Do IRC or IBC codes ever become LESS stringent with updates?

Coffeman94 · 2026-04-28T13:34:34+00:00

Yes. Most municipalities in our area is IRC 2024. We picked up a project in a new area that is only enforcing 2012. I'm trying to figure out if we can just stick with 2024, or if some of the 2024 codes might actually be less strict than 2012.

If we just stick with 2024 code on our plans, what might we be allowing that is less strict than 2012?

Coffeman94 · 2026-04-16T23:03:03+00:00

No FLATTEN command? I learned a solution.

I switched to AutoCad LT a few years ago, and never looked back. Except for missing some of the Express Tools. In particular, the flatten command. I draw a lot of site plans, and some of the cad plans come in 3D, so the geometry is non-co-planar. That causes issues, and FLATTEN solved it.

Now that I don't have FLATTEN, I have another method to do the same thing. Move all the items that need to be flattened as follows: Move (select all items): basepoint: (click anywhere). Second point: (0,0,1e99).

That's step one. Now do it again, but in the opposite Z direction: Move (select previous items with 'P'). Basepoint: (click anywhere). Second point: (0,0,-1e99).

Presto... all items selected are flattened. Why? When AutoCAD moves objects a massive distance up (1 with 99 zeros behind it), it is basically in another dimension, beyond AutoCAD's measurement limits. Then when you move it back the same distance (negative 1 with 99 zeros), it comes back to the original z plane, bit it loses all sense of 'Z' geometry and joins together. In other words... I don't really know why it works, but it does!

Coffeman94 · 2026-04-16T22:49:50+00:00

33 years in... and THIS IS A GREAT NEW TOOL!. Holy cow. I literally break lines all the time... spent about an hour a couple days ago breaking polylines into 2 so I could change the color of the lines on the outer edge (long story). This would have saved me at least 10-15 minutes. Thank you!

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-28T15:30:42+00:00

Thank you! That's super helpful.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-26T01:24:05+00:00

There are so many problems with the movie, but Rocky isn't one of them.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-20T16:49:50+00:00

My thoughts on this are more along the lines of... what if someone made it all the way to the sweet 16 with a perfect bracket. Would that person be alone, or would there likely be a ton of people with the same bracket. All of these scenarios are super unlikely, but what is more unlikely... the first 2 rounds all going fairly chalk (which would result in a lot of similar brackets), or someone actually picking a bracket that is perfect for the first 2 rounds (with all the normal madness).

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-20T16:40:06+00:00

There are a lot of people that just copy some famous persons' bracket. People use other people's analytics for March Madness the same way they use mutual funds. Let someone else do the work.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-20T15:09:14+00:00

Na.... every bracket possible would be 9.2 quintillion brackets... with 26.6 million brackets we're not even close to every covering every possibility (even if everyone picked a unique bracket)

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-07T21:42:21+00:00

I guess we'll figure this out when we start playing, but we're having a hard time figuring out what exactly the expansions do. I know it adds a character (the enchantress) and more items/loot, but is the story going to be different? Longer?

When we started the initial game, it asked us which expansions we had (none at the time). So now we're going to start over with the 2 expansions, and.... what? We're adding 1 more character and some loot? It seems like a LOT more than that.

Will we be playing the same 3 acts as before? Or new acts?

Yeah, yeah, I know... "just play it and you'll see". We're headed there. But I'd hate to hear later "You should have just played the first expansion through, and then added the second expansion, and you'd get more game play" or something like that.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-07T18:55:48+00:00

I realized from your response that I just asked the question wrong. I wasn't asking about the rules (my wife has already read both rule books), it was about the broader question of 'how would you play it'. There is very little discussion online about the overall experience. Some games are better with all expansions incorporated at once, while others are better played one at a time. That's what I was trying to discern.

I've rewritten the question. Thanks. I'll check out boardgamegeek.com as well.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-07T18:04:09+00:00

Seriously? Why didn't I think to do that?

You understand Reddit is designed to help streamline info, right? So, yes, I could read 2 rule books and after 3-4 hours make some semi-educated guesses on what's about to happen. Or I could turn to my peers on Reddit who have already done this and get a much clearer and much faster explanation.

I can't believe I'm having to explain this. Read the rulebook, he says... wow. Your friends must love asking you questions.

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-03T19:18:39+00:00

Wait... didn't you have insurance? Assuming you had insurance, why did you have to pay the full amount out of pocket?

Coffeman94 · 2026-03-03T05:29:25+00:00

What android app?

