Lets Talk Firewalls

[Oh No Not Him]

On VA assignments, when there is no firewall between garage & finished living space of the dwelling, I always call for a firewall to be installed. VA never seems to give me a clear answer on this. What do my peers do?

Im not a code officer, but as an appraiser for 30 yrs, I do believe that it is a code & also it is a safety issue in my opinion.

 

[Mark K]

Sounds like a judgement call. If you feel its a safety hazard and want to make it 'subject to', that's your decision. Personally, I wouldn't make the report "subject-to".

It is a code, today, but was it code when the house was built?

A LOT of homes in this area have bedroom windows that do not meet today's ingress/egress codes. They were built in the 50's and 60's and have horizontal slider windows with the bottom of the window at about 5' from the floor, higher than currently required. I mention it in the report but don't make the report subject to the owners installing new windows that conform to current code and, to me, the non-conforming windows are a bigger safety hazard than the missing drywall in the garage.

 

[Oh No Not Him]

Sounds like a judgement call. If you feel its a safety hazard and want to make it 'subject to', that's your decision. Personally, I wouldn't make the report "subject-to".

It is a code, today, but was it code when the house was built?

A LOT of homes in this area have bedroom windows that do not meet today's ingress/egress codes. They were built in the 50's and 60's and have horizontal slider windows with the bottom of the window at about 5' from the floor, higher than currently required. I mention it in the report but don't make the report subject to the owners installing new windows that conform to current code and, to me, the non-conforming windows are a bigger safety hazard than the missing drywall in the garage.

Im curious if the SAR U/W comes back to you on those...Ive tried it both ways, when I dont call it out for repair, but just mention it, they come back with "isnt that a safety issue that you should make subject to repair?"

 

[Rlong]

My take is that a missing firewall is a significant life safety issue and has been required for many years, that should be called out in FNMA/FHA appraisals (I'm not VA approved). It slows fire AND smoke, as well as carbon monoxide from passing to living area. (I don't call rooms without proper egress "bedrooms" either.)

I think it is more serious than other issues sometimes debated. I do not "pick properties apart" but believe this to be a significant Life Safety issue. I have trained on allot of building code, and firewall issues always tend to be a foundational concern.

Just my take,
Bob in CO

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I've never seen a firewall stop a fire. Not in a house, not in a duplex. But I don't want an attached garage. That's why mine is 50' from the house and that might not be enough to keep it from spreading.

 

[Elliott]

I'm recalling this from memory, but i thought the requirements for a garage was a 1 hour fire door and a little thicker drywall, 3/4 inch?

 

[Restrain]

Back when FHA was much stricter on inspections, the 3/4" Sheetrock, etc was a mandatory issue. Now, it is not an issue beyond a comment. Don't know about VA, but imagine a similar situation.

 

[Mr Rex]

Its actually 5/8 gypsum on the ceiling and 1/2 on the walls. Taped and mudded. FHA does not require retrofitting to modern code. If you feel its a SSS issue, why not recommend installation of a smoke and/or CO detector in the garage? Stop playing appraiser GOD!

 

[Mark K]

According to the local building inspector (and the codes) those pull-down stairs in the garage for attic access (the type with wood plywood facing down) are a code violation since they are not fire rated and when installed in a garage ceiling the fire barrier is breached. I don't mention them and some owners have covered the plywood with a layer of drywall to pass inspection. I also do not call out the older homes that have code-violating, wood hollow-core doors separating the garage from the house.

I've been aware of these things for many years but have never discussed or mentioned them in a report.

I guess it just depends on how much of a code-cop an appraiser wants to be.

 

[Riick]

Back when Dinosaurs roamed, & when I did apartments, hallways with a double layer of 1/2" sheetrock (both sides of wall) met code as a 1-hour firewall.
(I seem to remember 5/8" as being code minimum, but it was cheaper to double up on the 1/2" rock at $3/sheet, and it cut down noise transmission.)
Is the OP sure that the drywall in the homes he's talking about don't meet fire code? Some areas do require a masonry wall, some don't.