210.63

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Re: 210.63

Originally posted by pierre:
I remember reading the ICC and seeing that truss frame construction is not designed for load in attic spaces. I will check it out at my office monday.
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I believe it would depend on how they are ordered or specified.

But that not withstanding, if there is a scuttle hole the occupants are very likely to use the space for storage, without consulting any building codes as to the suitability for that use.
 
Re: 210.63

I take these questions very literally. The purpose of the scuttles in the crawl space and attic are for servicing & inspecting the mechanical systems on the house. You need access to check for leaky pipes (or to fix a leaky pipe), leaky roofs, to run that icemaker line, to insulate your floor, to get the raccoon out of your crawl space, to check for termites, dry rot, etc.

I feel if storage was the intended use they would make us make them a lot bigger, and they would require a safer and more convenient method of ingress & egress to those areas. The scuttle sizes are fairly minimal and there is no requirement to keep them clear or to make them easily accessible-- unless it's a designated storage area, cellar, loft, etc. It's not a design feature, it's just for basic servicing & inspection access.

I have built homes with storage (or even future live loads) factored into the construction. They call this an "attic truss". An attic truss makes a trussed attic more viable for storage or for a future occupancy. They are also called "Room in a Truss".
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[ September 27, 2003, 07:28 PM: Message edited by: awwt ]
 
Re: 210.63

Let us look at it this way.

How many furnaces or A/C's have you seen in an attic? Does anyone think that the AHJ for framing said anything?

Mike P.
 
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