HomeMy WebLinkAboutJOE LAIRD & CHUCK WILLIAMS - CITY OF REXBURG - LETTERS�w� w
crosL m;
s'rcan
COP! p
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIRMAN
RON PERKEREWICZ, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF. COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
COUNTY OF KITSAP
PORTORCHARD, WASHINGTON
FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN
THOMAS R. THOMPSON, C.B.O.
BUILDING OFFICIAL
BROOMFIELD. COLORADO
SECOND VICE-CHAIRMAN
ALAN P. OLSON, R.A., C.B.O.
ASSISTANT DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES DIRECTOR
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
JAN P. GASTERLAND, C.B.O.
BUILDING CODE OFFICER
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
International Conference of Building Officials
REGIONAL OFFICE: 2122 -112th AVENUE, N.E.,SUITE 6-300 P BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON 98004 • (206) 451-9541
THOMAS C. ANDERSON
BUILDING OFFICIAL
HOPKINS, MINNESOTA
FRED B. CULLUM
BUILDING OFFICIAL
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA
PAUL T. EDGERTON
MANAGER, BUILDING AND CODE
ENFORCEMENT
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON
ROGER R. EVANS. C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF BUILDING SERVICES
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
FRED HERMAN
CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL
PALO ALTO.CAUFORNIA
KENNETH G. LARSEN, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF BUILDING AND HOUSING
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
DAN R. HICKLE, C.B.O.
CODES ADMINISTRATOR
LAKEWOOD, C16LOMM
RONALD L. NIMABER, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF INSPECTIONS
MAPLE GROVE, MINNESOTA
JOHN E. PIERCE, C.B.O.
BUILDING OFICIAL
PLANO. TEXAS
LARRY W. RICHARDS, C.B.O.
BUILDING SAFETY DIRECTOR
GLENDALE. ARIZONA
RAIMAR W. SCHULLER. C.B.O.
DIRECTOR, BUILDING DEPARTMENT
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
BON K. WATTS, C.B.O.
CHIEF OF BUILDING INSPECTIONS
BUILDING SAFETY DIVISION
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
PRESIDENT
JON S. TRAW. P.E.
May 23, 1996
OFFICES OF
JERRY J. BARBERA, P.E.
SENIOR REGIONAL MANAGER
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
Subject: Definitions of Grade and Story, Escape Window Height, and
Number of Exits Off of a Exit Balcony
Sections 208, 220, 310.4, and 1005.1,
1994 Edition of the Uniform Building CodeTm
Dear Mr. Laird,
I apologize for the lateness of the reply to your letter we received on April 15th. It
concerned a continuing discussion of the subject of grade and story which I addressed in
an earlier letter on March 13th. Unfortunately, this time of year is the most hectic and
overloaded. We didn't get a chance until now to address your concerns. I will paraphrase
your questions and give a consensus answer.
Q. 1. For the building shown in Figure IA, is line x -x or z -z the one I should be
using in order to determine the lowest grade within 5'-0"? I get a completely
different answer about number of stories depending on which one I use. Please
discuss the rationale and history of these definitions.
A. 1. Since the lowest floor is the one that could be a story or basement, and
since the definition of "exterior wall" would be assigned to line x -x on the lower
floor (it ivould he line 2.-.. on the upper ones), then line x -x should be used for
determination of grade and story.
The reason for measuring grade as defined relative to a plane 6'-0" below the
upper floor and specifically the lowest grade within T-0" of that exterior perimeter
was developed due to abuse of the concept in the past. The whole point of
determining stories and heights relate to the difficulty of fighting fires and
rescuing occupants in the buildings. Hillside locations are the biggest problems
because the fire personnel may have to approach the building from the worst
possible direction. Imagine the difficulty of maneuvering a ladder on a slope or
having one long enough to reach the upper stories when on the sloping side. That
is the reason for requiring the lowest levels to be stories regardless of percentage
of perimeter which is above the plane 6'-0" below if any point is 12'-0" or more
below the floor above.
