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PERMITS
No
matter what part of the country you are in they all have
different building codes. Always check with your local building
department. We have seen some areas where no permit is required
for buildings up to 400 square foot. While others over 100 to
120 square foot you need a permit. Habitable dwellings will
require in some areas an engineered wet stamp, some just a brace
wall engineering; others Title 24 Energy Calcs. If you decide
that you need a permit, we can help.
Little
Green Bldgs.com are not responsible for any permits required to
build these buildings on your site if needed.
If you
decide you need a permit, check your local building department
to see if they allow Owner-Builder Permits. They are usually
the most hassle free. Depending on your area, permits for
habitable buildings can be costly. Call for information.
CONSIDERING CODES
But what
about the local building codes? It’s a question that has slowed
down more than one builder who’s considered adopting advanced
panel construction. Often, local building codes don’t include
prescriptive methods for building with panel systems, so each
manufacturer must obtain code approval for each product. Some
jurisdictions require an engineers review and seal of the
structural design, which the manufacturer may be able to
provide.
While
these obstacles may impact the cost and schedule for a first
construction effort, they can be overcome. The Partnership for
Advanced Technology in Housing (PATH) provides some industry
guidance in its 2003 progress report, Technology Roadmap:
Advanced Panelized Construction.
In the
report, PATH addresses the three typical methods for code
compliance. The first is obtaining code approval to develop a
consensus standard through a standards-writing organization and
then submit it to a building code committee as a reference
standard. However, this process can take years for a
standardized product, much less panels.
A
second, more effective method is direct code adoption, which
requires submitting a code change to the model code
organizations. In many cases, this results in a prescriptive
standard. With PATH support, prescriptive standards have
already been developed for insulating concrete forms and light
gauge steel framing. These code provisions provide design
flexibility because they are typically adopted directly into the
local building code. PATH has recently partnered with the
Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) and the NAHB
Research Center to develop a prescriptive method for design and
code acceptance of structural panels.
The
third approach is to obtain a code evaluation report, which
typically contains the supporting design or testing results and
specifies installation procedures, spans, connections, and
related information. These documents, known as Evaluation
Service Reports provide the information building code officials
need to determine whether a panel product (or other technology)
satisfies code requirements, thus providing an equivalent to
code approval.
As with
all prescriptive provisions, involving engineers or architects
to review and seal the plans can be a good strategy to satisfy
specific requirements. Regardless of your approach, bear in
mind that code or permitting officials can always delay a
project if they are unfamiliar with a particular technology or
method. Your best bet: talk with your local building official
and secure local approval before you even think about building. |
