I'm working on a house with an ususual layout. Living space is entirely on second floor. First floor (directly at grade) is a two-bay garage. Basement is a full story below grade with access from an exterior, code-compliant staircase. Basement is a single room currently used as storage.
Homeowner wants to turn the basement room into a home office. The area and ceiling height are no problem- well above the minimums. We're below the minimums for natural light and ventilation, but they have artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation that comply with the alternate requirements, so they should be good there.
The question is about the emergency escape and rescue opening. I know this is required in a basement, but it seems redundant in this case, since there's a door in the room that opens directly into the egress staircase. Can the exit double as the eero, or do we need a separate window or hatch? Adding one would be a pretty significant amount of work in this case.
Homeowner wants to turn the basement room into a home office. The area and ceiling height are no problem- well above the minimums. We're below the minimums for natural light and ventilation, but they have artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation that comply with the alternate requirements, so they should be good there.
The question is about the emergency escape and rescue opening. I know this is required in a basement, but it seems redundant in this case, since there's a door in the room that opens directly into the egress staircase. Can the exit double as the eero, or do we need a separate window or hatch? Adding one would be a pretty significant amount of work in this case.