Our inspectors have seen a disturbing trend of late: people using wood or deck screws when building structural elements. This means ordinary wood screws cannot be used to attach rafters to top plates, or joists to beams. Nor can wood screws be used to install…

In the last few weeks, several building permit applications have been delayed because the applicants weren’t aware of the rules and regulations regarding site-built slabs on grade. Although these are a common way of constructing small garages (especially in rural areas), building permit structures –…

For some reason, we continue to run into situations where construction of all kinds begins without a required building or development permit. We cannot stress this enough: before you build, renovate, prepare a site, or locate a building, you should call us first, because you…

Yes, we've said it before - but we need to say it again: get a permit.In the last three business days, our office has located a total of seven building projects started without required permits.We'll say it again: permits are required for almost all construction,…

Today, our note of the week is going to focus on an aspect of commercial construction that can, at times, be rather challenging: fire stops. What is a fire stop? In many commercial buildings, walls or ceilings/floors are required to have a fire-resistance rating. In…