Main Office: 936n \Norknrn Mill RoJd • Whillier, California 90601-2298 9 (310)691)-01,41
KATHLEEN CURRY, P.E.
Joseph A. Laird, F.E.
REGIONAL ENGINEER
City Engineer/Building Official
GREG GRIFFITH
REGIONAL ENGINEER
City of Rexburg
CHARLES J. WILLIAMS, RE, S.E.
P.O. BOX 280
SENIOR REGIONAL ENGINEER
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
Subject: Definitions of Grade and Story, Escape Window Height, and
Number of Exits Off of a Exit Balcony
Sections 208, 220, 310.4, and 1005.1,
1994 Edition of the Uniform Building CodeTm
Dear Mr. Laird,
I apologize for the lateness of the reply to your letter we received on April 15th. It
concerned a continuing discussion of the subject of grade and story which I addressed in
an earlier letter on March 13th. Unfortunately, this time of year is the most hectic and
overloaded. We didn't get a chance until now to address your concerns. I will paraphrase
your questions and give a consensus answer.
Q. 1. For the building shown in Figure IA, is line x -x or z -z the one I should be
using in order to determine the lowest grade within 5'-0"? I get a completely
different answer about number of stories depending on which one I use. Please
discuss the rationale and history of these definitions.
A. 1. Since the lowest floor is the one that could be a story or basement, and
since the definition of "exterior wall" would be assigned to line x -x on the lower
floor (it ivould he line 2.-.. on the upper ones), then line x -x should be used for
determination of grade and story.
The reason for measuring grade as defined relative to a plane 6'-0" below the
upper floor and specifically the lowest grade within T-0" of that exterior perimeter
was developed due to abuse of the concept in the past. The whole point of
determining stories and heights relate to the difficulty of fighting fires and
rescuing occupants in the buildings. Hillside locations are the biggest problems
because the fire personnel may have to approach the building from the worst
possible direction. Imagine the difficulty of maneuvering a ladder on a slope or
having one long enough to reach the upper stories when on the sloping side. That
is the reason for requiring the lowest levels to be stories regardless of percentage
of perimeter which is above the plane 6'-0" below if any point is 12'-0" or more
below the floor above.
Main Office: 936n \Norknrn Mill RoJd • Whillier, California 90601-2298 9 (310)691)-01,41
Joseph Laird, City of Rexburg
May 23, 1996
Page 2
I have seen how these definitions have changed in the last 25 years and remember the times when
developers or designers would put portable planters at various locations along the exterior wall
to pretend that there was some sort of grade there. They tried to make a four-story building look
like a three-story one and so forth. The 5'-0" rule was added to make it harder to corrupt the
intent. Unfortunately, there is still a tendency of some to build a building on flat earth and push
up a 5'-0" wide swath of dirt around various parts of the building and pretend it is something is
not. Even more unfortunate is a implication in our newest Handbook to the UBC that this is
something one can do.
Q. 2. What would happen if in Figure 1B there were a structural post and beam arrangement
along line z -z. Wouldn't the exterior wall now be there by definition? Wouldn't I have exactly
the same situation but now the building would be considered a two -stories over a basement instead
of three stories.? What gives?
A. 2. Yes, you have a good point, by definition the post and beam would form the exterior
boundaries of the building and you would get a different answer than in Figure IA. The only
reason I can give is that this explains one of the difficulties of defining a concept adequately
enough so that no "loopholes" appear for specific applications. The most probable reason is that
this situation is not exactly like the ones which pushed the definition in the past. You could
probably think of the exit walkway as a long window well. By the way, in either of the two
situations, the provisions of Section 1203.1 and specifically exception 1 to that section would
apply and the 9' to 10' high space from the walkway to the bottom of the exterior balcony above
would be less than 65% open!
