Nails

[firefox]

Hi All,
 Another easy question for you. Hopefully you don't mind these beginner questions.
Do you know of a simple rule of thumb for picking the right nail size and length? If not that then a chart. Also nail patterns and quantities. I finally got the permit to fix my garage and I don't want to tick off these building inspectors.

By the way, it seems like the building department really rakes in the big bucks. I am starting to wonder if I picked the wrong career....oh well.
too late now.
Bruce

[MountainDon]

Bruce, a "rule of thumb" is to use a nail that's 3x as long as the thickness of the material being nailed onto the thicker material. Generally.

There are also schedules that specify what nails to use for different applications. The IRC 2003 has a table regarding this. Follow this link

http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1172766949

and click on the 2003 - IRC  link in John's first post on that page,
or click  here

Go to Chapter 6, table 602.3(1)  The table has all the nailing specs for structural nailing.

[firefox]

Thanks Don!
 You all are really great!
Bruce

[glenn kangiser]

By the way, it seems like the building department really rakes in the big bucks. I am starting to wonder if I picked the wrong career....oh well.
too late now.
Bruce

Just hope you don't get all the help from them you pay for, Bruce.  They have totally gotten away from all liability by shifting anything of importance to outside testing labs at your expense.  They guarantee nothing if your place falls or burns down after they approved it.  Example - last weeks fire on a 4 year old code built house here $100K damage but --approved. :-?

The only thing you are assured of is that you will build to at least the minimum standard allowed by law if they care to check, and that you will be fully enrolled into the property tax system- that they do guarantee. :-/

[MountainDon]

Yes, the building permit department has regular exchanges with the assessor. Conversely though, at least locally in my mountains, the reverse does not take place.  :-/ The tax assessor does not seem to check in with the building permit department. I have one neighbor who built a cabin under the radar three years ago. The tax man paid them a visit and evaluated the cabin/property. But there's never been any come back re the never obtained permits; building, electrical, plumbing, septic, mechanical, propane. He did the whole works himself with the exception of the 200 gal propane tank. That was a brother-in-law or something like that. Many of the long term residents up in those mountains are cousins, etc of each other. Maybe the tax man was a cousin?... only interested in doing his job?

[glenn kangiser]

I had that happen one time -- refinanced and the assessor showed up.

I did not know at the time that when they ask if they can look around that there is no way they can get permission without you giving it to them.  There is no law or court order that says you have to let them in.  That said, I let him in and he took off the grapes we weren't growing and added the trees which are very low or not counted so we came out the same -- caught an addition and shop addition and animal barn but no blowback.  Took him 20 years to show up.

[MountainDon]

Of course if you don't let them in they can probably take a guess. A guess that may be too high. Then you can challenge the assessment..... yada, yada, yada. Hard to beat 'em once they know about you. All you can do is try. 20 years is not too bad tho.