Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Inspected a house today and I have one of those grey area questions.
House has attached garage. Walls of the garage are lined with 1/4" particleboard panels, so no type x drywall or two layers of drywall between the house and the garage and a single panel door to the home. However, between the house and the garage is a foyer/mudroom etc which the garage door leads into. It has a couch, light w/ ceiling fan, but no heat. To the house is the solid door with plaster walls.
My question is: is the foyer considered livable area? To me it seems like its not, and just used as an entryway. The solid door and plaster walls seem like the barrier the firewall rule was intended for.
Hard to explain without pictures. Maybe I’ll post some tomorrow when I have to go back and finish.
Originally Posted By: gbeaumont This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi to all,
Glad you all reminded me about this as it came up in my class this week and I need to research this, prior to doing so, it has nothing to do with "living"space heated or otherwise, it is about fire containment. I think that if anypart of a garage is attached to any part of the living area by whatever means then the co-joined wall needs to meets fire code.
Originally Posted By: jfarsetta This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The owner is tap-dancing with regard to “living area”. The fore code specifically states “living area”. An unheated attic is not living area, therefore no fire rated ceiling is required below this. However, a demizing wall (fire rating) would be required between the attic wall and home, as well as garage wall and home.
I believe the answer is that the wall between this mystery room and the home's living area would then require the fire rating. They just moved it over a room.
Its easier to put it in the garage, IMO. Tell them they have a choice, but a fire rated wall IS required at some point.
-- Joe Farsetta
Illigitimi Non Carborundum
"Dont let the bastards grind you down..."
Originally Posted By: rmoore This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Kevin…
Where there's a couch, there's a sleeping area. I speak from vast experience.
If it was strictly a mud-room and the "firewall" there and the rest of the home is intact, weather-stripped door with closer, etc, I could see an argument for it being OK in a practical sense even if not "code". You should warn your clients that when they sell the home the next inspector is probably going to raise the same concerns.
In my opinion the couch makes it a "living area".
-- Richard Moore
Rest Assured Inspection Services
Seattle, WA
www.rainspect.com
Originally Posted By: jfarsetta This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
A couch does not auutimatically make it a living area, depending upon the climate and the local building department. The living area is typically determined and administrated by the tax collector. If they do not count it as living area, all relevent codes follow through. The fire marshall is an employee of the township, typically, and enforces applicable codes based upon observations and recorded uses. If he determines the area is living area, he must be backed up by the code enforcement (building department’s) determination, followed by whatever the assessor’s office and building department has determined is needed for something to be considered a LEGAL living area.
– Joe Farsetta
Illigitimi Non Carborundum
"Dont let the bastards grind you down..."
