Occupancy classification and fire separation

[Enginerd]

What would the occupancy classification be for a group of apartments that used to be single family row homes? Multiple row homes were purchased, and the properties merged to form one property with 3 existing row homes (4 apartments). One of the row homes had been converted to 2 stacked apartments. All apartments have their own entrance from outside. The construction class is V-B.

My opinion is that they should be classified as occupancy class R-2. The separation between each apartment would then only be required to be a 1 hour fire partition.

The 2 end units (of the 3 total units) were completely destroyed in a fire. They are going to be rebuilt, but must meet the current code. They were originally built in the early 1900's.

Thanks for your opinion.

 

[Builder Bob]

Stcking takes them out of the scope of the IRC ---- detached or townhomes (not stacked townhomes)This will be a AHJ call. As a friend once told me, "Our county has the best politicians that money can buy."

 

[TJacobs]

More information needed to give an opinion. Townhouses that are rentals are still townhouses, and what BB said is also accurate if there is a stacked unit attached to another unit.

 

[Enginerd]

Stcking takes them out of the scope of the IRC ---- detached or townhomes (not stacked townhomes)This will be a AHJ call. As a friend once told me, "Our county has the best politicians that money can buy."

Yeah, I determined that the IRC would not be appplicable because of the stacked units (does that make sense to anyone?). I just haven't convinced myself 100% that it should be R-2 with the fire separations that I described.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Enginerd,

Welcome to the forum.

I'm going to try to wrap my head around this; as I am not aquainted with the term "row homes"; so, I look it up.

"In architecture and city planning, a terrace(d), row house, linked house or townhouse (though the last term can also refer to patio houses) is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls. The first and last of these houses is called an end terrace, and is often larger than those houses in the middle."

They have been changed; and, some changed to apartments (rental property).

You said;

"The 2 end units (of the 3 total units) were completely destroyed in a fire. They are going to be rebuilt, but must meet the current code. They were originally built in the early 1900's."

If rebuilt as apartments or codominiums wouldn't they would need to meet the requirements of the building code; but, if built as townhouses, the IRC would apply as far as seperation requirements were conserned.

The code writting establishments need to get clear about the differences. It seems that condominiums (which can be apartments that are privately owned) do not have to meet the same requirements as townhouses. This is wrong; or I'm just confused.

This condomium thing has gotten way out of hand.

I'm shooting in the dark here,

Uncle Bob

 

[mtlogcabin]

UB

The confusion started when the property line requirement was removed from the Townhouse definition.

CABO 1992 Townhouse: Townhouse is a single-family dwelling unit constructed in a row of attached units seperated by property lines and with open space on at least two sides.

Typically a condominium owner owns the air space within a specified area the condominium assocation owns the building and the land it sits on.

Answer to the OP it sounds like a IBC R-2 which should require sprinklers now

 

[Yankee]

With the stacked units and rebuilt with four dwelling units this is an apartment house, whether the dwelling units are owned individially or rented. It would be a townhouse under IRC only if it met the definition in chapter 2 (and it doesn't matter where the property line is or if they are rental (assuming a month or more at a time) or owned).

 

[syarn]

for the existing the change of use group probably triggers more required construction - check international existing building code.

the fire partitions and horizontal assemblies can be 1/2 hour if a NFPA13 sprinkler system is installed per section 709 & 712.