Inspector vetoes open-door policy
Q. Last month we finally got our house into escrow. Everything was moving along smoothly until the buyers hired a home inspector. According to the inspector, the downstairs bedroom is not legal as a sleeping room because it has a doorway directly into the garage. The broker and the appraiser say this is a three-bedroom home, but the buyers are now saying that it is only a two-bedroom home, and they want the price reduced accordingly. How can we resolve this mess?
A. Things are not as bad as they may seem. The home inspector was correct about the door from the garage to the bedroom not being legal, but this does not mean you have a two-bedroom home. It simply means the doorway should be altered or eliminated. The buyer's request for a price reduction is an overreaction to a condition that can be easily corrected.
Bedrooms must be isolated from garages because of potential exposure to automobile exhaust fumes and because garages are commonly used to store solvents, gasoline and other flammable materials.
The simplest solution is to eliminate the doorway entirely, by having the opening framed in and finished. If you take this approach, be sure to use fire-rated drywall on the garage side of the opening to maintain the integrity of the firewall between the garage and the dwelling.
If retaining direct access to the garage is preferable, you can have a small anteroom constructed between the garage and bedroom. This added room would have two separate doors, one to the garage and one to the bedroom. If you choose this approach, be sure to install a fire-rated, self-closing door on the garage side of the anteroom.
Either solution will satisfy the demands of the buyer, while maintaining the value of your home and its status as a three-bedroom dwelling.
Q. We are installing a gas fire pit in our patio and don't want to do anything that is unsafe. So we have two safety questions: Is it OK to connect the gas line for the fire pit to the main gas line, and is it safe to park a trailer on the ground where the gas main is buried?
A. The gas line for the fire pit can be connected to the main gas line as long as you're talking about the line that comes after the gas meter, not the gas line from the meter to the street. Connecting to the line before the meter is unsafe, illegal and can get you in trouble with the gas company.
It is also OK to park a trailer or other vehicle on ground that is above the main gas line or other gas lines, as long as the lines are buried at the minimum required depth and are comprised of approved gas line material. Consult your local building department for applicable depth requirements.
Of course, all gas pipe installation should be performed with a permit and by a licensed plumber to ensure that the all aspects of the work are safe and in full compliance with legal standards.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
© 2017, Action Coast Publishing