By: Veronica Yambrovich, IIDA, LEED Green Associate, WELL AP
06.01.2022
Recently I experienced a water-front Florida residence that was up for sale and cost the owner $30,000+ to fix code violations. The owner had had unpermitted work completed on the ground level of his residence. It was outfitted with a kitchenette, bathroom, shower, gym and two garages. It sounds harmless and perfectly normal enough… until he wanted to sell it. The owner of the residence put his home up for sale and was immediately contacted by the local code enforcer who saw the listing photos that his ground floor was not compliant with Florida 2020 Residential Building code and he had to fix the violations.
His violations were related to Flood-Resistant Construction and making enclosures on the ground level. You can avoid costly and stressful building code mistakes if you’re armed with the knowledge and the ‘why’ behind the code.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
(From Florida Building Code, Residential, 7th Edition (2020))
Buildings or homes located in flood zones A, V or Coastal A Zones need to be designed and constructed to comply with Section R322. This includes items such as: Building materials and installation methods need to flood damage-resistant materials.
This explains why the homeowner had to remove ALL of the gypsum wall-board furring walls that finished out the space. Gypsum wall-board that is not rated for water can promote mold-growth and additional debris in the event of a flood.
A registered design professional needs to prepare and seal documentation of the As-Built Elevation.
Because the homeowner did unpermitted work, he did not have this basic requirement on-file with the City.
I believe this home had a lower level that was below the design flood elevation. Enclosed areas shall be used SOLELY for parking of vehicles, building access (stairs, elevators or entry ways) or storage.
The homeowner created a living space, full restroom and gymnasium on this floor. These are not the uses allowed for a lowest level.
Flood openings need to be provided. They can be faceplates, louvers, or screens that allow flood water to flow out of enclosed areas.
Additional openings had to be added into doors and other walls.
Walls below the design flood elevation need to meet the following:
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical system components are not allowed to be mounted to walls that are intended to break away when exposed to flood loads.
Construction documents, prepared and sealed by a registered design professional need to indicate that the walls have been designed to collapse from a water load that is less than what would occur during the base flood and that the foundation system can withstand wind and flood loads.
These are a few examples of the issues the code enforcer found within the residence. All issues could have been avoided if the homeowner had consulted a registered design professional and/or familiarized himself with the code before investing over $30,000 on the installation, subsequent demolition, removal and construction on the lower level of the home. This figure doesn’t take any other fines from the enforcer into account! Save yourself and the future sale of your home some trouble by consulting a professional before jumping into renovations.
If you’re considering a renovation and need guidance on what you can accomplish, contact me at Formation Interiors LLC for insight or additional referrals and resources.
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