Q. 3. Some of the older apartment buildings in our neighborhood have properly sized escape
windows but the bottoms of the windows are 50" to 51" above the floor. Would putting in a 6" or
7" step be an acceptable alternative to making the window sills lower to comply with the code?
A. 2. It may be that nothing is necessary. What is unclear is whether these older apartments
were required to follow the escape window requirements when they were built. If not, then
Section 3401 allows an existing building built legally to enjoy "preexisting rights," so to speak,
and does not require them to be brought up to today's code provisions.
If they were built at the time when escape windows were required, it may be that they are
"existing -nonconforming" in which case your City Attorney should be consulted about whether
mitigation requirements such as a step are required. There are some practical problems with
putting a step there because it may disrupt the use of the room, there is no guarantee that the tenant
or owner will leave it there if it is deemed less than useful for other reasons than life -safety. Under
Section 3401 the key phrase is, ..... provided such continued use is not dangerous to life." This
is probably controlled by Section 102 where you have to determine if the situation "unsafe." You
should be aware, however, that prior to the 1976 edition of the UBC that the height of the sill was
allowed to be 48" from the finish,Jloor surface (emphasis mine) and that there may have been
something on the floor that made up the 2" difference.
Joseph Laird, City of Rexburg
May 23, 1996
Page 3
If you are writing about the use of replacement windows in these buildings, then Section 3403.4
would apply. The staff consensus is that if the frame around the opening is not made larger than
the existing one (subject to the discussion above about what provisions applied when it was
originally done), then today's requirements for escape windows would not apply.
Q. 4. I believe you misunderstood me in your March 13th reply to a previous question I had
concerning protection of walls and openings in a "dead-end" condition beyond one stairway in an
apartment building that requires two exits from the floor. In the exceptions to Section 1003.1 two
exits are required only when the floor serves 10 or more occupants and, correspondingly, Section
1005.7 only renuires that a corridor or exterior exit balcony have fire protection when the occupant
load is 10 or more. Consequently, if the 3 apartments to the left of the stairway in Figure 4 had
10 or more occupants then another set of stairs (3 total) would be required and if they had less than
10, then fire protection is not required. Therefore, it seems to me that Figure 4 which is reprinted
from a code update class I took would never require protection. Am I right?
A. 4. Not necessarily. I think the key word you are neglecting in both Sections 1003.1 and
1005.7 is Served. That means when you identify the exterior exit balcony, then, in general, its
entire length serves the total occupant load. It is not broken into two segments, one between the
two stairways and one to the left of the left stairway. Therefore, whether on not there are 10, or
more than 10 or less than 10 occupants in the dead-end portion to the left of the left stairway only
two exits are required period. The situation this provision is trying to correct is where the left
stairway is potentially contaminated by smoke or fire and the occupants to the left of it would not
easily get to the far right stairway which would be the "emergency exit" in this case. The
contamination would probably be from the apartments themselves to the left of the stairway and
to mitigate the possibility, the openings in them are protected with fire assemblies not required
elsewhere along the exit balcony.
I said that this answer is generally correct. You would be possibly right in one of your points
about a third stairway being required to the left of the apartments if the dead-end became longer
than 20'-0".
I hope that this answers your questions adequately, but please feel free to call me if you require any other
information. Thank you for your interest in uniformity of code administration.
Very truly yours,/04 ��
J. Barbera, P.E.
Regional Manager
pkw
p JYC3 CA
IY •Jh;e^LN �`
$i 2A'J'dA
«„ cane ni�
Y
d'J'1FN'b/
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIRMAN
DEVELOPMENT
COUNTY OF KITSAP
PORT ORCHARD, WASHINGTON
FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN
THOMAS R. THOMPSON. C.B.D.
BUILDING OFFICIAL
BROOMFIELD. COLORADO
SECOND VICE-CHAIRMAN
ALAN P. OLSON, R.A., C.B.O.
ASSISTANT DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES DIRECTOR
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
JAN R GASTERLANO, C.B.O.
