IDEX Exam Prep Class for Interior Designers

There are a number of changes in the 2013 California Building Codes. This post will shine a small light on a few of the accessibility, energy and occupancy changes which may affect Certified Interior Designers, and may affect changes to the IDEX California exam.

ACCESSIBILITY
As any interior designer knows,  there has always been confusion and discrepancies between the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s access code.

I have been reading that for 2013, the CBC has changed its accessibility Chapters 11A and 11B to align itself more with ADA Standards format (2010). This may help somewhat,  but California will likely always have it’s own brand of access laws we must be familiar with.

While it is still uncertain if the IDEX California exam will be updated for October 2014 and what those changes to the exam may be, here are just a few 2013 CA code changes that have been identified which could impact CIDs:

CHANGES for Toilets and Lavatories –
* Centerline distance of a toilet next to a wall or partition is now 17″-18” (was 18”).
* Lavatory overlap is no longer permitted.
* An ambulatory stall is now required for every 6 toilet fixtures, including urinals.   (Previously, urinals were not included in the min. fixture count).

CHANGES for Handrails –
* Clearance of handrail to wall is now 1-1/2″ minimum.  (was 1-1/2″ absolute)
* Diameter of handrail is now 1-1/4″ – 2″  (was 1-1/2″ max.)
* There are more options for gripping surfaces.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The 2013 California Energy Code went into effect July 1, 2014.  It covers both residential and commercial buildings and there were quite a few changes.
A few examples are:

Residential Lighting – Improving and clarifying the mandatory lighting requirements for all residential buildings, including kitchens, bathrooms, dining rooms, utility rooms, garages, hall ways, bedrooms, and outdoor lighting. Require at least one high efficacy luminaire in each bathroom.

Nonresidential indoor lighting
*Advanced multi-level lighting controls (controllable ballasts) increasing from one intermediate level to three intermediate levels or for continuous dimming), to allow precise and non interruptive adjustment of lighting to match the available daylighting, and provide dimming and demand response function throughout the building.

*Requirement of use of occupancy sensors to limit lighting and plug loads
(in various occupancies)

* Hotel/Motel Guest Room Occupancy Controls for HVAC and lighting systems  – would require installation of occupancy controls for HVAC equipment, and all lighting fixtures in hotel/motel guest rooms, including plug in lighting.

OCCUPANCY
*Commercial kitchens now have an occupancy per CBC:
A2 – for commercial kitchens associated with restaurants
F1 – for commercial food preparation facilities that are not associated with restaurants.

Again, to be clear, the above are only a few examples of changes in accessibility, energy and occupancy for 2013.  Not listed in this post are 2013 changes that have occurred in fire codes, means of egress, and more. This post is to be taken as general information only, and does not mean these changes will (or will not) appear as changes in The IDEX California exam.

The IDEX® California exam was first developed by CCIDC  in 2008, based on the 2007 California Building Code (Title 24) which became effective January 1, 2008.

California Building Codes are updated every three years and become effective on January 1st of the following year.

When the 2010 CBC was published (effective Jan. 1, 2011),  it was determined by CCIDC there were no significant changes that impacted Certified Interior Designers, so there were no changes made to the IDEX®  exam.

The 2013 CBC became effective Jan. 1, 2014, and the IDEX® exam is, as of this writing, being reviewed by CCIDC for code changes that may impact Certified Interior Designers.  The exam will be updated (if needed) and go through a revalidation process.

As of today, August 29, 2014, we do not know whether the October 2014 IDEX® exam will be changed. However, our prep class is currently being updated with 2013 code handouts, links and other relevant information.

The 2013 triennial edition of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24 (California Building Standards Code) applies to all occupancies that applied for a building permit on or after January 1, 2014, and remains in effect until the effective date of the 2016 triennial edition.

QUESTION:  I have not studied at ALL. Not one day but I have been an interior decorator for over 10 years.  I have been approved for the IDEX exam under Path 2, Category D ( https://ccidc.org/becoming-a-certified-interior-designer/ ).   If I took your course, would I be ready to sit for the exam in May?

IDEXPREP REPLY: Everything would depend on what you currently know from your work experience and how many hours you spend reading, studying and comprehending what is in the course.

The exam covers three areas (called domains) and the one area designers usually need to study the most is Domain 1 on California Codes & Regulations.

If you are going to take the exam in May, we suggest scheduling your exam for the end of May,  and enroll in a study course today, but be sure that you have the time to read the materials, take the practice exams and actually study.

Since our course materials and quizzes are available to a student all at one time, and you do not have to take the course in any particular order,  we suggest you go straight to the end and take our 150 question final quiz, to see what you already know.

By taking our final quiz first (it is multiple choice),  it will give you an overview of what the IDEX exam is like,  and you’ll be better able to determine if  you will be ready to take it in May.

Also – with our course – you do have the option to study for a while (or even for a few days) … and if you decide to put off your exam until October, just let us know and we can put the remaining days you have left in your course “on hold”.

In other words, we can disable your class anytime and enable it again.   So if you enrolled in our 60-day course and studied for 10 days but then decided to take the exam in October,
you would have 50 days remaining, and all you would need to do is email us when to enable your class again.

We hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.