I think a more useful book would be how to build an attached garage for dummies. Based on this discussion I think I will write a blog post on this very subject. The "occupant behavior" factor is obviously huge and can go a long way to reducing problems. However, there is no guarantee that homeowners will operate a home appropriately and its more of a guarantee that they wont. Its a lot like putting an atmospherically vented combustion appliance in a home and instructing the homeowners to not run the dryer, vent hood and bath vents at the same time. At some point, maybe lots of points, backdrafting will occur and even though people arent dying from it regularly, its not healthy. Then there is the problem of closing the garage door before the exhaust has "aired out". Do you expect people to sit in the driveway/garage and closing the door only after a certain amount of time? How long? One solution to this problem is to have garage exhaust vents (required by Energy Star V3) on occupancy timers which I feel is good practice but is not foolproof. Again, dryers, vent hoods and bath vents can overcome a garage vent as can a mild breeze blowing from a certain direction. Carbon Monoxide is definitely the most concern for falling skies but even idle vehicles and the many things that people store in their garage are not what you want to be breathing inside of your home. Rush hour traffic is bad enough but there is no reason to compound things in what should be a healthy home where we spend most of our time. Iam willing to bet that even rush hour traffic has better air quality than the majority of homes indoor air quality (with wind movement being a big variable). Outdoor air is almost always cleaner than indoor air. Iam not aware of any codes that eliminate all operable openings into a home. Weatherstripping is not foolproof either and the bigger source of air infiltration from the garage into the home is the sill plate. Builders that are not achieving blower door tests results of ACH50 1.5 or below have a much lower chance of getting this crucial location properly air sealed or the attached garage separated from the home in general. As for the OP's case, most designers and builders would be pushing hard for an attached garage due to the space limitations involved. I would have to agree for the most part but the health factor is another big reason to try to design a garage as they envision it. There is obviously not enough room for an angled garage and while putting the garage to the back of the lot is not ideal, its a sacrifice that may have to be made to fit the design goals for an infill lot situation. Better to have an uncomfortable drive situation than contribute to sprawl in my opinion.

Apparently we have run into a common misunderstanding about how products and systems are approved for use under ICC codes. I will explain how the process works for those who might actually want to know but I don't expect to convince Manhattan42 of anything nor would I wish to. Letting him persist in his confusion is the best retribution I can imagine for the over-the-top, in-your-face, disrespect he shows for the knowledge and opinions of others. Because a code does not specifically mention a device or system as being allowed, or does not establish performance standards for it, does not, in any way, prohibit it's acceptance by a building official. Obviously, building officials need some kind of reliable evidence that a proposed product or system is suitable for use in a project but they are free to choose what information they believe is relevant. After all, ICC only writes and sells the codes; municipalities and states adopt, modify, interpret, and enforce them. I have already quoted (above) section R104.11 of the IRC that makes it clear that the IRC does not intend to "prohibit any design or method of construction" provided that it has been "approved". The IRC defines the term "approved" as "approved by the building official". It does not mean approval by the ICC, ICC-ES, Testing Labs or any other entity outside of the local agency responsible for issuing permits. The IRC further requires that the building official's approval be "as a result of investigation and tests conducted by him or her, or by reason of accepted principles or tests by nationally recognized organizations." In the past, UL has tested, passed, and "Listed" (i.e., published the results) dryer booster fans using their own test standards but it no longer does that. CSA International is accredited in the US by the International Accredidation Service (IAS) as a "Testing Lab" (TL) and accredited by OSHA as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). CSA Int. is the equal of Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) in every way in all countries. For many acceptable construction products it is the only source of testing, Listing and acquiring a Mark. That is currently the the case for dryer booster fans and CSA Int. has used UL's standards to test these devices. They have passed certain models and "Listed" them. A CSA Int. certification or Mark This is all a building inspector needs in order to be able to accept these devices for a residence, however, that official may want to see additional evidence. Therefore, acceptance of these devices depends entirely on the judgement of the local building official. In order to assist local building officials in their decisions, the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) reviews information submitted by a manufacturer regarding a product or system and decides if they think it complies with ICC codes. There is no ICC code requirement that a product or system receive an ES report in order to be accepted for use by a local building official, in fact, very few products and systems have been reviewed by ICC-ES. No type of fan or fan driven exhaust/ ventilation/hood system or appliance has been reviewed. ICC-ES makes all of its reports available to the public but it does not "List" or apply a "Mark" for any product or system like a TL does although they sometimes establish their own standards if they do not already exist. The ICC-ES reports are intended to assist in the determination of whether a proposed product or system is code compliant. Therefore, the absence of an ICC-ES report in no way prohibits the use of any product or system in a residence. It would not be possible to build a house if that were so. In the end, it is the building official who must decide what complies with the law in his/her jurisdiction with the assistance of information from the owner, the builder, state licensed design professionals, manufacturers, ICC staff, ICC-ES, industry organization specifications and standards, and Testing Labs. The truth is that some building officials accept dryer booster fans and some do not, and it is possible that other local or state ordinances, codes or code amendments might restrict their authority to accept them, but there is no prohibition of the use of these devices by any national consensus code published in the US. My advice to anyone who wants to better understand the IRC (or any other code) is to carefully read the first two chapters (Administration and Definitions), and highlight the important text before jumping into the sea of prescriptive provisions in subsequent chapters. I also advise you to highlight the most restrictive wording or dimensional limits and to pull out the code book whenever an important issue arises rather than relying on your memory or the off-hand comments of others which are often wrong. Write the your findings down with the appropriate paragraph numbers so you can back it up later. The last code compliance summary I gave to a building official was 7 pages long for a 3 unit dwelling. Using a computer based version of the code can lead to mistakes because provisions can be misinterpreted if you are not aware of the heading the sub-text is under and that is often off screen. It is also sometimes difficult to read two-column text on a computer screen. Codes are designed to be read in book form and often the computer versions refer to the printed version as being the authoritative version. I want to see the real thing. Highlighting and tabs are essential for understanding the code. I'm not making this up. I learned from some of the best code consultants in the US (they're all dead now) and their code books were a mess of tabs and notes. Every time the code is revised I have to go though the new book and highlight the important provisions and add tabs (you can often buy pre-labeled tabs for specific codes). At last count I had 33 national building codes and 10 UL Fire Resistance Directories going back to 1970, not counting the city codes that were in effect before the national codes appeared. By the way, if anecdotal evidence means anything to anyone, when I asked FanTech for copies of the testing certifications for their dryer booster fans, they said the company gets such requests every day, especially from building officials and that they had yet to hear of a booster fan being rejected by a building official anywhere in the US or Canada. Somebody somewhere is making things up and I doubt it's Fantech.

