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Door Requirements for Cabana

M

mavman427

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
3
Location
SF Bay Area
Hi all,

I own a home in California (originally built in 2006) with a 3-car tandem (2 car spaces in front, 1 in back) garage. A "cabana" was built next to the rear space in the garage by the home builder. A normal insulated, wood-framed wall with 1/2" drywall on both sides was installed between the garage and the cabana. The cabana has a 1/2 bathroom in it and the only access to the cabana originally was a door that faced into the backyard. I took the liberty of cutting out a door-sized rough opening in the drywall, which made the cabana much more useful and essentially converted my garage into a 4-car garage.

This brings me to my question. I will be selling my house in the coming months and I want to make sure that the opening/door between the garage and cabana meets the building code. Is a typical 20-minute fire-rated door necessary between the garage and the cabana or would a normal interior door suffice? Since the cabana doesn't open directly into the house, I'm not sure it would be necessary. Would just installing a door frame (with no door) to tidy up the rough opening meet the building code?

Thanks in advance!
 
Well that is not a good welcome

WELCOME

Would suggest calling building dept for your city . Ask them to look at it and see if any violation.

Not a residential person , but does not sound wrong
 
Yes, Welcome.

cda has it, first stop building department with hat in hand, explain what you did, a diagram would be helpful, see what they want you to do with it..

But, a question that should have been asked prior to the construction.

Come back and keep us posted!
 
Welcome

The only possible problem I can think of is if trusses may be bearing over the opening and if a header was installed.

That would have triggered a building permit in most jurisdictions
 
Stay away from the building dept. Unless you need a dose of grief in your life.

You did install a 4"x6" header didn't you?
 
ICE said:
Stay away from the building dept. Unless you need a dose of grief in your life.You did install a 4"x6" header didn't you?
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I thought the government was here to help????
 
cda said:
I thought the government was here to help????
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Too many in government didn't get that message. The little bit of alteration that this guy did won't be an issue at sale time. So why poke a sleeping tiger?

I generally hate after the fact inspections. Now they have to show me a header and anchor bolts that aren't there. If they are there I'm the bad guy because I wouldn't take their word for it.

This hole in the wall could end up costing $4500.00. There's the engineer for the hole in a bearing wall, deputy inspector for epoxy anchors, material and labor. Odds are good that all of that isn't going to improve the structure even a little bit.
 
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Mavman427

You will have to deal with the real estate disclosures required by CA law when you sell. If the buyer does a permit check and finds the offending "hole" in the wall, you may be required, as condition of sale, to make good on permits required and get work approved with final on the permit. Check with your realtor, there are general provisions in most contracts these days that make it a requirement for financing or title insurance to have all work done on the home inspected and approved. Buyers also have been using "home inspectors" prior to purchase closing. A lot of them know the codes and may report that the "cabana" is more a "garage" with recommendation to verify permits.
 
I can't speak to CA, but any buyer's inspectors making the smallest attempt will uncover unpermitted work, and then it must be dealt with. Waiting for it to happen usually is not the best solution.
 
It is my experience that anything and everything gets sold all of the time....permits or not. Shirley that can become an issue but it hardly ever gets in the way of a sale. There is a constant stream of people through our system that have a bootlegged whatever and bought it that way. Well it is said that the previous owner is required to disclose that. First you assume that the previous owner knew that and second is the idea that somebody is going to do anything about it. Is there a separate bunch of heroes that are going to right a wrong or are you going to pay a lawyer to sue an empty pocket?

Standard real estate practice includes signing your name a bunch of times. I've taken an hour to get through it. One of the documents is a testament that you have gone to the building dept and researched the file to verify such things as permits. Of course few people do it and they all sign the form saying that they did. When they find out that the fourth bedroom is illegal the realtor will ask them why they lied on the form in the beginning.

Hey there beach, I haven't seen you in a while.
 
