HOME RENOVATION

A designer who is unfamiliar with building codes or refuses to adhere to recognized minimum standards of life safety does a disservice to his or her client. A case in point is the “whitewashed temple of light” designed by Schweitzer. It may be a piece of sculpture, but it is in violation of many minimum building-code requirements.

Each stairway is approximately twice as steep as is allowed, neither has a handrail, and open sides require guardrails. The one guardrail shown is much too low to be in compliance with the code.

This remodeling job (I assume) had to have been done without the benefit of plans being reviewed by the local building department or a permit being issued because these violations are so flagrant. These are the types of improvements that have to be listed as non-conforming when trying to sell a house and may have to be corrected. A client would be pretty distressed in later years to learn that he couldn’t sell his house (or piece of art) as is.

If a client brought this article to me and asked for something similar, I would have to tell him it couldn’t be done. I don’t know of any contractors that would jeopardize their licenses by building this space.

RICHARD K. PETERSON

Alta Loma