Logan Thomas is going to love this blog entry.What do you do when you are trying to sell an older home, but the windows in the bedrooms don't meet minimum egress requirements? You see, the buyer wants to get an FHA-backed loan, but FHA has a list of "stuff" that you have to do before they will insure the loan.
On a newer (post-1978) home, the requirement is a minimum of 5.7 sq. ft. of egress area - that would be the size of the opening when the window is fully open. They cut a little bit of slack on the older homes - the one I am selling was built in 1940 - so you only have to have 5.0 sq. ft.
An inspector came by the house and noted that the opening (the ENTIRE opening, not just the sliding part of the window) was big enough, but only just barely, so I had three options:
1 - install a new full-opening window that fit the hole
2 - make a bigger hole and install a bigger window
3 - remove the existing window and re-install it on a hinge so that it it full-opening
Guess which option I chose? Isn't regulation great?
2 comments:
Ha ha! Way to beat the system! I want a window like that in my bedroom!
I wonder how many lives that extra 0.7 sq. ft. actually saves....
well, with the increase in obesity rates, that .7 makes a HUGE difference...
pffft.
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