Basement Remodeling

January 25, 2010

Egress Windows

Filed under: Basement, Basement remodeling design and planning, Egress Windows, Fire protection & Safety, Uncategorized, basement ideas, basement remodeling images — Tags: , , , , , , — Basements @ 9:38 pm

Are you considering basement remodeling? You should be aware of your local building codes egress requirements. Most municipalities are now requiring emergency exit from the basement and proper emergency entry by firemen and rescue workers in the event of a basement fire. Installing a Egress Window not only allow natural light into your basement but more importantly it will provide a safety escape for you and your family and meet your local basement egress window requirements. The best installation option is to choose a contractor that is familiar with the local codes to be sure you are meeting the requirements. The following information should give you a general idea of the requirements.
  

Building Planning Codes
IRC Code Section R310
  


R310.1 Emergency escape and rescue required. Basements and every sleeping room shall have at least one operable emergency and rescue opening. Such opening shall open directly into a public street, public alley, yard or court. Where basements contain one or more sleeping rooms, emergency egress and rescue openings shall be required in each sleeping room, but shall not be required in adjoining areas of the basement. Where emergency escape and rescue openings are provided they shall have a sill height of not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) above the floor. Where a door opening having a threshold below the adjacent ground elevation serves as an emergency escape and rescue opening and is provided with a bulkhead enclosure, the bulkhead enclosure shall comply with Section R310.3. The net clear opening dimensions required by this section shall be obtained by the normal operation of the emergency escape and rescue opening from the inside. Emergency escape and rescue openings with a finished sill height below the adjacent ground elevation shall be provided with a window well in accordance with Section R310.2. Emergency escape 52 2006 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE® and rescue openings shall open directly into a public way, or to a yard or court that opens to a public way.
  

  

Exception: The ladder or steps required by SectionR310.2.1 shall be permitted to encroach a maximum of 6 inches (152 mm) into the required dimensions of the window well.
  

R310.2.1 Ladder and steps. Window wells with a vertical depth greater than 44 inches (1118 mm) shall be equipped with a permanently affixed ladder or steps usable with the window in the fully open position. Ladders or steps required by this section shall not be required to comply with Sections R311.5 and R311.6. Ladders or rungs shall have an inside width of at least 12 inches (305 mm), shall project at least 3 inches (76 mm) from the wall and shall be spaced not more than 18 inches (457 mm) on center vertically for the full height of the window well.
  

R310.3 Bulkhead enclosures. Bulkhead enclosures shall provide direct access to the basement. The bulkhead enclosure with the door panels in the fully open position shall provide the minimum net clear opening required by Section R310.1.1. Bulkhead enclosures shall also comply with Section R311.5.8.2.
  

R310.4 Bars, grilles, covers and screens. Bars, grilles, covers, screens or similar devices are permitted to be placed over emergency escape and rescue openings, bulkhead enclosures, or window wells that serve such openings, provided the minimum net clear opening size complies with Exception: Basements used only to house mechanical equipment and not exceeding total floor area of 200 square feet (18.58 m2).
  

R310.1.1 Minimum opening area. All emergency escape and rescue openings shall have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet (0.530 m2).
  

Exception: Grade floor openings shall have a minimum net clear opening of 5 square feet (0.465 m2).
  

R310.1.2 Minimum opening height. The minimum net clear opening height shall be 24 inches (610 mm).
  

R310.1.3 Minimum opening width. The minimum net clear opening width shall be 20 inches (508 mm).
  

R310.1.4 Operational constraints. Emergency escape and rescue openings shall be operational from the inside of the room without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge.
  

R310.2 Window wells. The minimum horizontal area of the window well shall be 9 square feet (0.9 m2), with a minimum horizontal projection and width of 36 inches (914 mm). The area of the window well shall allow the emergency escape and rescue opening to be fully opened.
  

Sections R310.1.1 to R310.1.3, and such devices shall be releasable or removable from the inside without the use of a key, tool, special knowledge or force greater than that which is required for normal operation of the escape and rescue opening.
  

R310.5 Emergency escape windows under decks and porches. Emergency escape windows are allowed to be installed under decks and porches provided the location of the deck allows the emergency escape window to be fully opened and provides a path not less than 36 inches (914 mm) in height to a yard or court.  

** Always be sure to check your local building department to make sure you meet the local requirements**




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January 3, 2010

Your sump pumps best friend, the battery backup

Filed under: Back Up sum pump, Plumbing Fixtures, Products and Supplies, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — Basements @ 10:15 pm

One of the most important things you can do before you finish your basement is to ensure you have a quality sump pump and backup system.
Every year I get calls from homeowners who’s basements have flooded due to power outages or failed sump pumps. I recommend backup systems in every basement I finish. If only the contractor that finished their basement would have recommended or installed a backup sump pump system they could have saved thousands of dollars in repairs, insurance premiums, not to mention the headaches of refinishing their basements. If your remodeling your basement spend the extra $500-$1,000 to install the proper backup equipment. Most water backup insurance deductibles are $1,000 and if you have a problem you’ll spend that anyway. At least this will save you the hassle and headache of tearing out the carpet, trim, drywall, insulation and re doing it all.
There are many things that can go wrong down with a sump pump that can cause basement flooding. It can be a power outage, a failed sump pump, a stuck float switch or a sump pump that cannot keep up with the inflow of water. Most builder use the cheapest pump they can find during construction and usually the sump pit is littered with debris by the end of the job. that sump pump has been pumping out mud, sawdust, trash, or anything else that falls in the pit. By using a battery backup sump pump your basement should remain dry during almost any occurrence.

So here are my recommendations.
1. Change out your existing pump with a high quality pump like the Zoeller M53 Automatic Mighty Mate 1/3 hp Sump Pump

2. Buy a battery backup system to install or have your contractor do it. The two I recommend are the following:
Standard- Glentronic’s Bw4000 Combination Primary and Back-up Sump Pump System
Best- SUMPRO Gold Complete Battery Back-up System w/ 2 Batteries (5000 GPH) – SPD- SUMPROGOLDKIT
(Most systems require you buy the batteries separate but you normally get the best deal from a local dealer like interstate batteries or an auto part store.)

3. Always, Always, Always have you battery backup system installed on a seperate breaker from your existing sump pump. If for some reason one of the breakers trips the other one should still function.

4. Normally the batteries only last for about 4 years so keep track of when you installed it and when its due for replacement. 

Always use a backup sump pump in your finished basement

Always use a backup sump pump in your finished basement

Author: David Michael

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