mccaldu
Member
Greetings,
In our metro area we are currently in some discussion on two points on these "Eze-Breeze" type projects. In our local area these plastic film type windows are very popular and we see many projects going through. The first discussion point is whether a guard is required if the lower 36" is fixed and or the project includes pet screen. There has been some demonstration by a local dealer that the product would withstand the appropriate load to meet code and is quite tough. The demonstration included a 250 pd. + salesman sitting in the middle of the window film while an inspector tried to make a hole in the product. The thought by the dealer was that if this product was fixed at a point no lower than 36" it would serve as the guard. Otherwise in the normal installation it would need a guard meeting R312. This was not an official UL test but through R104 we believe that at least the window film would meet the R312.
The second discussion point is whether these projects convert the space into habitable area. We see lamps, tvs, refrigerators, and heaters in these spaces after the homeowner moves in so outlets become an issue. Any thoughts on where the line on habitable space between a screened porch and a 3 or 3.5+ season porch definition is? We are working to define this for the builder/remodeler community and currently we view these as habitable. THanks in advance for any comments.
Duncan
In our metro area we are currently in some discussion on two points on these "Eze-Breeze" type projects. In our local area these plastic film type windows are very popular and we see many projects going through. The first discussion point is whether a guard is required if the lower 36" is fixed and or the project includes pet screen. There has been some demonstration by a local dealer that the product would withstand the appropriate load to meet code and is quite tough. The demonstration included a 250 pd. + salesman sitting in the middle of the window film while an inspector tried to make a hole in the product. The thought by the dealer was that if this product was fixed at a point no lower than 36" it would serve as the guard. Otherwise in the normal installation it would need a guard meeting R312. This was not an official UL test but through R104 we believe that at least the window film would meet the R312.
The second discussion point is whether these projects convert the space into habitable area. We see lamps, tvs, refrigerators, and heaters in these spaces after the homeowner moves in so outlets become an issue. Any thoughts on where the line on habitable space between a screened porch and a 3 or 3.5+ season porch definition is? We are working to define this for the builder/remodeler community and currently we view these as habitable. THanks in advance for any comments.
Duncan
