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Garage to vestibule to bedroom

R

Rio

Silver Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
224
Would the attached method of transitioning from a garage to a bedroom be legal? It says in the C.R.C. Section R302.5.1 'Openings from a private garage directly into a room used for sleeping purposes shall not be permitted.' With the intervening vestibule having a door into the garage and another into the bedroom it appears that this configuration should work. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.RioP.S. Hopefully the pdf attached succesfully.

View attachment 1524

Garage_Vestibule_Bedroom.pdf

Garage_Vestibule_Bedroom.pdf
 
I don't know how your AHJ would view this...I wouldn't approve it. The egress still enters the bedroom. I think the intent of the code is to not allow one to enter the garage from the bedroom. I can't think of a reason why one would need to.

docgj
 
I agree, I wouldn't buy it. It's not the egress issue so much as the room is still connected to the garage. But, having said that, when is it not? A hall, a kitchen, living room? What is a separation?

hmmmmmmmmm...........I could see this one played out a number of ways. :popcorn
 
I could argue this either way.. there's an intervening "space".. it's not directly into the bedroom... I don't "like" it, but I'm not sure the Code is written the way I like it...
 
I agree with peach.

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Change the plans to indicate an office not a bedroom. And move on.

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My kid has a house with a vestibule between the garage and an office space. After her in-laws moved in a bed appeared in the office. Seems harmless.
 
GH: Changing the plan to indicate an office is just Cr**. If it is a bed room ok! I don't like it and maybe I wouldn't approve it. I say maybe. I believe it meets the intent of the code. If I remember the section and I don't have a code book at hand the code states directly. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
docgj said:
I don't know how your AHJ would view this...I wouldn't approve it. The egress still enters the bedroom. I think the intent of the code is to not allow one to enter the garage from the bedroom. I can't think of a reason why one would need to.docgj
Click to expand...
Always sound practice to take a WAG at the intent of the code to justify one's preconceived fantasy rather than approaching the code "directly."
 
fatboy said:
I agree, I wouldn't buy it. It's not the egress issue so much as the room is still connected to the garage. But, having said that, when is it not? A hall, a kitchen, living room? What is a separation? hmmmmmmmmm...........I could see this one played out a number of ways. :popcorn
Click to expand...
Which part of "directly" are you ignoring?
 
It meets the code, and it looks like there is another exit to the left, unless that is a closet?
 
RJJ said:
GH: Changing the plan to indicate an office is just Cr**. If it is a bed room ok! I don't like it and maybe I wouldn't approve it. I say maybe. I believe it meets the intent of the code. If I remember the section and I don't have a code book at hand the code states directly. Correct me if I am wrong.
Click to expand...
You don't have an option. It meets the code.

Most of the Cr** comes from AHJs and inspectors who offer up a code for the local government to approve and then either don't know what the code means or don't agree with the code. The rest of the Cr** comes from design professionals who don't read the code and have no idea if what they design is questionable or not.

End of rant.
 
Poor design, does not mean it is a violation.

Smoke detector, CO detector, Weatherstrip door. Done.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I do think it violates the intent of the code, which is to keep someone from getting gassed while sleeping in their bedroom. I think if we are allowed to and have to proceed in this direction we'll definitely put in a CO detector and weatherstrip the doors and I'm also thinking maybe we could install an exhaust fan with a switch in the jamb of the garage door to the vestibule. When the door is opened the fan would come on and be on a timer, say for 5 minutes. We'd have to put in an air inlet but this way it would reduce the chances of something going wrong from the circumvention of the intent of the code.
 
Rio,

I did not see a window in your diagram, so I "assumed" there wasn't one! If there is a window,

disregard this posting. Please clarify!

R311.4 Doors. R311.4.1 Exit door required. "Not less than one exit door conforming to this

section shall be provided for each dwelling unit. The required exit door shall provide for

direct access from the habitable portions of the dwelling to the exterior without requiring

travel through a garage. Access to habitable levels not having an exit in accordance

with this section shall be by a ramp in accordance with Section R311.6 or a stairway in

accordance with Section R311.5."

Also, in my AHJ, that vestibule would violate the minimum amount of garage

parking area....20' x 20'.

.

 
Globe: Agree with 311.4 and yes no windows etc. Different question. Rio: An exhaust fan with a switch in the door is not code. Are there windows in this room? Need to explain the extent and just what else is in the room.

George: One always has a choice.
 
The biggest reason you can't have a bedroom directly opening to a garage is carbon monoxide. You need a barrier between the garage and the bedroom. What if you entered a hallway from the garage and you had bedrooms along the hallway? It would be the same as the OP's drawing. It appears that the bedroom has a set of double doors so you don't have to exit through the garage. Although a bad design, I don't know how you could disapprove it.
 
mark handler said:
Poor design, does not mean it is a violation.Smoke detector, CO detector, Weatherstrip door. Done.
Click to expand...
I agree with Mark, don't like it but it is what it is. I might request a self-closing door on the garage side along with what Mark specced.
 
Assuming this has everything else a sleeping room is supposed to have, I would approve it.
 
The circumambulator has found the applicable code section, and used the red highliter.

The room needs access to the rest of the house.
 
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