According to Edwin Pawlowski :

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...

And you took that to _literally_ mean that there's more than one
code?

Sounds like it to me. Medium Code? Maximum Code? What else would a layman
interpret that to be?

If the layman was actually _listening_ to what Holmes was saying,
they'd know that it is _not_ what was being meant.

This reminds me of the periodic flamewars we have here about the
term "neutral".

Casual DIYers who know how to change an outlet know what it means.
Electricians know what it means.

It's the code-lawyers in the middle who yowl that the white wire
in a house is _not_ a neutral, it's a "grounded conductor".

Well, yeah, true. But find a residential electrician that
actually _uses_ that term in practise.

Shows to go you that a little information can be dangerous.

And if you want to criticize, it's easy to find something to
get picky over.

Any contractor worth anything will be familiar with the concept, and
perhaps even with those words.

I've never hear the term used. Have you? Often?

Occasionally. It trips off the tongue more easily than "up a line
in the span tables".

More often I hear "above [or better than] code".

Surely you've heard _that_ from your step father.

Code is _minimum_ acceptable to keep things from falling down. Sometimes
you prefer more. Sometimes you need more.

Exactly. And there is only one Code that states what that minimum is.

Actually there's several. I won't even mention that ours (the same
one that Holmes is required to follow, modulo minor municipal
differences between Ottawa and Toronto - eg: the snow load
calculations are different) is different than yours ;-)

If you were to go to a contractor and parrot Holmes in saying "I want
X built to medium code", any contractor with half a brain will know what's
meant, and discuss with you what options there are, which ones may be
worth it and why, and how much it'll affect cost. In other words,
negotiate on how far you want to go.

Sure, while he tries to keep a straight face he'll open his wallet and allow
you to fill it up.

Then (a) you shouldn't be consulting a contractor, because you don't
know enough to protect yourself and (b) you should be avoiding that
contractor. A contractor like that doesn't need "medium code" jargon
to take advantage of you.

Throw in a clanger like asking for #1 structural DougFir 4x12s 12"
OC for a 8 foot span, and see if he cracks up or not ;-)

I worked with my step-father, a contractor and
architect, for many years and he never used the term "medium code". Nor
have any of the building inspectors or subcontractors. Maybe this is
something new?

As I said, there are tradesmen that prefer to work that way. ISTR
a newsletter going around about it. Many custom builders work that
way. "Medium code" expresses the idea in terms that the layman can
understand - especially since Holmes does take pains to explain
what it means.

[In actual fact, as far as I can tell, he usually uses the phrase
"better than code". ISTR Medium/Maximum as being hyperbole from
one particularly spectacular example of stupid previous contractor.]
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.