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ICC-Developed Log Building Standard Approved by ANSI
 A landmark log-home building standard to promote the design, construction and installation of safe and reliable structures built with log timbers recently gained approval of key code-establishing bodies and should begin having an impact on the log home industry as early as May.
The ICC400 Standard for Design and Construction of Log Structures is the first standard of its kind for log structures. It was developed by log-homes industry experts — including members of NAHB’s Log Homes Council — building officials and design professionals through a consensus committee formed by the International Code Council (ICC). The new standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The ICC develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the ICC.
ANSI sets strict rules for standards, which must be developed in a consensus process so that a wide range of expert opinions — in this case, home builders, suppliers and code officials — can be included in the final product.
“The effort behind it was to develop a standard with a recognized stamp of approval, in this case the ANSI certification,” said the ICC’s Jennifer Gibson. “Builders will now have a standard and guidelines that they can use for the construction of a log structure, home or building that will meet building codes and will coordinate with the building codes in place, if a jurisdiction has adopted the International Building Code.”
“This is the first time that a consensus document is available to professionals regarding log building,” said Rob Pickett, of Rob Pickett & Associates and a member of the Log Homes Council who was integral in developing the standard. It’s a document that applies to all types of log construction and it’s important that people involved in different aspects of the log structures industry were involved in its creation.”
The ICC standards booklet with the new ICC400 log building standard will be available through the ICC Web site at www.iccsafe.org/ in May, or by calling 800-786-4452.
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