BUILDING CODE OFFICER
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
THOMAS C. ANDERSON
BUILDING OFFICIAL
HOPKINS. MINNESOTA
FRED B. CULLUM
BUILDING OFFICIAL
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA
PAUL T. EDGERTON
MANAGER, BUILDING AND CODE
ENFORCEMENT
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON
ROGER R. EVANS, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF BUILDING SERVICES
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
FRED HERMAN
CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL
PALO ALTO. CALIFORNIA
International Conference of Building Officia s
REGIONAL OFFICE: 2122 -112th AVENUE, N.E., SUITE B-300 • BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON 90004 • (206) 451-9541
KENNETH G. LARSEN, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF BUILDING AND HOUSING
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
DAN R. NICKLE, C.B.O.
CODES ADMINISTRATOR
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO
RONALD L NIMABER, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR OF INSPECTIONS
MAPLE GROVE, MINNESOTA
JOHN E. PIERCE, C.B.O.
BUILDING OFICIAL
PL NO. TEXAS
LARRY W. RICHARDS. C.B.O.
BUILDING SAFETY DIRECTOR
GLENDALE, ARIZONA
RAIMAR W SCHULLER, C.B.O.
DIRECTOR, BUILDING DEPARTMENT
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
RON K. WATTS, C.B.O.
CHIEF OF BUILDING INSPECTIONS
BUILDING SAFETY DIVISION
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
March 13, 1996
Joe Laird
City Engineer and Building Official
P. O. Box 280
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
OFFICES OF
JERRY J. BARBERA, P.E.
SENIOR REGIONAL MANAGER
KATHLEEN CURRY, P.E.
REGIONAL ENGINEER
GREG GRIFFITH
REGIONAL ENGINEER
CHARLES J. WILLIAMS, P.E., S.E.
SENIOR REGIONAL ENGINEER
SUBJECT: Determination of number of stories when the building is
divided by an area separation wall; opening protection in an
exit balcony.
Sections 208, 220 and 1005.8.2
1994 edition of the Uniform Building Code'
Dear Mr. Laird:
We received your faescimile transmission on February 22 concerning a
potential three-story building in your city. Your questions concern the point
about which one measures the perimeter for determination of distance below
the upper floor of the building when an area separation wall is involved. I
will paraphrase your question to make it general and answer your question.
Q1. I am trying to apply the definition of story to the apartment
building shown in the enclosed sketch and Section B -B.
When an area separation wall is involved do you ignore its
length? And if there is a exterior jog in the building there
where do you measure to to determine how much it is below
or above the imaginary plane relative to the floor above the
potential basement or story?
Al. The code is silent on this subject. In general any of the
alternatives you mentioned could be used but the fairest one
would be to take an average of the elevation on each end of
the wall.
In general one would measure the location of the imaginary
PRESIDENT plane from which to determine percentage of perimeter above
JON S. TRAW. RE. or below it relative to the portion of the building (1 or 2) you
are studying. In your specific case of building 1 you would
use the 5'-311 dimension from the middle floor. In the case
of building 2, you would measure from the second floor
down to the grade not to the (below grade?) first story.
Main Office: 5360 Workman Mill Road 0 Whittier, California 90601-2298 • (310) 6990541
Joe Laird, City of Rexburg
March 15, 1996
Page 2
Q2. When an exterior balcony extends beyond the edge of the building as shown in Section A-
A, and there is a retaining wall underneath it which forms a below -grade exit walkway,
does one still measure the "adjacent grade level" from the walkway well side or from the
grade 5' measured outwardly from the edge of the balcony?
A2. It would be our opinion that the definition of FLOOR AREA plays a part in the answer to
your question since the definition of story includes the words "floor". Although it no
longer repeats this, earlier editions of the Handbook to the UBC stated that an exterior
balcony was not to be considered part of floor area. In general, it and overhangs are
considered projections beyond to floor area. That being the case one would measure
from the walkway well inside face of the permeter. Your figure 3 would agree with this
because it is the lowest point within 5'-0" of the exterior wall (emphasis is ours).