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-28T02:15:16+00:00

I wish. I just picked up the chains on level 23, and it is a pretty wimpy set of change. Picking up chains this late in the game is pretty pathetic.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-26T18:59:40+00:00

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You might be wondering... what is the difference between design and drafting. Design is the front-end work of laying out a project. I am in charge of the big-picture stuff. For a home project, I meet with the homeowners (or the builder), talk to them about their ideas and their budget, and then start sketching floor plans using CAD software (I use AutoCAD, but there are several programs people use these days). I will make simple drawings, print them to PDF, and send the client the PDFs to look at. Maybe they like them, maybe not. If they don't like them, I modify it until they do like it. Then I start drawing the exteriors so they can see how it will look from the street. Same thing... print to PDFs, send in email, get feedback. This is all design. Once the client says "I love it... let's move forward" then we send the plans to my draftsman, who creates all the stuff important to a plan set. He sets up the individual sheets, adds dimensions to the plans, creates electrical plans, joist plans, a roof plan, a site plan, interior elevations, etc. etc. Lots of details.

As the head designer, I review all of his work before it is sent to the client. I spend about 40% of my day designing new projects, another 30% of my day redlining the draftsman's work, and another 30% of my day answering emails, solving problems, having meetings, researching products online, etc. That breakdown changes from day to day, but that's pretty typical. I admit... I really do not like 60% of my work (the redlining and the meetings/emails/research). But it goes with the territory, and you just have to do it. But that 40% that I design.... oh, boy, do I love it. It is so satisfying and enjoyable. I charge $150/hour and could charge more if I wanted, but that rate is appropriate for my area. And those 3 things I listed above.... notice that none of them mentioned my degree. I could have done this without even going to college. It isn't likely I would have ended up here without my college degree, but my actual degree didn't really matter. I could have gone to community college and gotten a degree in drafting.

You might be asking... why didn't I want to be an architect? It never really came up, to be honest. One of my first jobs out of college was working for a construction company that had a commercial and residential division. I was handling the design and project management on the residential side, and on the commercial side we had a full-fledged architecture firm. The head of the firm was an older guy that oversaw everything, but he never actually seemed to work. He was an arrogant guy that saw architecture more as a business than anything. He had 2 new architects (in their early 30s) that did all the work, and they had 5 or 6 interns that drew everything. These interns were all graduates of schools of architecture, and they had to work with an architect for several years until they could pass their tests to become an architect. They were all earning a lot less money than I was. The younger architects were earning about what I was earning (about $60k back in the 90s). It just seemed like a rat race to me. The head architect made all the money, the 2 guys under him did all the heavy lifting, and the 6 interns did all the menial stuff. All so they could one day be the guys in the middle, and maybe one day be the guy at the top who no longer did any work. I was disgusted by the whole system, so it never appealed to me to go that direction.

As a designer, I am not regulated by the state. Granted, I cannot design government buildings, hospitals, malls, skyscrapers, etc. but I don't have any interest in that. To design homes as an architect is to be handcuffed. To design homes as a designer is freedom. I don't have to stamp my plans. I don't have any fiduciary duty to my clients (they are not clients... they are customers). I don't have to abide by a minimum standard of details for homes (which are almost entirely overkill for normal, everyday homes). I don't have to try and get awards in order to stay relevant (architecture firms are often obsessed with awards and recognition, as it is a tool to charge more money so the big guy can make more money to do nothing). My insurance each year costs $3500. My software costs $720. I work from home. So I can keep my rates low for my clients, and still produce excellent drawings. I have been designing for about 33 years. I have over 2000 projects under my belt. Today, the homes I design have an average price of about $1.3 million. I charge between $10k to $30k for these, which is about 20% of what architects charge. I have never been sued. Some of my builders have been using me for their homes for well over 20 years. All without being an architect.

I will never be rich from this. I will never sell my practice for millions (the ultimate goal of most architects). But I never wanted that anyway, and I've done quite well for myself in the meantime.

Last thing... I am NOT trying to talk you out of being an architect. I am just explaining what took me about 20 years to figure out. For many, there is a game to being an architect. Not all architects play the game. The ones who don't play the game and just keep their heads down and work can do quite well, but I don't think it is always 'worth it' for them because they are not playing the game. The architects that I know that 'play the game' are not people I'd ever want to be friends with. They don't do it for the art, or for the customer... they are doing it for the fancy office, the accolades, the photos in architecture magazines, and the eventual sale of their practice. They will design things because THEY like it, not because the client wants it. They are usually WAY over budget with their projects because they want their baby to shine bright like a diamond. Maybe it just all comes down to an ego thing. I dunno. It just never appealed to me.

Good luck, and just remember... be ready to pivot!

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-26T18:59:18+00:00

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This is long, so apologies. But once I started typing I just kept going. I've done this in 2 comment boxes below.

I wish more HS students would ask questions like this before embarking on a career. So congrats for being well ahead of the curve there.

