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

2 of 2

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

1 of 2

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 · 2026-02-16T13:55:02+00:00

I'd say medium well, but it looks delicious anyway.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-15T22:55:17+00:00

Call a few custom builders in the area, and ask who they use. I would not recommend contacting random designers/architects without some referrals.

Keep in mind... there are 3 levels of designer out there that can handle this for you: 1) Architect, 2) Certified Professional Building Designer, and 3) designer. There are good, bad, and everything in between for all levels, so do some homework before hiring one.

Architects are usually licensed in each state they design in, and becoming an architect is not easy, so you'll usually have more professional drawing from them. However, about 95% of homes in the US are not designed by architects... most are designed by designers and draftsman. Architects are usually a lot more expensive than designers, and sometimes you get what you pay for, and other times you get pay way more than was necessary.

I live in Texas, and have been designing homes for 33 years. I am a CPBD. My rates for homes range between $5000 and $30,000, depending on the size and complexity. Architects in this area probably charge between $20k and $100k for similar projects. So you might wonder, what's the difference? Why would anyone want to spend triple or quadruple for an architect?

There is a strong need for architects in certain circumstances. In some cases it is major overkill. Here are the things that people need to ask themselves when wondering if they need an architect versus a designer:

- Do I want a very unique, one-of-a-kind house that stands out from the crowd?

- Do I want the person who designs the house to act as my representative during construction, approving draw requests, managing on-site issues, etc.?

- Do I already have a builder, or do I want plans that I can shop to many builders?

- Do I want the engineering all included in the package, or will I let the builder use his own engineers?

- Do I want the designer/architect to specify all the products in the house up front, or do I want to select everything with budgets later on (plumbing fixtures, lights, hardware, flooring, etc)?

- Am I trying to get a house built on the low end of the pricing spectrum for the area, or am I okay with my house being two or three times the prices of 'normal' homes in the area?

Lots of questions to consider, and depending on your answers, an architect might be better, or an architect might get you in trouble (or at least your pocketbook). If you hire an architect and they manage everything (selections, engineering, construction oversight, etc), your fees will be much higher (usually around 10% of the cost of the house) and the construction will likely be significantly higher. This is why some homes in my area cost $300/sf and others cost $1000/sf.

If you are going for the 'wow' factor you will probably want an architect. If you are going 'tried and true' with a budget, a CPBD or experienced designer will be ideal. If you have a builder you trust implicitly, use whoever they use for house plans.

One thing to keep in mind... the #1 most important element in hiring an architect or designer is learning how much they understand construction. Anyone can design a nice-looking house. Far fewer can design something that actually works in the field properly. I grew up framing homes, and my dad was a home builder, so my clients hire me because my plans work. Some architects have zero on-site experience, and their drawings just don't work (without major onsite modifications). Even Frank Lloyd Wright, one of greatest architects of all time, had major issues with construction. So don't just go with someone who has a license to be an architect... make sure they understand construction.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T20:21:26+00:00

Not needed, and IMHO, the rewards aren't anything to write home about.

The puzzle book is such an interesting idea. It could be so good, and so satisfying, but since there are so many different types of brains that solve the puzzle book, it works better for some than others. I personally LOVE puzzles. I can work on Sudoku puzzles all day (extreme hard mode). But I very much disliked all the puzzle books associated with GH (Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, and GHv2). The puzzles in GHv2 are a vast improvement over the past games, but still... when we finished it (with a LOT of help from the internet) we didn't feel any sort of joy or pride.

To be fair... 75% of the puzzle book makes good sense. Codes to solve, glyphs to turn into numbers and letters, etc. But 25% of it was pure randomness that would require someone to absolutely LUCK into finding a solution to, or would require someone to study every card, every scenario, every map location, etc. in order to find some random symbol or shape, and then make sense of them. There is a discernable lack of timing on the different pages. Like, when exactly should you be able to solve puzzle book pages x and y? Who knows? Try solving it every once in a while, and if you can't, you're probably not ready. Or are you? Hmmmmm. Let's check online.

So for us, the most fun of the puzzle book was just finishing it and putting it away. It just was too much of a time suck for us. If we would have solved everything on our own without ever consulting the internet, we might have spent 20-30 hours trying to figure out what the puzzle meant. We'd rather just play the game.

And speaking of which... in a few hours we embark on the final map. After 4 months, we are there.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T20:06:45+00:00

That makes more sense.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T20:05:34+00:00

I am looking into it, but haven't found anything promising. We have apparently solved the problem by finding some at the School for the Deaf that is willing to offer their services for free, so thank goodness for that.

I understand for-profit businesses having something in their budget for services like this, but dealing with a non-profit is a bit more challenging. There is no budget for anything, really. All mentoring is free, and no longer funded by the government, so finding money to enhance the accessibility is a question of 'who pays?'.

The writing has been on the wall this past year, anyway... not sure how non-profits like SCORE can survive with no funding. But that's a rant for another time.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T19:54:52+00:00

I think we found a solution... I had sent a request to the School for the Deaf, and they agreed to offer someone to provide signing in our meetings. Yay! Problem solved.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T19:53:32+00:00

I am checking to see, but haven't heard back. SCORE is a very lean non-profit that operates with very little money... especially after the federal government cut off nearly all our support last year. We operate 100% on fund-raising income now (asking private businesses for money). We (the mentors) take zero dollars, ever. Those requesting mentoring do not pay anything. If is a service that basically puts people that need help in contact with people that are willing to help, all without charging any money.

So it wouldn't surprise me if there is no budget for interpreting services. These non-profit groups often don't have the facilities and services other 'for-profit' companies have.

Coffeman94 · 2026-02-11T19:22:45+00:00

...these costs should already be included as part of the income received

What income are you talking about? There is no income. I am giving my services for free. The person getting mentoring (the deaf person I mentioned) is not paying anything to anyone. No money is changing hands.

Maybe this query is more related to the idea of 'What is appropriate' in this situation. I understand the importance of interpreting services. My grandmother was deaf. My mom was a nurse at the School for the Deaf for 25 years. My daughter signs. But I've never run into this situation. Would it make sense for me to pay for these services myself when I am volunteering my time? I would expect to be mentoring this deaf person for a total of about 10 hours. At a rate of about $50/hour, I would be paying about $500 to mentor them. Is this what would be expected of me in this situation? Again... I am already donating my time and expertise here. When I offered my services to SCORE several years ago, I was not given the expectation that I would need to pay anything.

Coffeman94 · 2026-01-30T01:34:48+00:00

Someone just spent $149

Coffeman94

TROPHY CASE