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1 month ago | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
Installing a self-contained hot tub involves more than just an electrical hookup; it requires careful adherence to multiple building and electrical codes. Key considerations include maintaining proper distances from windows, outlets, and overhead power lines, as well as ensuring safety glazing near wet areas. Additionally, equipotential bonding is critical to prevent electrical hazards.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
Placing smoke alarms in the right locations is essential for safety and meeting code requirements. Code expert Glenn Mathewson explains where alarms should be installed inside and outside of bedrooms, in hallways, and in stairwells—and highlights how proper placement improves early warning and reduces false alarms.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
greenbuildingadvisor.com | Glenn Mathewson |Kiley Jacques
In my last post, I explained how the energy conservation provisions found in Chapter 11 of the International Residential Code (IRC) provide options for designers and builders when it comes to energy code compliance.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson
Fireblocking helps contain the spread of fire between floors of a house, so it’s a crucial step when it comes to building a safe home that’s up to code. Glenn Mathewson, educator with BuildingCodeCollege.com and all-around code expert, joins Tyler Grace at the Loctite® 2nd Chance house to go over every step of the fireblocking process in detail. Here’s the Transcript:Air-sealing is really all about improving the overall comfort, health, and performance of a home.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
greenbuildingadvisor.com | Glenn Mathewson |Kiley Jacques
When energy conservation codes were first introduced in the late 1970s, encouraging us to build more energy-efficient homes, three methods to meet the requirements were provided, each offering a different approach, but ending in the same destination: effective energy usage and greater energy conservation. An increasing number of pathsThe three original methods, or “compliance paths,” are still available in model codes today, though they have evolved, and additional paths have been added.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
Stairs are essentially the obstacle course of buildings, and along with bathrooms, they are one of the most hazardous features in a house. Unlike with water heaters, electrical service, or fire-protection safety features, the safety of stairs is directly related to how the occupant uses them. If we all got on our knees and slowly crawled up and down every set of stairs, fall-related injuries would cease. So the safety features related to stairs in the building codes are also related to the user.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
This is one of the most common deck building questions, and often you will hear a confident and definitive answer: 2 ft. maximum. But while maximum cantilevers for floor joists of houses have been provided in the International Residential Code (IRC) for the last two decades in Tables R502.3.3(1) and (2), nothing found in these tables would imply this generic 2-ft. maximum.
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Jul 16, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
Houses in North America have always been built with wood. It’s an abundant natural resource that’s easy to work with. Wood has few downsides as a building material, but one is that it burns. Actually, a house built with wood and other common building materials will burn quite well.
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May 22, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Kaitlyn Hayes
Code expert Glenn Mathewson runs through the landing requirements for exterior doors, including the threshold dimensions, the number of allowable steps from the threshold down to the landing, and the additional code allowances for exterior non-egress doors. A Confusing CodeEvery home must have one egress door, and it must be a specific size, with a specifically dimensioned landing on both the interior and exterior side of the threshold.
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Apr 16, 2024 | 
finehomebuilding.com | Glenn Mathewson |Abby Cote
In last issue’s Know the Code, I explained how the energy conservation provisions found in Chapter 11 of the International Residential Code (IRC) provide options for designers and builders when it comes to energy code compliance. I compared the options offered in the IRC to the many paths I could drive from my house to the store—to get from here to there, I can choose from several routes that vary in time, cost, and effort.
