t want that to happen either.

We serve the unincorporated rural regions of Charlotte and southern York counties as well as the municipalities of Saint Andrews, St. George, McAdam and Harvey. If you live in any of those areas,

call us (466-7369) to make sure you have all required permits. That way, our team of professionally trained and certified building inspectors can ensure your plans meet or exceed the requirements of the National Building Code of Canada (2010 edition) which in turn will give you the confidence that your project will be done right the first time.

Concrete forms rest atop footings in this new build. Our inspectors check footing width as part of every plans review we do.

They’re usually hidden, done quickly in those early and heady days of new construction, but the footings upon which your new home rests are among the most critical of building elements.

Footings need to be set on undisturbed soil, or – as needs be – on compacted, clean, well-draining fill. They also need to be below the depth of frost, which is 1.2 metres or 4’, in general. Those who have rocky building sites may be able to set frost walls directly onto rock – call our inspectors to make sure, however.

A basic one-storey wood-frame home demands a minimum footing width of 25 cm, or just about 10 inches. That’s pretty scant, and most builders will go well beyond that, which we don’t mind: remember, Code is the bare minimum acceptable, and nothing stops a builder from going above and beyond.

We didn’t see large footings required for residential builds, because the above width was good for spans of up to 16 feet (4.9 metres). However, with the growing popularity of engineered trusses, we’ve started seeing homes with open joist spans of 25, 30, even 35 feet: the greater the joist span, the wider the footing must be.

For example, a one-storey stick home with a 25-foot joist span will require a 15 1/2” footing. A 30-foot span would need 18 1/2” footings.

Add another storey on to a build, and the demands on footings increase: a 25-foot joist span on a two-storey home will demand a footing of just more than 21 inches.

ICF (insulated concrete form) houses also require heavier footings, as does brick fascia.

Confused? Don’t be. Our inspectors are trained to calculate these numbers for you as part of the plans review we do on each new home build or addition sent our way. It’s one of the many reasons why (apart from the fact it’s the law) that you need to obtain a permit.

“I didn’t know I needed a permit: I don’t live in town.”

Our development officers and building inspectors hear this line a lot, even though permits have been required throughout the province since 2002.
Here’s the 411 on permits in our area.

First off, our team of planners have worked with the towns of St. George and Saint Andrews, as well as the villages of Harvey and McAdam to streamline building bylaws. Residents of those communities can now build small buildings of 600 square feet area or less, including garages, with a development permit.

This matches a long-standing policy for the unincorporated areas. In fact, outside of a municipality, accessory buildings can be quite large, and yet still only require a $50 development permit.

If a permit is required, we’ll make sure that a structure is located in a suitable place, far enough from any neighbours, roads, or designated wetlands. (And if wetlands are involved, we’ll make sure you have the right provincial permits to build, and help you through the process.)

The development permit structure for unincorporated areas also allow construction of small camps (residential buildings) of 625 square feet or less.
Bottom line? Call us and ask.

This week’s post is an interesting tip about levels. Did you know that not all levels are, in fact, level? In more than a few cases, the glass (plastic) arcs that hold the bubble are, in many cases, microscopically twisted.
Before buying a level, here’s how to verify that it’s accurate.

Bring the bubble into "level" by adding objects, if needed.

Put the level on a horizontal surface, and bring it to where the bubble reads “level” by adding objects at one end (like business cards, coins, etc.)

Then rotate the level so that the end that was on your right is now on your left. If the level is accurate, the bubble should be in the same position.
If it isn’t, then the bubble is wrong, and the level isn’t level.

In the image shown here, this is the bubble after the level has been swapped left-to-right. It no longer shows level! This means this "level" is going back to the hardware store.

After turning the level 180 degrees, the bubble that showed level no longer does. This means the bubble is not accurate, and the level cannot, in fact, show "level."

When you find one that is, repeat the process for the vertical axis – put the level on a vertical (wall) and pad it out with something at the bottom until it reads level, then flip the top and the bottom. If it reads the same both ways, the level is also accurate on the vertical bubble as well.

Sometimes, a plain and simple question has a not-so-plain-and-simple answer. Take guards around a deck, for example, or a handrail on stairs. What height do they have to be?

Answer: it depends.

Let’s start at the basics. A guard is a horizontal object – usually wood, sometimes steel – that is intended to prevent someone from falling from a height when there’s an open space. So you’ll see guards around decks, or on stairs when one or both sides are open.

In general, guards are required when there is a height difference of 60 cm or more. In a home, exterior and interior guards have to be 90 cm in height, minimum. That’s 35.4 inches, although most contractors will build to 36 inches, or three feet.

One of our inspectors verifies the height of an exterior guard. It's 96 cm high: is that good? Read the full article to find out!

However, there are some situations where greater guard heights are required. For example, a guard on an exterior platform (deck) has to be 107 cm high (42 inches) if the height to finished grade is 1.8 metres or more.

Guards must be 107 cm high in all non-residential situations, both interior and exterior.

Now, what about handrails? These serve a different function: they’re for grasping as one goes up and down stairs. Height of handrails should be 86.5 to 96.5 cm (34-38 inches) high, except where guards are required. In that case, they can also range up to 107 cm in height. What that means, in simple language, is that in most cases, handrails are incorporated into the guard.

In general, guards should be closed with either balusters separated by gaps no more 10 cm gaps, or tempered glass.

Questions? Give us a call at 466-7369.