oolong_johnson
Registered User
Hello,
I work with a small business out of Colorado Springs, and we are trying to move into a new location. This location is currently two separate units that are in the process of being combined by adding a door through a connecting wall.
We did not realize this until recently, but several businesses operating in the larger unit did not do any permit filing, and the last group to do it was a church, which means it is permitted as an A-3 building. The smaller unit is permitted as a B, which is what we want for our business.
We recently were told by the permitting office that this would require a partial change of occupancy, and that would trigger a need for an ADA compliant bathroom upgrade. The two main bathrooms in the large unit would need to have toilets removed, counters changed, and other modifications to be compliant. This would come at a huge additional cost to us that we have not budgeted for, and would delay our move-in date significantly.
Our contractor is attempting to argue that if we changed the additional bathroom in the smaller unit into a ADA compliant family bathroom, it should potentially satisfy the code need since it is on the same floor and in the same general space, and both units will soon just become one large unit. We presented this option to the permitting board, and the response was basically a non-answer of "find a project designer that can come up with something that satisfies IEBC regulations." He did not weigh in on the specific plan we asked about it.
I am new to this forum and notice there are quite a few experts here, so was hoping someone could potentially weigh in on our situation and if our plan would be compliant. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I will try to respond to any questions as I can.
I work with a small business out of Colorado Springs, and we are trying to move into a new location. This location is currently two separate units that are in the process of being combined by adding a door through a connecting wall.
We did not realize this until recently, but several businesses operating in the larger unit did not do any permit filing, and the last group to do it was a church, which means it is permitted as an A-3 building. The smaller unit is permitted as a B, which is what we want for our business.
We recently were told by the permitting office that this would require a partial change of occupancy, and that would trigger a need for an ADA compliant bathroom upgrade. The two main bathrooms in the large unit would need to have toilets removed, counters changed, and other modifications to be compliant. This would come at a huge additional cost to us that we have not budgeted for, and would delay our move-in date significantly.
Our contractor is attempting to argue that if we changed the additional bathroom in the smaller unit into a ADA compliant family bathroom, it should potentially satisfy the code need since it is on the same floor and in the same general space, and both units will soon just become one large unit. We presented this option to the permitting board, and the response was basically a non-answer of "find a project designer that can come up with something that satisfies IEBC regulations." He did not weigh in on the specific plan we asked about it.
I am new to this forum and notice there are quite a few experts here, so was hoping someone could potentially weigh in on our situation and if our plan would be compliant. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I will try to respond to any questions as I can.
