Got building construction related questions? We have the answers! Peter Kulczyk of Green Code Knowledge, a building industry expert and frequent instructor at BATC’s Contractor University, is available to answer your questions.
Question: Can the local Building Official place a Stop Order on an entire house project, affecting all trades, when it appears that only one phase of the project may be in violation? For example, one of our projects was stopped completely because the drywall contractor started covering the interior walls prior to the insulation being inspected and approved.
Answer: A Stop Order can be used by the Building Official at any time during the construction. It would normally be used as a last resort after other means to obtain compliance have failed. In the situation that you describe with the drywall contractor, the Building Official probably placed the Stop Order in an attempt to verify the proper installation of the insulation, vapor retarder and maybe the air barrier. Although the code is not specific to what extent the Stop Order should affect other trades on the project it would seem appropriate that only the drywall contractor should be affected in this situation, but allowing other trades to continue.
Question: What is the net clear minimum opening size for an emergency escape and rescue window (sometimes referred to as the egress window) intended for a bedroom addition or in the bedroom of a new home?
Answer: The net clear minimum opening size for an emergency escape and rescue window is as follows:
- 20 inches net clear width
- 24 inches net clear height
- 5.7 square feet overall net clear
Peter has three decades of extensive experience in the construction and building codes industry as an author, educator and experienced in residential building codes, energy codes and green building practices. His background includes working on staff with the International Code Council, as an Instructor with the State of Minnesota Building Code Division, as a municipal Building Inspector and in various positions with residential and commercial construction companies in Minnesota. Peter is certified by the International Code Council as a Building Inspector, Plans Examiner, and Green Building-Residential. He is also certified by the State of Minnesota as a Certified Building Official and Certified Instructor.
Please submit your questions to: ask@batc.org. Everyone who submits a question will receive 50 BATC Bucks. If we use your question in an Ask The Building Inspector column, you will be entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift card (one gift card awarded per column). *
* You can only receive 50 BATC Bucks and/or win a $50 gift card once.
