How one principal architect saves 4,000+ research hours with UpCodes

A veteran architect, educator, and code consultant, Greg Grew has grown and diversified his practice with UpCodes. Having worked with hundreds of architects over decades of consulting, Greg has seen firsthand what UpCodes can support:

• 4X faster code research
• 33% greater profit margins 
• Complex multi-state projects

“I’m not sure what my practice would look like without UpCodes. It’s an indispensable tool. I wouldn't even take on multi-state consulting work without it.” - Greg Grew, AIA, Principal Architect and Code Consultant

About Milton Gregory Grew, AIA

As a practicing architect, Greg Grew is licensed in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey and designs commercial and residential buildings. As a code consultant, he works coast to coast, from  North Carolina to California, and also teaches code compliance classes for building and fire safety officials and testifies as an expert in construction-related litigation.

A modern, efficient, and multi-state practice

Greg Grew has been an architect since 1988, and his practice has grown along with the technology. He’s seen codes evolve from physical books to limited online libraries. Today, UpCodes lets him instantly pull codes from any state, complete with up-to-date amendments. 

Code research: Time-consuming for one state, prohibitive for many

As a code consultant, Greg reviews other architects’ projects for compliance across the United States. Without having a fast, accurate code research tool like UpCodes, the time and effort involved in researching across states would be prohibitive. 

“In the old days, I’d need four libraries to practice in four states. Today, I’ve consulted on projects in Florida, Wisconsin, and many more states. If I had to track down physical code books, I wouldn’t even bother to engage in that work.” 

Why poor code access can cripple architectural projects 

During his decades working with architects, Greg has seen what happens when code research is clunky and burdensome: projects slow down, clients get frustrated, and architects' own profit margins erode, and their liability exposure increases.

“Manually triple-checking code, or fixing errors that surface after review, is costly. I’ve seen plans with 200 errors, because architects didn’t have time for in-depth research and just copied from similar projects.” 

Fast, accurate code research across state lines 

Greg’s been using UpCodes since 2019. It’s become integral to nearly every stage of both his consulting and architecture projects. 

For code consulting, Greg’s multi-state practice would be essentially impossible without UpCodes. The diagrams are particularly valuable for explaining code concepts, and Greg often refers to them in his teaching work with building officials. 

“For my multi-state practice, I can switch between jurisdictions instantly. That's where UpCodes is hugely valuable to me. Say an architect calls from Florida; in seconds, I’m in his state’s code.”

In his own practice, Greg refers to UpCodes from day one to make early, directional decisions. He references local regulations as he needs them, grouping codes for each building with the Projects feature. This allows Greg to keep his code research organized by building type and jurisdiction, so he spends less time tracking down codes and more time moving the project forward. 

“As soon as I have a rough idea of what I’m building, I look in UpCodes to see what’s possible. Does the building need sprinklers? Can we use wood or steel? Then, I give feedback to my client and make early adjustments as needed.”

A 4x multiplier for research hours, protecting margins and saving time

Throughout his career, Greg has been an early adopter of new tech. By making the most of UpCodes, he’s expanded the range of what’s possible for a code consultant. 

As a power user of UpCodes, Greg estimates that it can enable: 

• 4x faster code research: Greg has spent over 2,000 hours in the UpCodes platform. He estimates it would take at least 6,000-8,000 hours to complete all this research manually.
• 33% greater profit margins: In Greg’s experience, avoiding code errors and manual research can easily take a project’s margin from 10% to 15%. 

“UpCodes is a multiplier. As architects, we all feel stretched and underpaid. If we’re saving time on research, that’s more time for creativity and improving the quality of our work.”