FHA Inspection, Basement Windows

[KELLY HIGGINS]

I WOULD LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION OF THE BASEMENT WINDOW HEIGHT AND SIZE NOTED ON PAGE 3-3 OF THE HUD HANDBOOK 4150.2. INSPECTED A HOME WHERE THE WINDOW SIZE WAS MORE THAN 24" X 36", HOWEVER THEY WERE 48" OFF THE GROUND. HUD STATES THAT THE BASEMENT WINDOWS CANNOT BE HIGHER THAN 44' FROM THE FLOOR, TO VALUE THE BASEMENT AS HABITABLE SPACE(BASEMENT IS FINISHED). THE HEADING IN THE BOOK, IS UNDER BASEMENT BEDROOMS. DOES THIS ONLY APPLY TO FINISHED BASEMENT BEDROOMS OR ALL OF THE FINISHED BASEMENT?

 

[hal380]

Hi Kelly,

Why are you shouting at us?

I believe that the window requirements refer specifically to bedrooms. A sleeping person could wake up and have a means of escape from within the room without having to go out to the main area of the basement.

Just my opinion and willing to be corrected.

Regards

Hal

 

[Farm Gal]

Kelly:

I would call your local HOC and inquire.... because I suspect you are going to find different answers on this one no matter who you ask. Bet if you call the HOC twice you get two answers even . Just doc it and who you talked to and what the time was and which phone you used.

As Hal says the intent is fire escape, I have heard this one called both ways, depends on who you talk to.
I have heard it as sleeping area only, and some years ago ran into a few folks who said can't count it at all.

For those saying none of the basement finish counts, the expressed concern was that finished area whether it LOOKS like a bedroom or not is often used as sleeping quarters. I believe it was an attempt to prevent fatalitites due to use of the area as bedroom whether it was so designed or intended. If you can't count it as finished, it will discourage the first time or FHA eligible homeowner from buying a space and improperly using it as sleeping quarters. The 48" rule revolves around the ability of a child or older person to reasonably/easily escape by having to climb UP and out....

I threw up my hands and took the view that the market counted it as den/rec room. It ain't MY job to police the world, and if the SOP ain't clear then so be it.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Thousands of houses here have FHA loans and none of the basement windows are that big!

 

[Ted Martin]

Your market makes the determination of value for the basement space not the HUD 4150. As for the conforming use of the space for a specific use (bedrooms) for liablity reasons I identify basement rooms as other rather than bedrooms if they don't have adequetely sized windows. In our market it doesn't make a dime of difference whether I call a basement room a bedroom or an other room. On the other hand I do make a positive adjusment for code compliant basement windows and walkout basements versus fully inground basements with little tiny windows six feet off the floor.