With Fire Safety, Err on the Side of Caution

Question: My house was built in 1955, before firewalls were required in garages. My buyers have asked that I upgrade the garage to comply with current fire safety requirements, as recommended by their home inspector. I’ve cooperated with their request by patching several holes in the firewall. But now, they insist that I replace the door between the garage and the kitchen. This door is hollow core, but it has been covered with sheet metal for increased fire resistance. Isn’t this safe enough?

Answer: Before answering your questions, I must clarify one essential point: Homes built in 1955 do not predate the fire separation requirement for garages. Firewalls between homes and garages have been specified in the Uniform Building Code since the first code book was published in 1927. Modifications to the code have been enacted since that time, but the basic firewall requirement still applies to 40-year-old homes.

The purpose of this code is to delay the spread of fire from a garage to a dwelling. In order to comply, wood-framed walls and ceilings between garages and dwellings must be finished with plaster or five-eighths-inch drywall, and all doors must be solid core or labeled as fire-rated by the manufacturer.

When your home was built, these codes were not universally enforced, especially in rural areas. Consequently, many hollow-core doors were errantly installed in attached garages. In those years, a common upgrade for such doors was the application of sheet metal. Although this modification does not comply with current fire standards, most building departments regard these doors as “legal nonconforming,” which means that replacement is generally not mandated.

Another pertinent change in the fire code, which has taken effect since your home was constructed, is the requirement that fire doors be self-closing. The addition of a self-closing device would be an advisable upgrade to your garage door, but it is not a legal requirement for homes built in the 1950s.

As to the disagreement between you and your buyer, the best way to resolve disputes involving fire safety compliance is to err on the side of caution. My advice would be to upgrade the garage door to current safety standards. It is not your obligation to make these improvements on the buyers’ behalf; they could certainly upgrade the fire door after closing escrow.

Protect Garage Firewall if Installing Ladder

Q: We want to use the attic of the house we’re buying for additional storage space and were planning to install a folding ladder in the garage ceiling to provide access. This seemed like a good idea until a home inspector told us that a folding ladder may violate the firewall between our garage and home.

Two neighboring houses already have folding ladders in their garages, so we’re wondering if there is really a need for concern. What do you advise?

A: Built-in folding ladders provide a convenient means of access to attic areas and are becoming increasingly popular for using storage space above garages. Unfortunately, people who install these ladders are generally unaware of fire separation requirements. Thus, with many of these installations, fire safety standards are inadvertently violated.

The partition wall between a house and an adjoining garage is typically covered with five-eighths-inch drywall to slow the spread of a garage fire to the dwelling. If the garage attic and house attic are not also divided by a firewall, then the garage ceiling becomes part of the fire separation and must also be finished with five-eighths-inch drywall.

The access cover on a folding ladder is a mere sheet of quarter-inch plywood. When installed in a garage ceiling, this thin wood membrane replaces a portion of the fire-resistant drywall board, thereby breaching the required fire separation.

Fortunately, the solution to this problem is both simple and inexpensive. After installing your new folding ladder, you can maintain the fire separation by securing a piece of five-eighths-inch drywall directly over the quarter-inch plywood. Screws will hold the drywall firmly in place.

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If you have questions or comments, contact Barry Stone through his Web site at https://www.housedetective.com. Distributed by Access Media Group.