Q3. When an exterior exit balcony is required and in the case of apartments, do only the
interior walls and ceiling portion of the one-hour floor or roof/ceiling assembly have to be
protected or do the openings have to be protected also?
A3. Although the balcony is a special case of a corridor, only the walls and ceiling have to be
protected if it is possible for the occupants to exit in 2 directions. (See exception Section
1005.8.2). The reason that the openings don't need protection is because the open sides
of the balcony are considered to allow smoke to discharge to the atmosphere. That way
the smoke will not completely engulf the the exit pathway as they would if they were
enclosed on all sides like in a corridor. Also with two ways off the balcony one has a
better chance than normal to get off the balcony quickly.
Q4. Since two exits are required in all cases when the Occupant Load reaches 10 and this is
also the time when protection is required, when would one ever require protection of
openings?
A4. Your illustration no. 4 correctly shows when it is required. The whole balcony requires
two exits and they are clearly shown. However, occupants of the apartments to the left of
the inboard stairway cannot exit in two directions. Were there to be a fire between these
three apartments and the stairway, then the extra level of safety I mentioned would be
gone. Therefore, any doors or windows into these apartments would require protection.
I am hopeful that this provides an answer to your questions. If you require further assistance
please feel free to call. Thank you for your interest in the uniformity of code administration.
Very truly yours,
Jerry J. Barbera, P.E. spm
Senior Manager c/ Rick Okawa
N
ore co= ify
F� 9 STATE OF IDAHO
4aCISHEO
NILE L. BOYLE
WWR
ROSE BAGLEY
CLEPI(
RICHARD HORNER February 22, 1996
IPGSUPEP B EINWAL NMEP
To: Mr. Jerry Barbera or
Mr. Chuck Williams
ICBG Regional Office
2122 - 112th Ave. N.E., Suite B-300
Bellevue, Washington 98004
Tel. 206-451-9541 or FAX 206-637-8939
From: Joe Laird, City Engineer & Building Official
P.O. Box 280
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
Tel. 208-359-3020, Ext. 324 or FAX 208-359-3022
I.C.B.O. #0468770
D
P.O. BOX 280
12 NORTH CENTER STREET
REXBURG, IDAHO 83440
PHONE (208) 359-3020
FAX (208) 359-3022
A mutual acquaintance, George Klomp, Building Official at Idaho
Falls, Idaho, suggested I contact you with a code interpretation problem
we have encountered.
We are evaluating an existing building to determine whether it is a 3
story building or a 2 story building with a basement. (See attached
Figure 1.) Our concern is with the interpretation of Sec. 208 -GRADE and
Sec. 220 -STORY (94 UBC).
On the west side of the building, the distance from finished 'floor to
grade is 512" to 5'7" - (no problem). On the north side, the distance
from finished floor to grade is 6' to 7' (over the 6' limit)
The east side of the building is predominantly a 2 -hour Area
Separation Wall between buildings. Approximately a 4 foot length of this
wall would have a 512" distance from finished floor to ground surface.
How does one measure the "finished- floor- to- grade" dimension where the
Area Separation Wall is? Would it be the 611" distance from the finished
floor of the middle floor of Building #1 to the top of the 1st floor of
Building #2? (See Sec. B -B of Figure 1) Or does one ignore the "grade"
dimension through the Area Separation Wall area? Or does one average the
grade on the north side (6' to 7') and the 512" grade, for the 4' length
of Building #1 south of Building #2?
