• Welcome to The Building Code Forum

    Your premier resource for building code knowledge.

    This forum remains free to the public thanks to the generous support of our Sawhorse Members and Corporate Sponsors. Their contributions help keep this community thriving and accessible.

    Want enhanced access to expert discussions and exclusive features? Learn more about the benefits here.

    Ready to upgrade? Log in and upgrade now.

basement storage room

I

inspectorgadget

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
19
i have a homeowner who just purchased a home & in the basement the previous owner had some illegal bedrooms

in the basement. ( no egress windows ) a rental inspection was done & the inspector told her that they had to remove the rooms ( no permits on file ) . the homeowner is saying that she uses the rooms for storage & nothing else . im looking at it

as, if there is no bed in the rooms its not a bedroom . im not saying they will not use them as bedrooms , but how do

i deny a permit to build walls for a storage in a basement .

thanks for your help.
 
you cant. whats there is existing, if you permit the work for storage in the basment, , inspect it as it progresses and go on. if the homeowner changes their mind later, what can you do?
 
ugh.........blinders on.......letter to new owner, rooms are not to be used for habitable space, copy in file. Walk away.
 
You shouldn’t call them liars just make them submit a floor plan labeling the rooms as storage and make sure to keep the record so if a problem comes up the finger doesn’t swing your way. At least that's what we do.
 
inspectorgadget said:
i have a homeowner who just purchased a home & in the basement the previous owner had some illegal bedroomsin the basement. ( no egress windows ) a rental inspection was done & the inspector told her that they had to remove the rooms ( no permits on file ) . the homeowner is saying that she uses the rooms for storage & nothing else . im looking at it

as, if there is no bed in the rooms its not a bedroom . im not saying they will not use them as bedrooms , but how do

i deny a permit to build walls for a storage in a basement .

thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
We modified our definitions section of the IRC to include bedroom/sleeping room definitions (essentially, a room with an enclosed closet which is not open to more than one other room/space). It isn't perfect, but it gives us a fuzzy line, from which to try and apply common sense. IMO, a storage room typically won't have a closet within itself.
 
$ $

inspectorgadget,

Welcome to The Building Codes Forum! :cool:

I agree with the other stated directions in which you [ probably ]

should go.....Explain as best that you can to the homeowner that

it is an existing non-compliant situation, and to please submit

plans indicating the intended use, and that you will file it in the

AHJ records.

$ $
 
I apologize!

Welcome to the forum inspectorgadget! I did not see that you are new to us. Continue to stop in and contribute!
 
I do believe that the house can not be listed for sale or rent if the rooms do not meet the requirements of egress and a closet to be listed as a bedroom.
 
thanks & i will continue to stop by

I apologize!

Welcome to the forum inspectorgadget! I did not see that you are new to us. Continue to stop in and contribute!
 
Papio Bldg Dept said:
We modified our definitions section of the IRC to include bedroom/sleeping room definitions (essentially, a room with an enclosed closet which is not open to more than one other room/space). It isn't perfect, but it gives us a fuzzy line, from which to try and apply common sense. IMO, a storage room typically won't have a closet within itself.
Click to expand...
We have applied the closet logic in the past, but did not put the definition in the book. Once the line is drawn...
 
"Thought we had some post from an inspectorgadget."

I think that was in the "other" forum...........
 
I don't go onto the "other" forum, at least not in a few years except for right after they reopened just to take a peek.
 
How old is the house?

Were there rooms legal at the time they may have been constructed?

No bed not a bedroom.

There are many "hobby rooms", "sewing rooms", "dens" etc out there that lack egress windows.
 
First , welcome inspectorgadget!

I agree with fatboy & northstar, talk to the new owners, get something in writing from them, possibly give them something stating 'not to be used for bedrooms/etc.' and then walk away.
 
north star said:
*There's another forum? :o

:devil

=
Click to expand...
Yes it has had 11 topics posted on today, including 4 without reply by ICC staff as announcements.

This forum has had 9 with posts in the past hour
 
I inspected a house years ago where the plans called out for 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. There was an issue with the egress/rescue window. A plan change was submitted and approved revising it to an office. Ok, an office with a closet....no problem.

A year later I happened to see the same house advertised in the real estate pages....3 bedrooms, 2 baths...watcha gonna do?

I didn't do anything. It was an office when I inspected it.

GPE
 
I wonder what the fire guys on this forum think of bedrooms, er, storage rooms, hobby rooms, or offices without windows?

We find that the real estate agents around here have a hard time selling rooms without closets as bedrooms.
 
gbhammer said:
We have applied the closet logic in the past, but did not put the definition in the book. Once the line is drawn...
Click to expand...
This is what we do and it seems to work.

I would notify the resident in writing of the lack of egress from the bedroom. We can also post notifications against a property, so when someone is interested in buying the property the real-estate agent/lawyer will typically check a provincial database. You you guys have something similar to that in the US?
 
Doesn't matter what type of room it is it still needs an egress and an emergency escape (or a door directly to outside). Have them revert it to storage space, write a note/letter to the file and let the bank/insurance company/future owner find it there.
 
For someone that works on the fire side, we treat every room as a bedroom. No telling where someone might be sleeping on any given day. A primary search is completed on each room of a structure to identify any life threatening conditions. Smoke does not care what the room is intended to be used for, only if there is an occupant. For an inspector view, label the room on the plans and move on. When I issue a CO, it states how many bedrooms and if there is a basement without egress windows it is specifically put on the CO as a condition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top