From Florida to California, from Washington State to New York State, The International Residential Building Code is the law of the land in regard to homebuilding and remodeling. Created by the International Code Council, homebuilders, architects, remodeling contractors, masons, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and inspectors, all look to the Code so that homes they build, both single and multi family, are safe for habitation.

Code Coach is an online presentation of The International Residential Code with an instinctual access to specific parts in the code. By pointing and clicking on-screen to any structural components or items noted on a complete set of typical house plans, the user is lead to the appropriate section of the residential code. Both visual representation and commonly used names are easily found. So a valid user of Code Coach immediately has available the codes to guide them to safe and compliant building practices.

Code Coach also offers many features to help the user understand the code as it is written. Clarifying information is offered with many of the code passages as a visual and textual help in interpreting the codes meaning. The code has been reformatted to allow a blank line space between sentences. This enhances user understanding by requiring one sentence at a time to be read. Code passages are offered only for the subject at hand, allowing all of the information available at any one time to be useful in answering the client's original question. No flipping back and forth between pages, or holding down one page while another page is read. Self-references are available on the same page that the passage in which they are contained is viewed, thereby eliminating thumbing between pages to try to determine meaning. Figures and Tables are brought up in a .pdf format that allows them to be seen in a separate window so that the user can look at code passages in the tables or figures at the same time. The Tables and Figures also contain icons in strategic places that bring pop-ups of the footnotes to the page regardless of how far one has zoomed in to look at details. These footnotes can also be manipulated to create a cursor that will help the client keep his place in the tables.

Historically, building codes have existed even in ancient times. Then as now, the codes were written to prevent and confine fires and provide basic safety for residents. The Laws of Moses, as set forth in the Bible, required "a parapet" around the edges of all roofs to prevent injuries from falls. It is a safe assumption that where there are building codes there will be building inspectors; however, no records of permits or citations for violations are to be found until about the 17^th Century after several major fires consumed whole cities.

Now, in the 21^st Century we have CODE COACH whose main objective is to spread the wisdom and knowledge found in the IRC throughout the industry. Homebuilding is a cyclical business. But in good times and not so good times, it is a real pleasure to see that bottom line grow when codes are met, permits and approvals are given, and avoidable re-work is a thing of the past.