Tempo:
SECONDARY SUITES A secondary suite is located in a house, townhouse or semi-detached houses (two side-by-side dwelling units) and used, for example, as a rental unit or to accommodate family members in an independent area of a house. A secondary suite, which may also be referred to as an accessory suite or secondary unit in some jurisdictions, may occupy more than one storey or be on the same level as or above/below the principal suite in the house. Some special building requirements apply to secondary suites because the occupants’ activities in one suite can affect the health and safety of those in the adjoining suite. These requirements are simpler and less costly than those pertaining to apartment buildings, for example, and strike a balance between practicality and cost, and the health and safety of the occupants. Consultation with local building officials is required before a secondary suite is built. Some of the considerations are as follows:
A secondary suite is a living space and the ceiling height must be at least 1.95 m (6 ft. 5 in.) and not less than 1.85 m (6 ft. 3⁄4 in.) under beams and ducting. Occupants of both the principal and the secondary suite must be provided with adequate escape routes for use in the event of fire. This means adequate stair, ramp and door widths and adequate handrails and guards must be provided. A continuous smoke-tight barrier consisting of not less than 12.7 mm (1⁄2 in.) gypsum board must be provided between the suites. Smoke alarms must be interconnected so that residents in one suite are alerted by a fire in the adjoining suite.
Some additional protection against sound transmission between a dwelling unit and a secondary suite must be provided. Heating and ventilating ductwork can spread smoke and/or fire from one suite to another. For this reason, separate and independent forced-air furnaces and ductwork must be provided for the house and the suite, or, an alternate heating system such as hot water or electrical heating must be provided. If the house has a forced-air heating system, the easiest way of meeting this requirement is to heat the secondary suite electrically.
ROOM HEIGHT Building codes establish minimum ceiling heights for living area rooms. In general, the minimum ceiling height is 2.1 m (6 ft. 11 in.). Unfinished basement areas must have ceilings at least 2.0 m (6 ft. 7 in.) high in any location that would be used for passage.
RADON Radon is a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment. Outdoors, its concentration is negligible, but it can accumulate in buildings to levels that pose a health risk. Radon can seep from the ground into buildings through cracks and unsealed penetrations in the floor and walls abutting the ground. Although there are regions in Canada with high radon levels, all new residential buildings are now required to provide measures for radon mitigation because (a) there are no reliable maps showing where radon is present; (b) high radon concentrations can be found in one building and not in neighbouring buildings; and (c) it is very difficult to detect problematic
A secondary suite is a living space and the ceiling height must be at least 1.95 m (6 ft. 5 in.) and not less than 1.85 m (6 ft. 3⁄4 in.) under beams and ducting. Occupants of both the principal and the secondary suite must be provided with adequate escape routes for use in the event of fire. This means adequate stair, ramp and door widths and adequate handrails and guards must be provided. A continuous smoke-tight barrier consisting of not less than 12.7 mm (1⁄2 in.) gypsum board must be provided between the suites. Smoke alarms must be interconnected so that residents in one suite are alerted by a fire in the adjoining suite.
Some additional protection against sound transmission between a dwelling unit and a secondary suite must be provided. Heating and ventilating ductwork can spread smoke and/or fire from one suite to another. For this reason, separate and independent forced-air furnaces and ductwork must be provided for the house and the suite, or, an alternate heating system such as hot water or electrical heating must be provided. If the house has a forced-air heating system, the easiest way of meeting this requirement is to heat the secondary suite electrically.
ROOM HEIGHT Building codes establish minimum ceiling heights for living area rooms. In general, the minimum ceiling height is 2.1 m (6 ft. 11 in.). Unfinished basement areas must have ceilings at least 2.0 m (6 ft. 7 in.) high in any location that would be used for passage.
RADON Radon is a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment. Outdoors, its concentration is negligible, but it can accumulate in buildings to levels that pose a health risk. Radon can seep from the ground into buildings through cracks and unsealed penetrations in the floor and walls abutting the ground. Although there are regions in Canada with high radon levels, all new residential buildings are now required to provide measures for radon mitigation because (a) there are no reliable maps showing where radon is present; (b) high radon concentrations can be found in one building and not in neighbouring buildings; and (c) it is very difficult to detect problematic
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