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Just sign the waiver

REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF PROPERTY INFORMATION REPORT: As purchaser of the above described property, you havethe option to waive your right to obtain a property information report. The Waiver does not release the buyer from theresponsibility of correcting any preexisting zoning, fire, health, building, or safety violations. Said Waiver must be signedby the buyer, notarized, and filed with the City Community Development Department offices.WAIVER CERTIFICATION: This is to notify the City of Gardena that I, , as buyerof the property being sold have read the above and with that understanding I knowingly waive my right to the propertyinformation report and release the seller and/or broker from any responsibility to apply for the report as set out in thisChapter.Signature of Purchaser Address/Phone Date

Or pay the fee

(Required for Sale of Property located in the City of Gardena)Fee: $214 – exterior inspection $68 – interior inspection

Sounds to me it is revenue source for the city. Pay us to do the report. Now pay us for the permits we did not get and inspect the things we can not see.

New owner signs the waiver and the city can pounce at anytime on the current owner to pay for permits the previous owners neglected to get.
 
My usual advice in this circumstance is to contact the local AHJ and explain what happened and why ("I didn't know a permit was required, what can I do to correct it?").

In the rural parts of NYS that I am most familiar with, the local AHJ's appreciate that you came to them and seek to correct.

Ultimately the goal of code enforcement is to obtain compliance, not to punish. But that could just be a New York thing...
 
Gentlemen,

While I find the discussion about building permits pretty exhilarating, my question was what would meet the building code? For a cabana, would the door to the garage need to be fire-rated or not? Would just a framed door opening suffice?
 
mavman427 said:
Gentlemen,While I find the discussion about building permits pretty exhilarating, my question was what would meet the building code? For a cabana, would the door to the garage need to be fire-rated or not? Would just a framed door opening suffice?
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Should be a plain old door ,,, but may not be providing enough info to make an Internet call!!

But your local building department is the place to ask the question
 
mavman427 said:
Gentlemen,While I find the discussion about building permits pretty exhilarating, my question was what would meet the building code? For a cabana, would the door to the garage need to be fire-rated or not? Would just a framed door opening suffice?
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Well you are on a code site, so we explore all aspects. Depends, does the cabana meet all the separation requirements for a garage to a residential unit?
 
fatboy said:
Well you are on a code site, so we explore all aspects. Depends, does the cabana meet all the separation requirements for a garage to a residential unit?
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What are the separation requirements for a garage to a residential unit? Does that apply for a garage to a cabana (which I'm not entirely sure is considered a residential unit)? The cabana shares a traditional wood-framed wall with the garage, with a 1/2" layer of drywall on both sides of the wall. The cabana opens up into the backyard and garage, not the main house.
 
mavman427 said:
What are the separation requirements for a garage to a residential unit? Does that apply for a garage to a cabana (which I'm not entirely sure is considered a residential unit)? The cabana shares a traditional wood-framed wall with the garage, with a 1/2" layer of drywall on both sides of the wall. The cabana opens up into the backyard and garage, not the main house.
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It sounds like none is required.

But there can be other variables that without either seeing it or a complete site plan, a complete answer cannot be given to you.

Ask the local building dept to come look at it. That is about the only way you will get a correct answer.

Plus there maybe local codes that come into play .
 
mavman427 said:
What are the separation requirements for a garage to a residential unit? Does that apply for a garage to a cabana (which I'm not entirely sure is considered a residential unit)? The cabana shares a traditional wood-framed wall with the garage, with a 1/2" layer of drywall on both sides of the wall. The cabana opens up into the backyard and garage, not the main house.
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Is your house a tract house and the cabana was on option that was planted on the exterior wall of the garage? If so, then the wall that you opened is most likely a bearing wall. You didn't mention plywood or OSB so chances are that it isn't a braced wall.

Prior to you opening the wall, there was a separation that in today's world would be nothing more than 1/2" drywall. When you opened the wall the "cabana" became part of the garage. If you put a door in the opening the "cabana" is not a part of the garage. A 20 minute or 1.125"solid core, weatherstripped, self closing door would be required.

Now if you didn't give us the full story and there is a closet in the "cabana" then no opening is allowed as the "cabana" is actually a bedroom. If it is listed for sale as a bedroom, no opening is allowed. If it was built as a bedroom, no opening is allowed.

I can tell you that a new owner could easily see the "cabana" as a bedroom for a student/teenager....mother-in law.

So what do you think....is an opening allowed?
 
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