I have not seen this new home. The buyer (a friend of mine) called me today and she says that a city inspector said they need to cover the ceiling in the unfinished basement with drywall. I can’t find this requirement in the 2018 IBC codes and I’ve seen lots of local unfinished basements without drywall.
Have any of you heard of this requirement in IBC or even IRC? I’m assuming it would have something to do with fire codes if there is such a requirement. I searched google and did not find anything about this.
I suspect there is a piece of information your friend neglected to mention.
Ask her for a copy of the write up for this issue, as we all know inspector words are not necessarily layman’s words.
Also, a copy of the prints/floor plan’s (or quality photo) for the home to see what may be the actual contributing factor, such as drywall needed above the mechanical’s or beneath the staircase, etc. (fire related).
The next step is for your friend to “ask nicely” of the inspector to “help me understand which code section to follow”. E.g. “cite code”. The inspector should be willing to do so, and generally does not have the authority to ask for anything without backing it up with a specific code citation.
That said IRC R301.13 has a bunch to say about this topic.
The key question comes down to is there a reasonable expectation someone will haul a couch, big screen TV and popcorn machine down there…
IRC 501.3 of the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) mandated that all manufactured wood floor framing be covered by a 30 minute radiant barrier… on the argument that firemen have fallen through weakened burning residential I beam floors that would have been fine with beams from the days when America was great before.
Here you go Bert - assuming that the floor structure was assembled with the use of I-joists or in some other way failed to meet the requirements as outlined below.
1.Floor assemblies located directly over a space protected by an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section P2904, NFPA 13D, or other approved equivalent sprinkler system.
2.Floor assemblies located directly over a crawl space not intended for storage or fuel-fired appliances.
3.Portions of floor assemblies shall be permitted to be unprotected where complying with the following:
3.1.The aggregate area of the unprotected portions does not exceed 80 square feet (7.4 m2) per story
3.2.Fireblocking in accordance with Section R302.11.1 is installed along the perimeter of the unprotected portion to separate the unprotected portion from the remainder of the floor assembly.
4.Wood floor assemblies using dimension lumber or structural composite lumber equal to or greater than 2-inch by 10-inch (50.8 mm by 254 mm) nominal dimension, or other approved floor assemblies demonstrating equivalent fire performance.
Exception 4 permits floor framing of sawn lumber or structural composite lumber equal to or greater than 2 × 10 nominal dimension to be exempt from the application of the protective membrane to the underside of the floor-framing members. The basis for this exception is that tests conducted of floor framing constructed of 2 × 10 lumber and loaded to 50 percent of full design load showed that the assemblies provided adequate time for occupants to self-evacuate and safety for fire-fighters performing search and rescue.
Thanks for the help with this. I got some pictures from my friend.
There are indeed Engineered joists and there is also a furnace in this unfinished basement.
