• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

basement

  1. S

    basement wall insulation

    Working on a commercial building, climate zone 4 (not marine) with poured concrete basement walls and steel frame/metal studs above. We have typically detailed insulation for a basement to be on the interior face of a poured wall, but I'm thinking it would be better to run the R 7.5 ci on the...
  2. A

    Unfinished Basement

    Hello, We purchased a home with an unfinished basement. We are going to keep the basement unfinished due to the ceiling height (around 6 1/2 feet) and the difficulty in putting in an emergency egress. The city approved plans to replace an existing mini split and redo the electrical, and...
  3. Chop

    Mechanical Room adjacent to Bedroom

    In designing a floor plan, I'd like to place both a bedroom and a mechanical room in the basement, and ideally sharing a wall. Attached images shows my basic plan. Is there any code compliance rules that would prevent me from using the plan as shown? I suspect that I will need 1/2" or 5/8"...
  4. L

    H-3 Occupancy - Class 1 Flammables Basement - 5704.3.7 Liquid Storage Rooms - Flammable Storage Cabinets

    Per section 5704.3.7.2 Quantities and Arrangement of Storage. The quantities and storage arrangements of different classes of Flammables are are governed by tables 5704.3.6.3(2) and 5704.3.6.3(3). These tables note that storage of Class 1A, 1B, and 1C flammable liquids are not allowed in...
  5. K

    Occupancy Classification for Basement M/E/P Spaces

    We have an existing 3-story building with a full 6000 SF basement below. The first floor is going to be a bar/lounge (A-2) and the upper floors are R-1 hotel rooms. We are having trouble determining the appropriate Use Group to classify these basement spaces that will have mechanical...
  6. L

    Egress Into Open Air Courtyard from Second Floor

    I'm currently designing a restaurant that is landlocked on all 3 sides. It's only 25' in width, 66' in length, and we plan to build to the property line. This only allows for one accessible means of egress to exit out of the building into the public right of way. I'd like to put a basement and a...
  7. G

    Relocate gas pipe to neighbour? Tankless water heaters need fire rated wall enclosure?

    Hi all, My house is semi-attached to my neighbour. The main pipe from the street goes to me first, then go through the shared wall to my neighbour. We each have a meter but main on/off valve is on my side. I think main water pipe is the other way around. It probably goes to the neighbour...
  8. A

    Egress from basement- Sidewalk door?

    I need to provide a second exit from an overlarge basement storage area in a building addition. My only viable location would be installing a sidewalk door. I designed a project years ago where it was explicitly stated in the code that one basement exit could be via such a door., but I can't...
  9. B

    Receptacle Height in Basement

    Hi all, I am working on finishing my basement (Location: Pleasant Valley, NY) and was trying to find the code that states what the height of the outlet receptacle should be. I wasn't sure if this was a general code, or a specific basement code. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks, Brian
  10. P

    Can an elevator be the only means of egress from a small residential below grade parking garage?

    The project is located in San Francisco, CA. It's a three story building with an underground parking garage for three dwelling units. Elevator access is available to all floors. The parking garage (Type U occ) is ~1975sf so the occupant load would be 10. This means that we only need one exit (as...
  11. P

    Basement and egress question

    Hello everyone, I would like opinions on the following: The plan it to finish the basement. This is a link to a 3D rendering of the plan/situation. link to dropbox file The issue: do I need to add a (larger) egress window? Currently there is one window that is not big enough to qualify as and...
  12. M

    Foundation issue or normal?

    Hi, I am considering buying a foreclosed home. The home has a gap between the concrete that is under the basement window and the brick exterior. Considering it is a foreclosure that cannot be inspected, I am curious as to if this is an issue. Thank you!
  13. D

    Can you place a manufactured home on a basement foundation in NC?

    Don't know if this is the right place to ask but cant find anything onlinr about this. So me and my wife are looking into purchasing a manufactured home and putting it on a basement, I've seen many houses done this way with no problems but one of the guys at my local dealer said that they cant...
  14. C

    Can't get building permit for basement reno

    Hi, I'm trying to get a building permit for my basement reno in Ontario. The basement is already finished and has a kitchen and two piece bathroom. The ceiling height in most areas is 6'9" except it's 5'11 under the beam which runs the entire length of the basement and 6'2" under some duct...
  15. J

    Mixed Ceiling Types in one space

    Hey all I'm renting a space that is currently all drop ceiling. We are planning to take one space and remove the drop ceiling. The rest of the space will maintain the drop ceiling. Is there any code against having varying ceiling types in one space?
  16. E

    Wiring in a Superior Wall

    A code official is saying that the basement wiring that is running through the precast chase holes provided in Superior Walls studs in an unfinished unoccupied basement need to be covered with drywall or we have to put PVC sleeves on the wires or otherwise block around the wires to prevent...
  17. M

    Seeking Clarification on R310.6

    I live in MA, and I have recently run into problems with the building inspector and my basement which I finished without a permit. (Yes, I know, shame on me, but I was young, dumb, didn't think I needed one, etc) The basement was empty when I purchased my condo. Concrete walls, concrete...
  18. J

    Basement Kitchen Vent

    Hello, I am planning to build a full size kitchen with vent out in my partially finished basement. Planning to use "Outside back exhaust" and I am having hard time finding code requirement on minimum height from ground level for the outside vent. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  19. T-Bird

    emergency escape and garage

    I am told in Chapter 3 it is stated that emergency escape from a basement cannot pass through a garage, but I am having trouble locating where this section occurs, can someone help me find this? I was told to look in section 302.1 but this section covers exterior walls.
  20. D

    Crawl space or basement

    Live in Wake county, NC. I'm in the planning phase. I want to turn my "basement" into conditioned, usable space. The whole "basement" is unconditioned space, accessible only from the exterior of the house. It's got vents in the walls. The house is built into a hill. So half the "basement" has...
Top