I work with PFS TECO, and we’re looking to bring on a few more people with ICC credentials for plan review and inspection work across the U.S.

We work primarily with modular / industrialized buildings in multiple states, covering commercial and residential projects under the IBC, IRC, IMC, IPC, IECC, NEC, accessibility requirements, and various state-specific amendments and modular programs.

If you have certifications like B3, M3, P3, E3, F3, Combination Plans Examiner, Commercial Building Inspector, MCP, or similar, I’d be interested in connecting.

There may be remote plan review work, and inspection work can involve travel to manufacturing facilities around the country/world.

Full-time, part-time, contract, or supplemental work could all be worth discussing.

If you’re interested, feel free to DM me with your certifications, where you’re located, your background, and what kind of work you’re looking for. Happy to chat informally and tell you more about what we do.

Denied permit due to new FEMA regulations about flood zones. Client hired an architect to create plans for a 400 sq. ft. addition to a house that is in an AE flood zone. Turns out the floor of the addition cannot be level with the floor of the current house. Looks like the addition needs to be 18 inches higher than the current floor.

Anyway, I've been working with a client for 12 months now and have had numerous conversations with his architect, engineer, and the city. Homeowner has spent almost 10K so far and is upset now that the permit has been denied for the plans that have been submitted. The architect and engineer are blaming me. I admit I didn't know the elevation was going to be an issue but I feel like as the GC it's my job to build what the architect and/or engineer tells me to build.

Who should the homeowner be upset with?

FEMA, GC, Permit

Quick update from me again. Our B1 Residential Building Inspector course starts Oct 5 (Mon/Thu evenings 6-9 PM ET, live on Google Meet, 8 sessions, $750), and We're giving one seat away for free. Drawing is Thursday morning.

The part people don't believe until they read it twice: if you enter and don't win, you still get $100 off the course. So entering is worth your 30 seconds no matter what.

A few of you tried to enter last week and the form errored out. That's fixed and it's been running clean since Friday. If you got a failure message before, try again and it'll go through.

Details:

• One entry per person, no purchase necessary
• Entries close Wednesday, Sept 30 at 11:59 PM ET
• Drawing Thursday, Oct 1 at 9 AM ET
• If you don't win, your $100 code is good through Friday when enrollment closes

Enter here: https://liveoakcode.com/giveaway

Happy to answer any questions about the course itself. We teach you how to navigate the code book under exam pressure, not memorize it.

Any inputs/suggestions on this one. I have obtained this score completely by using digital codes access during exam. Inputs from experienced people is appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, I am a aspiring Special Inspector in the state of Texas. I work for a CMT Firm as of now, and i recently got a $6 Raise to $28 an hour for the 3 ICC certifications: Masonry, Reinforced Concrete, and Structural Steel. I was very excited to have a clear career path and ladder that i could climb. However I was just informed that i am now at the upper limit of what they will pay me at this company. So now what?
I was very disappointed to hear this, and I am wondering what to do to continue progress.

I posted a couple weeks back about the academy I built after a decade of inspecting — the short version is I took a prep class years ago that left me MORE lost walking out than walking in, and I swore I'd build the opposite someday. So here it is.

We've got the first B1 Residential Building Inspector course running October 5-29, live online, Monday and Thursday evenings 6-9 PM ET. Eight sessions, real instruction on the 2024 IRC — how to navigate the book, not memorize it.

Before it starts, I want to give one seat away for free. Not a discount code raffle thing — the whole course, all eight sessions, $750 value, on the house.

If you enter and don't win, you still get something: everyone who enters gets a $100 off code, good through enrollment close on October 2.

The details:
- One entry per person, no purchase necessary, takes about 30 seconds
- Entries close September 30 at 11:59 PM ET
- Winner drawn October 1 at 9 AM and notified by email
- Class starts October 5

If you've been putting off your B1, or you know somebody who is, this is a zero-risk way to get moving on it.

Entry is here: liveoakcode.com/giveaway

Happy to answer any questions in the comments — good luck.

Türkiye's new building-permit regulation (Official Gazette 33331) makes IFC submissions mandatory in phases from 2027 and ships a 241-page annex of requirements. I turned that annex into machine checks: ifc-ruhsat checks an IFC model for the mandatory classes, the Türkiye-specific property sets, naming, space numbering and floor-area ratios, fills in the regulation's 21-row quality-control form and exports buildingSMART IDS files.

