Jonathan Shoemaker
Registered User
I am remodeling a 2 story 4 unit duplex. I am gutting the entire thing and going back new with everything. I am new to the building code book, normally I just build and go, so I am asking a lot of questions so I pass inspections. I have read the building code the best I can and have come up with my ideas, but I need to bounce my understanding off any who will listen. The city's building inspector is less than informative in my building code questions and his knowledge base may be questionable. I am using the 2015 International Bulidng Code book, chapter 1030, and my city has no local amendments.
Questions One: My plan is to have vertical escape ladder for the two top floors units. I have commonly seen these made out of pipe or sometimes rebarb. I have read the spacing, width, and other requirements. I don't see any requirement to be able to crawl out onto a porch or balcony and then onto the ladder. I don't see any requirements of the ladder in relation to the window ( below or beside ) or that it even needs a balcony to crawl out on first before decending the ladder. Am I missing something? It seems too easy.
Question two: The current set up of the building has have a window, with a porch/balcony outside of it, and then a rebarb ladder running down the side of the building. The building inspector told me the "balcony" did not meet the definition of a balcony and the rail spacing was off. ( I need to read what a balcony is and rebuild that to definition/code ). He "thinks" the vertical ladder off the balcony/to the side of the window is correct, but he "thinks" that it must have some sort of enclosure at the bottom to keep random people climbing up it. I have not read this anywhere? Does anyone else read it somewhere?
Questions three: This may sound odd, but I don't want a second door on any of the two ground floor units. I want everyone to enter/exit from one side where all the doors are now. This is for practicality purposes, security, and cosmetic. I would have to add a door to one unit and on the second unit I would have to have steps. The steps would look weird and not go with the rest of the house. It would be like adding trailer house steps to a 2 story house on one side. I plan on using an emergency window for my second exit on both units. Adding a balcony or stairs would be crazy to the first floor escape window, but the house sits high in relation to the ground outside. There would be a drop. Is there any requirements for this 5 foot drop?
Questions One: My plan is to have vertical escape ladder for the two top floors units. I have commonly seen these made out of pipe or sometimes rebarb. I have read the spacing, width, and other requirements. I don't see any requirement to be able to crawl out onto a porch or balcony and then onto the ladder. I don't see any requirements of the ladder in relation to the window ( below or beside ) or that it even needs a balcony to crawl out on first before decending the ladder. Am I missing something? It seems too easy.
Question two: The current set up of the building has have a window, with a porch/balcony outside of it, and then a rebarb ladder running down the side of the building. The building inspector told me the "balcony" did not meet the definition of a balcony and the rail spacing was off. ( I need to read what a balcony is and rebuild that to definition/code ). He "thinks" the vertical ladder off the balcony/to the side of the window is correct, but he "thinks" that it must have some sort of enclosure at the bottom to keep random people climbing up it. I have not read this anywhere? Does anyone else read it somewhere?
Questions three: This may sound odd, but I don't want a second door on any of the two ground floor units. I want everyone to enter/exit from one side where all the doors are now. This is for practicality purposes, security, and cosmetic. I would have to add a door to one unit and on the second unit I would have to have steps. The steps would look weird and not go with the rest of the house. It would be like adding trailer house steps to a 2 story house on one side. I plan on using an emergency window for my second exit on both units. Adding a balcony or stairs would be crazy to the first floor escape window, but the house sits high in relation to the ground outside. There would be a drop. Is there any requirements for this 5 foot drop?
