Converting a house to R4 occupancy

[olc]

Converting a house (dwelling unit) to a residential care facility (12 bed therapy clinic)(R4 occupancy).

These are typically big houses which have lot existing incandescent down lights.
What is worse are the receptacles which are spaced for dwelling units in a good portion of the facility.

The building will have some renovations. I am calculating the electric load for the building and it is way higher than the existing service (as expected).

Is there any precedent for calculating residential areas of clinics like this like a dwelling unit? (I don’t think so but wanted to check.)

 

[zbang]

Doing that seems like a long stretch. Might be able to start by calling the entire place a dwelling unit, but other the R4 would override that.

 

[petersonra]

It seems to me you are better off just doing what it takes to be code legal for whatever it ends up being.

if there are too many receptacles, you could just remove the receptacles that are no longer needed and blind off the box.

Realistically, you need to address the actual problem which is that the service size needs to be upgraded.

 

[olc]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[gadfly56]

Per the ICC, R-4 occupancies are required to have sprinkler systems. This will be by far the more expensive feature of the conversion. Here in NJ, if you move from a less restrictive to more restrictive occupancy in terms of fire protection, you must install the required fire protection as if it were new construction.