The south side of the building has exterior exit balconies on the top
and middle floors and an exterior walkway along the full length of the
bottom floor. This exterior walkway is 42" in width from the edge of the
building to the inside edge of the retaining wall. The retaining wall is
8" thick. How does one measure the "finished floor -to -grade" dimension
here? The definition of "Grade" says it "is the lowest point of
elevation of the finished surface of the ground, paving or sidewalk
within the area between the building and --- a line 5 feet from the
building. To me, this says I should be measuring from the finished floor
to the top surface of the exterior walkway (9 ft.). I think the top of
the exterior walkway is the same as the term "sidewalk" listed in the
definition. I also base this on Figure 2 (copy attached) which was given
as an example of "grade" at an I.C.B.O. class I attended. Others in this
area say no: "The exterior exit walkway and retaining wall are part of
the building and that the measurement should be from finished floor to the
top of the parking lot surface south of the retaining wall (5'6" to 6'8"
height dimension) citing CASE 1 in the UBC Application / Interpretation
Manual. (Attached as Figure 3). Could you please clarify for me how to
correctly measure the floor to grade dimension in this situation? It is a
very critical measurement for us as we have a number of existing college
apartment houses constructed this way and several more in the final stage
of design.
Referring to a different subject, Section 1005.7 - Construction (94
UBC), each of the apartments (Figure 1) has an occupant load of six;
therefore, the occupant load on each exterior exit balcony or the exterior
walkway would be 5 apartments x 6 occupants = 30 persons (more than the
occupant load of 10 required in Sec. 1005.7). Therefore, (A) the exterior
wall adjacent to the exterior exit balconies and exterior walkway would
have to have a 1 -hour fire resistive rating, and (B) the ceiling/roof
system or ceiling/floor system above the exterior exit balconies or
exterior exit walkway would have to have a 1 -hour fire -resistive rating,
in my opinion. Others, in our area, say this section only applies to
interior corridors. I feel that Section 1005.1 -General lumps corridors
and exterior balconies together; therefor, Sec. 1005.7 should also apply
to exterior exit balconies. Could you please clarify this point of
controversy?
It seems rather peculiar that Sec. 1005.7 would require 1 -hour
fire -resistive walls (with an occupant load of 10 or more) while
Sec.1005.8.1-Doors and Sec. 1005.8.2 -Openings Other Than Doors, Exception
2, states that doors and windows in the interior walls of exterior exit
balconies DO NOT have to be protected when "it is possible to exit in two
directions." Thus we end up with a 1 -hour fire -resistive wall but no
protection for the doors and windows. This doesn't make much sense to
me. Is there something I am missing here somewhere?
Sec. 1003.1 Number of Exits, Exceptions 1 & 2 indicate that 2 exits
are required with 10 or more occupants. With less than 10 occupants, Sec.
1005.7 says interior walls of exterior exit balconies don't have to have
1 -hour fire -resistance. Therefore, I don't see any set of circumstances
that would ever require fire protected doors and windows on exterior exit
balconies: consequently Figure 4 (copy attached) that I got at one of the
I.C.B.O. schools would be incorrect as fire protected doors and windows
would never be required to have a fire protection rating.
Thank you for your help with these interpretations.
GRADE
FLOOR
ELEVATION
GRADE
100'
5' A -A
• F.G.
96' yr----------------------------�F.G.
103
1 I
I I
I I
A I y l A
�I I
I I
FLOOR
I
ELEVATION
I
100'
Ib
I I
• I I
I I
I ,
B i B
I
I
I
F.G.
I
103' ---------------------------
F.G.� F.G.
102 104'
GRADE
GRADE FLOOR /
ELEVATION
100'
5'
5' B -B
GRADE - (ADJACENT GROUND ELEVATION)
Section 408
FiFIGI I f� r_ CHAPTER 4
G V ! V F�_ — 9 Definitions and Abbreviations
Section 408—GRADE Section 409—HABITABLE SPACE
p° (Adjacent Ground Elevation) Sec. 409.
Sec. 408.
GRADE (Adjacent Ground Elevation) is the lowest point of eleva-
tion of the finished surface of the ground, paving or sidewalk within the
arca between the building and the properly line or, when the property
line is more than 5 feet from the building, between the building and a
line 5 feet from the building.
Q. May a relaining wall be used for the purpose of raising
. the effective elevation of finished grade?
