OK, So What is The Problem with an Exterior Stair?
In case of fire, how is someone getting out safely? Secondary Suites are a fire compartment that is separate from the remainder of the house. Therefore, the two living areas are treated as two fire compartments. Here is where things get tricky. Since those stairs are a means to escape, they cannot be obstructed by fire. Therefore, if a room above that stair catches fire, then the window directly above the stair may explode, leaving the tenant below screwed.
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I like to tell people when it comes to your basement suite “plan for distance, not for time.” Your approach to your secondary suite project is to minimize the amount of work to repair, replace, or remove. THAT DOESN’T MEAN be EXPENSIVE! Instead, try to set your budget, so you come in the middle or higher. You want to experience the gains from your goals.
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This entry is the conclusion of legalizing your existing suite. I wanted to give you the basics, depending on the situation of your project. Watching these videos, you should have an idea of what your budget would look like, to proceed forward. I want to remind you that city is waiving application fees to legalize your suite until the end of 2021. If you are thinking of taking that step towards legalizing your suite, make it sooner than later.
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Think of Legalizing your suite? Or Would you like to build a new one? Then I would check out this video!
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Hi Everyone,
In this video, I want to remind everyone to legalize your basement suite. It is not a matter of cost, but a matter of safety. Through the month of June, I will be speaking about secondary suites in the City of Calgary.
So, the goal of this blog is to get you into the right mindset. Instead of writing everything down into a list, I’ve decided to break this up into three parts bylaws, envelope, and building code. Therefore, your mindset is to understand the basics.
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