Gaines Group Architects
Harrisonburg custom home

Buildings are complicated – so is code compliance

Buildings are the most complicated machine that the average person has to operate. Trying to figure out how to put a building together, make it beautiful, comply with all aspects of building code, and meet client expectations for budget, timeline, and aesthetics is the most...

Green Term Defined: 2012 International Energy Conservation Code

Every three years  (or so) Virginia updates the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC). Virginia typically adopts a version of the International Building Code (updated every year) that is 3 years behind the current year. As of July 1, 2014, Virginia adopted the 2012...
Architect Harrisonburg

Building Code – Why should you demand more?

Building Code: set of standards established and enforced by local government for the structural safety of buildings. The building code is simply a set of rules that set minimum standards for construction of structures – the absolute worst possible construction allowed by...

Virginia Adopts 2009 Building Code

On March 1, 2011, the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) update to reference the 2009 IECC and 2009 IRC became effective statewide (it currently references the 2006 versions of these codes). There will be a one-year phase-in period during which builders and designers...