Sorry to hear about your disappointment with your paint, especially after all the research that you put into it! I am agreeing with a couple of points people brought up, maybe it was in covering up the blue, maybe it is in your particular lighting and structure, maybe the mix is wrong. I have SM Ivoire throughout our main living area and it is just as ou described, creamy yellow with apricot undertones, not a hint of green. Somebody brought up the point that colors do vary room to room, house to house so maybe that is what you are doing here. In that case, not so much of a "mistake" on your part, but a lovely color that doesn't quite work for you. Similar to how a bright yellow sweater looks great on my friend, but washes me out. Good look in finding a new color!

Okay, I hope this doesn't sound too terrible. But when you talk to her I would just chat with her for a while, ask how her daughter did in the skating competition, how long she's been skating, etc.---in other words, show some interest in her life. I'd probably ask her how she likes having her daughter in skating, ask whether it's pretty demanding on her, and so on. In this context, I would ask her how many competitions her daughter enters, whether they're generally out-of-town, (asked sympathetically) how she keeps up with it all. I'm sure you see where I'm going. I would find out as much as I could in a casual, friendly manner. Maybe disarm her somewhat in order to get a true picture of the family demands she has. I think if you ask her directly how dedicated she will be to your project, she will say 100%---and probably mean that. But her 100% and your 100% might not be the same. By approaching the subject in a pleasant way, not associated with your project, you'll have a better idea, based on her replies, whether her schedule is likely to mesh with hers. Now, I want to qualify this by stating that I agree with all the comments that the KD has a right to her own life, that it's wonderful that she is spending time with her daughter and supporting something she presumably loves to do. In fact, years ago when I worked outside the home (I'm now self-employed), I once told a potential employer, "If my kids are out of school, I won't be here. If my kids are sick, I won't be here. If they have a field trip, I probably won't be here---I'll be with them. But when I'm here I will give 110%." I got the job, and we had a great working relationship---but I felt an obligation to be upfront about my priorities (my family first, work second). Since I left the job, he has called back frequently asking if I'd be interested in coming back. Today I work out of my home and I tell all clients that, due to the demands on my time in taking care of my disabled child, I may not be able to get back to them the same day they call or email; but I WILL get back to them within 24 hours at the greatest. So the point is there are many excellent, dedicated workers who just happen to have a life outside the job. I personally think that's a good thing and that family priorities should come first. I'm not sensing that you disagree with that. It sounds to me like you're just wondering whether she will be able to manage your project and move it along in the timeframe you have in mind. That's a reasonable concern. I think by talking to her about her family in a friendly way you'll get a sense of whether she will have the time to devote to your project. Then, once you've obtained some information about her likely schedule through tactful questioning, if you still have concerns, then you can broach the subject with her. For all we know this is the only major skating competition her daughter goes to for the year. Just an idea ...