• 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

bedroom emergency egress

BSSTG

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
729
Location
Seadrift, Tx.
Greetings,

2012 IRC applies

Existing house. Lady wants to add a closet and bath on to her master bedroom. In so doing the required emergency egress window will be removed as a closet will be added on that portion of the house. Could there be provided an emergency egress window out of the closet to replace the window removed?

I think it's a stretch myself. Thoughts?

BSSTG
 
The code says "every sleeping room". I wouldn't go along with a window in a closet instead of the bedroom.
 
Might want to ask the firefighter that has to climb through that closet window to save her if he wants to climb through her bra's and underwear to get to her.

How old is she anyway?

Not a good idea.
 
I agree, I wouldn't buy t. Had a contractor once want to have in the attached master bath......nope.
 
I'm going to have to go against the tide on this one... (BIG surprise there LOL).

I would agree that it is not an ideal situation, but it is also not specifically against the requirements of the IRC. The closet is a part of the bedroom, not a separate 'room'.

A bathroom would be a separate room and has specific requirements for light and ventilation, electrical, etc.
 
To each his own..........I'll not stand in defense of it technically being "in the same room", JMHO.
 
& : & : &



MCP BSSTG,

For others information, ...the code section requiring the MOE

opening is Section R310 [ from the `12 IRC ].........See this link:

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2012/icod_irc_2012_3_sec010.htm

JBI,

I will respectfully challenge you to please provide the code

section that states a closet is part of the bedroom........I DO

concede that most closets adjoin the bedroom, but by them

having a door between the two spaces, ...that separates the

closet space from the bedroom space..........Now, if there is no

door between the two spaces, to [ technically ] separate

them, ...say, by having a cased opening, then I would have to

agree with you.

Sleeping Rooms by definition are considered habitable spaces,

[ see Ch. 2 - Definitions ], and therefore required to have

an MOE opening............Closets are not habitable spaces !

Allowing an MOE opening [ a window ] in a closet, IMO, ... is

not compliant !

RE: Request for the window to be installed in her new Closet

Space, ...denied !



& : & : &
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JBI said:
I'm going to have to go against the tide on this one... (BIG surprise there LOL). I would agree that it is not an ideal situation, but it is also not specifically against the requirements of the IRC. The closet is a part of the bedroom, not a separate 'room'.

A bathroom would be a separate room and has specific requirements for light and ventilation, electrical, etc.
We have a provision in our code that addresses this:

Two or more areas may be considered as a combination room if the opening between the areas occupies the larger of 3m^2 or 40% or more of the area of the wall measured on the dependent side.

We typically see this for attached nurseries where egress would be from the bedroom through the nursery.
 
Top