The use of a retaining wall to raise the elevation of the
III finished surface of the ground would be permissible,
provided the outside face of the retaining wall is at least 5 feet from
the exterior wall line of the building, or al the properly line, if a
lesser distance.
Likewise, the finish grade may be raised by the use of built-up
grade, provided the built-up areas are at least 5 feet wide. Case I
and Case II illustrate these two conditions.
5'-0' MIN. OR
!L IF CLOSER
CASE
CASE II
5 0' MIN.
OR it IF CLOSER
5' 0- MIN. OR It IF CLOSER
HABITABLE SPACE (ROONI) is a space in a structure For living.
sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet compartments, closets.
halls, storage or utility space, and similar areas, are not considered
habitable space.
We typically have houses constructed which contain
. unfinished basements or lower levels. Would these
basements or usable portions thereof be considered as habitable
space?
A■If the space had closets, floor covering, electrical wiring
■ and other facilities in place which make the space usa-
ble for living, sleeping, eating or cooking, then the space would be
considered habitable space. If the area or space has bare walls,
floors and ceilings (which is the common condition in which most
new homes are finished), we would not consider the space to be
habitable. The space most commonly is used for storage or utility.
Section 409—HEIGHT OF BUILDING
Sec. 409.
HEIGHT OF BUILDING is the vertical distance above a reference
datum measured to the highest point of the coping of a Ilan roof or to the
deck line of a mansard roof or to (lie average height of the highest gable
of a pitched or hipped roof. The reference datum shall be selected by
either of the following, whichever yields a greater height of building:
I. The elevation of the highest adjoining sidewalk or ground sur-
face within a 5 -foot horizontal distance of the exterior wall of the
building when such sidewalk or ground surface is not more than
10 feet above lowest grade.
2. An elevation 10 feel higher than the lowest grade when the
sidewalk or ground surface described in Item I above is more
than 10 feet above lowest grade.
The height of a stepped or terraced building is the maximum height
of any segment of the building.
Q■Could you graphically illustrate how to locate the refer-
IIIence datum mentioned in Section 409 and used for
determining the height of a building?
A■ In the following drawings, Case I corresponds to Item
■ No. 1 underthe definition for "height of building" while
Case II relates to Item No. 2.
In both Cases I and II, elevation 0 represents the highest elevation
within 5 feet of the exterior wall of a building, and elevation A
represents the lowest elevation within 5 feet of the exterior wall of a
building.
When elevation A is less than 10 feet below elevation 0, the
datum from which to measure the height of a building is elevation B
and should be determined as indicated in Case I.
When elevation A is more than 10 feet below elevation B, a
datum which is 10 feet above elevation A is first determined. The
height of the building is then measured from this last established
elevation as indicated in Case 11,
Protection of openings in the Interior walls of
exterior exit balconies is not required when it
Is possible to exit In two directions.
Protection of openings
required
•20 minute doors
• 314 hour for all..
other openings
Protection of openings
not required \
Exterior exit
balcony
CORRIDORS AND EXTERIOR EXIT BALCONIES
Section 3305 (h)
Q
SOCCER FIELD SPRINKLER MATERIAL LIST
ITEM
UNITS
SUM
UNIT COST
TOTAL
1-%' Non Pressure Pipe
feet
1925
2" Pressure Pipe
feet
240
6" to 2" Saddle
each
I
2" Corporation
each
1
2" Curb Stop
each
1
1-%2" Automatic Valves
each
6
Valve Boxes
each
6
2" to 1-%2" Tees with Clamps
each
6
1-%2" to %2" Saddle for I-40 heads
each
40
1-%2" to '/2" L's with clamps
each
6
Hunter I-40 Full Circle Heads
each
24
Hunter I-40 Part Circle Heads
each
16
Swing Joint Risers for 1-40 Heads
each
40
8 Station Controller
each
1
Controller Jumbo Box
each
2
Direct Burial Control Wire - 8 Valves
feet
500
Total