#2015 IRC CODE#
It was agreed that an underprepared deck code should not be pushed forward. There is still significant research to be completed and discussions to be had to create a comprehensive deck code that can balance the needs of the decking industry with a minimum standard of construction. It was quickly understood at the meeting that the work the decking industry needs to do in regard to codes won’t happen overnight, or even in the 2015 IRC. An outcry of dissatisfaction from the industry would have been likely had the proposal gone through. Though covering basic deck construction comprehensively, it also contained a number of constraints that would have affected custom decks. The original 11-page proposal covered nearly every aspect of deck construction, from materials to footings to guards to stairs. Attending were representatives from the American Wood Council (which publishes the DCA6 alternative decking codes), the National Association of Home Builders, the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association, and the Colorado chapter of the ICC, as well as the chairman of the ICC Building Code Action Committee, an engineer from Simpson Strong-Tie, a researcher from Washington State University, and members of the North American Deck and Railing Association, among others. On November 30, 2012, a large group of people with a range of interests in decks sat down together - probably the largest and most diverse gathering in the decking industry ever - to discuss the proposed changes. In this case, the action committee reached out to industry professionals and asked for assistance in developing the document in an open process. When a code proposal comes out of an ICC action committee and before the main code-writing body, it is likely to be approved.
The proposal was brought before the ICC Building Code Action Committee, whose charge is working on problematic code provisions, holes in the code, or any other topics that need special attention. The Virginia Building and Code Officials Association recently proposed to add about 11 new pages specifically addressing deck construction to the 2015 IRC.
Now we’re in the 2015 IRC development cycle, and two old sayings come to mind: “Too much of a good thing” and “Good things are worth waiting for.” Too Much of a Good Thing That came to pass with the publishing of the 2009 IRC. Deck construction techniques have long needed the code to come to bear on them. Those days are over, and it’s a good thing. Slap up the ledger, throw up some joists, lay down some decking, and bolt on the railing.
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