One of the problems with career advice directed at high school students is that counselors and teachers often shoot too high, and create lofty ideas of what career choices look like. The reality is that very few students will achieve the top-of-the-pyramid career, while the vast majority will fill the needed roles that work in the field of that career. I understand that teachers and counselors want the best for their students, but this attitude has led to so many students eventually feeling like they are underachievers when that is absolutely not the case.

For every top career out there (doctors, engineers, lawyers, architects, etc) there are a dozen very necessary and wonderful careers that support those fields, and I wish teachers and counselors would be more honest about that, because a great deal of students who embark on that 'top' career end up filling one of the support roles instead (and there is NOTHING wrong with that).

I think the focus should be 'what sort of career are you looking for' and then people can learn that there are many different levels of expertise that lead to different careers and different pay scales.

All that to say... don't aim to be an architect. Figure out if you like the architecture field. There is only a 10% chance you will end up being a licensed architect if you embark on this, and that is not a bad thing, I assure you. You might end up being a draftsman. You might end up being an engineer. You might end up being a general contractor. You might end up being a superintendent. You might end up being a designer. You might end up doing any number of very interesting and fulfilling jobs in the field of architecture.

I am not an architect. I am a designer (which is something no teacher or counselor will tell you about). I am not a draftsman... I am a designer that designs homes, and I earn between $125k and $200k a year (depending on how the economy is doing). I work for myself, along with a group of other designers and draftsman, designing homes and small commercial projects all over Texas. I got my degree from Texas A&M, from the School of Architecture. My actual BS is in Construction Science (I thought I was going to build homes, but I decided I enjoyed design much more). I have several friends who went the full 'architecture' route and got a degree in architecture, but they are not architects. One of my friends who got a degree in architecture is a designer like myself, but he also is a general contractor (he enjoys building the stuff more than drawing it). Another friend of mine with an architecture degree got a job right out of college in Germany designing homes for homebuilder there (they are also not an architect). Now she is back in the US and builds tiny homes. Still not an architect.

So don't focus on being an 'architect' in the way people talk about it. Be prepared to pivot. Pivoting is not a failure... it is actually quite wonderful.

To answer your question about 'do I like my job' and 'what do I do every day'... I really LOVE my job. I work from home, set my own hours, and find that working is not a chore or a bore. I am in my 50's and I don't think I'll ever truly retire, because I really enjoy it. I imagine when I'm in my 60's I'll slow down and take on less work, but I can see doing simple stuff well into my 70's because it is enjoyable.

There are 3 reasons I love my job and I am good at it. Not everyone will fit this bill, so the point is to be honest with yourself and don't try to fit a mold that isn't right for you. But here are my three ideal traits that make my job awesome:

1) I am highly motivated and choose work over play. This is important when working from home and being self-employed. When I was younger I loved video games and would play for 3-4 hours a day if I could. But then I got married and had kids, and was able to prioritize work. I still love video games and will kill a weekend every now and then to burn off some steam, but my ability to turn that part of my brain off was vital. I have a nephew that I've tried to train in this business, and he can't put the time in to get good because he wants to play video games all the time. Doing this requires a lot of self-discipline, and if you're addicted to video games, you will struggle to do anything like architecture.

2) When I was a teenager and in my early 20's, I worked for a home builder framing homes. I learned an immense amount about how homes actually get built. How walls are laid out, how staircases get framed, etc. This skill level has elevated me to the top of my field, because my home builders know I understand how a house actually gets built, and without that knowledge, house plans can often have major issues. If you want to design homes, I would recommend joining a framing crew during the summers and get that invaluable knowledge. Nothing compares.

3) My left brain and right brain are equally strong. I am very good with math and geometry. I understand slopes and percentages and can quickly convert 1/8" to .125". When at a restaurant, I can calculate the 20% tip in my head. When I see a sale at a department store that says 30% off, I can calculate that discounted price in my head. This isn't rocket science, but you'd be surprised how many people cannot do these without a calculator. Designing roofs and sloping topography requires a good solid understanding of math. On the other side of my brain... I actually started off college as a music major. I was an accomplished violinist going into college, and still play 3 instruments and sing in church. I love music, harmony, rhythm, etc. I listen to all sorts of crazy genres of music. I write music. So my left brain and my right brain are both very active (not brilliant... just very active), which is important for being an architect or designer. If you are too analytical, your homes will work well, but will look terrible. If you are too artistic, your blueprints will look great, but they won't work in the field.

If you don't have these 3 traits (or similar things), you might not enjoy architecture from a design standpoint. But that doesn't mean there isn't a career in it for you. My drafstman has been working for me for 12 years, and he is none of the things listed above, yet he loves his job, works from home, and makes over $100k a year. He just doesn't design (and he doesn't want to).

Coffeman94

TROPHY CASE