residential design codespractices

huangyhg

residential design codes/practices?
i was wondering what codes or practices are used to determine the loads on a residential structure? i am currently working in the site work and land development area of civil engineering, however i graduated from college a few years ago and my structures and structural design classes are still fairly fresh in my mind. i've worked for residential contractors in ny up until i graduated college so i have a good understanding of how to construct a home, however i want to design my own (also in ny). i took a pretty good wood design course in college, at least i though it was good, i guess i'll find out once i get started on this project of mine.
so what i really need to know is where i can find: what loads to design for and how to determine their magnitudes. if you could just tell me what book or books to buy that would be awesome.
i reallize that i won't need to design every member, but i'm thinking about columns and long span floor beams. i'd also like to be able to check the adequacy of some of the standard practices (i.e. studs and rafters at 16" o.c.) for my own peace of mind.
thanks for all your help
check out our whitepaper library.
not sure for new york, but in my area (nebraska) some version of the international residential code (irc) has been adopted (with or without local amendments) by most local cities. some cities are on the 2006 code, others on the 2003 code. a few still use the 2000 code.
required design loads are laid out in the irc.  
a lot of cities show their building codes on their municipal websites.  if not, just call and ask.  and in a lot of cases, public libraries will have the local building codes in the reference section.
it would save a lot of time and aggravation to hire someone that did this all the time.  you'd think some of this stuff would be simple, and it's more like doing income taxes than engineering when it's done.
in addition to checking your local codes, i would recommend the wood frame construction manual (wfcm).  it is published by the american wood council.  i would also go to their web site (
also, see "residential structural design guide: 2000 edition", free .pdf download at this link:
does this code include structural design, such as wind and snow loads? thanks again
the wfcm has a perscriptive design section.  it will give you design options for a wind speed.  for instance, it has tables for the required length of shear wall for wind speeds from 85 to 150 mph.  it also has tables for stud capacity for different wind speeds and rafter span length for snow loads.   
take a trip to your local library and thumb through the icc irc codes.  chapter 3 has the design load requirements but the code has prescriptive provisions already engineered.  
to see an online version, here is a link:
asce/sei 7-05 ("minimum design loads for buildings and other structures" and the ny state residential building code (2007, became mandatory 1 jan, 2008).