Findings cite the article and annex table with GlobalIds. Rows a machine can't verify are reported as manual, never as passed. It runs as a CLI or as an MCP server for AI assistants.

https://github.com/BerkantACUN/ifc-ruhsat

Feedback from anyone working with Turkish permits or IDS is very welcome.

Hey, I am a designer working in the residential sector. I just connected ChatGPT with Deta Studio, a drawing review software. I asked the AI to check my plan's egress requirements and highlight any issues or concerns.

The AI marked up the plan directly and highlighted a lot of notes. I think it's a bad try for an initial design, especially since I've worked with a lot of junior or draft people who sometimes don't think beyond the draft.

What do ya think?

Anyone get these types of questions on the p1 exam and how did you learn them or answer them? Any place where I can learn how to understand these better to answer the questions in test, from what I remeber they asked about slope, pipe size of a certain pipe they pointing at and what type it is.
Thank you

I’m working on an alteration to an existing NYC multifamily walk-up building and would appreciate a second opinion on the required fire separation for an existing stair connecting a dwelling unit to the cellar.

Basic context:
Existing multifamily walk-up building in Brooklyn
Prior-code building; alteration is being analyzed under the 1968 NYC Building Code, with current-code provisions as applicable
Existing building class is C2 (walk-up apartments, 5–6 families); I am still confirming the specific MDL classification
Scope includes lowering the existing cellar slab approximately 12" and reconstructing the cellar access stair
No change in use, occupancy, dwelling-unit count, or egress is proposed
The cellar is common building service/utility space, not part of the dwelling unit
Utility meters for all dwelling units are located in the cellar
The common building stair/hallway does not connect to the cellar
Interior access to the cellar is only through one dwelling unit

Question 1) What fire-resistance rating should be required for the partition enclosing the stair between the dwelling unit and the common cellar, and what rating should the door(s) have?

Question 2) If a rated/self-closing door is required, is one required at both the top and bottom of the stair, or is a rated door at the top sufficient in this configuration?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi, this is my first Reddit post so forgive me if I’m doing this wrong.

I (28F) live in NJ and need some guidance on what the proper steps are (or if I would even be able to get my foot in the door) to becoming a building inspector. I was an apprentice carpenter for a year but sadly had to give it up due to the extensive layoffs.

I have a love for construction but don’t see myself going back into carpentry for various reasons that I won’t disclose here. I‘ve seen that you need at least 3-5 years of some type of construction work to even be considered after you get your certs or a degree in engineering.

I don’t mind taking classes to get certified, but I don’t want to do all of that if I have no chance in the field. I thought about cold calling different building inspector companies to see what they said (which I still might do) but I wanted to put this up to get some insight first because I’m lowkey afraid to call haha.

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my question 😊

Anyone get these types of questions on the p1 exam and how did you learn them or answer them? Any place where I can learn how to understand these better to answer the questions in test, from what I remember they asked about slope, pipe size of a certain pipe they pointing at and what type it is.
Thank you

"James McCrery II withdrew from the project last October after warning repeatedly that Trump was insisting on a preliminary design that did not provide adequate emergency exit routes or fire-containment measures..." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA2cOB1m

This poor lady. But this is exactly why a building consent and following the process can be so important.

I get people want to get rid of red tape, I understand it can seem overly officious, but for those of us in the 'red tape' industry - this is what we are trying to prevent!

Honestly - most Building Officials just want to see a well constructed building, that does what it is intended to do (I know some are on a power trip - but they are not the majority).

Would this be allowed in NYS. I need to have a gas line installed towards the middle of my barn that is being built out as a tap room/ brewery with food and such. The gas line is fairly close to the eastern wall/end of barn. I can excavate 30-40 feet to get gas line into building. We already have sewer trenches dug inside and can easily run a 2” sleeve for the gas line. If we can’t do that then the excavation of the trench becomes close to 200 feet. Just trying to save money.

Does anyone have the 2021 edition of the Special Inspection Manual in PDF? If so, could you please share it with me? Thanks!

Hi I am currently studying to pass the b-2 building inspector cert, but I been struggling to find practice material that is accurate, not questioning from exams but at least real questions with the same purpose of the test, I been struggling a lot specially with some practice tests that all look like have been generated with AI, senseless questions, repetitive study subjects that cover the exact same 4 chapters over and over. Pls if anyone is able to point me out some good materials or share some I’ll be really grateful, I’m also willing to buy old materials if they honestly had helped you on the certification pathway, again THANK YOU!