Vent: that architect in Austin who insisted on 5/8" fire-rated on a closet wall

Had a job last October at a new build off Lamar Blvd. The architect came by and chewed me out for using regular 1/2" board in a 4x6 closet. I told him it's not a garage or furnace room, but he made me tear it down and rehang 5/8" anyway. Waste of a Saturday and $200 in material. Has anyone else dealt with architects who over-spec for no good reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantp141mo ago

The inspector would have caught it anyway if they pulled the permit, so I don't blame you for being annoyed but you saved a headache later. 5/8" on small closets is actually required by code in some Texas counties now even if it seems dumb. Just keep a half dozen sheets of 5/8" stored in your truck for these situations, it's cheaper than redoing work.

evan_green521mo ago

I had a buddy who worked for a fire marshal in Travis County and he told me the 5/8" rule in closets actually started because of some apartment fires in the 90s where flames shot up through closet walls into attics. @grantp14 is right that it's code in parts of Texas now, but what gets me is architects never explain why they're asking for stuff. If that guy had just said "hey, it's a fire stopping thing, county requires it" instead of chewing you out, you wouldn't have felt like it was personal. They treat us like we don't know what we're doing when half the time they're just reading off a code book they barely understand themselves.

amy_anderson1mo ago

Oh man, I swear architects just flip a coin sometimes to decide what to nitpick about. Like congrats my guy, you saved the world from that terrifying 4x6 closet fire hazard lol. Bet that same architect has never even used a hammer in his life but loves making people tear down drywall for fun. Sounds like a great way to burn your Saturday and your material budget all at once. Wish they'd pick their battles with actual structural stuff instead of closet walls nobody will ever see.