413 LAFAYETTE STREET - BUILDING INSPECTION 413 Lafayette St. "
NOBLIN & ASSOCIATES 5082791463 P. 02 1
NOBLIN & ASSOCIATES
coNsuLTINP ENGINEERS
P,O.BOX 539
BRIDGEWATEA.MA 02324
f PHONE(508)279.0855
FAX(509)279.1483
March 30, 1995
Philip 0. Moran, P.C.
Attorney and Counsellor at Law
265 Essex Street, Suite 202
Salem, MA 01970
RE: Renovation Feasibility Study
Hartnett Residence
413 Lafayette Street
i Salem, MA
Dear Attorney Moran,
This office has completed a,feasibility study for renovations to the Hartnett Residence in Salem,
Massachu;etts. This study consisted of an evaluation of the work and costs Involved in "raising
the roof' to allow the construction of 3 bedrooms and associated closets, hallways and stairways
meeting the requirements of the current (Fifth Edition) Massachusetts State Building Code (The
Com).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is our understanding that this house was constructed in approximately 1920. The house was
originally constructed as a 1 1/2 story structure. According to the City of Salem Charter and
Revised Ordinances of 1922, "a "half story" or attic is any story included in the roof,, the cubic
contents of which, exclusive of blind attic not exceeding three feet in hei0ht at the highest point,
is not more than sixty percent of the cubic contents of the first story".
Several modifications/additions were added to the original house between 1 X20 and 1959. The
modifications consisted mainly of constructing rooms inside the "attic" of the original
structurelas well as adding dormers. Since 1959, the only significant modification to the house
j 'was the addition of a large, pressure-treated wood deck at the rear.
In the 1950's, the Revised Ordinances of The City of Salem, Massachusetts defined a half story
as follows: "Is an attic included in the roof, the cubic contents of which, exclusive of blind attic
not exceeding three feet in height at the highest point is not more than sixty per cent of the tubi
'F contents of the first story.".
The cubic footage on the first story of this house as it exists now was calculated to be 10,173
cubic feet, The cubic footage on the second level of this house was calculated to be 5,144 cubic
feet or 50.1% of the cubic footage on the first story. Therefore, this house fits the definition of
i a 1 112 story structure.
i
NOELIN & ASSOCIATES 5082791463 P. 03
Hartnett Residence
Page 2
March 30,' 1995
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FINDINGS
Presently, the house has hallways, 3 rooms and 2 closets on the second floor/inside the attic.
The maximum ceiling height in any of the rooms is 6' 7", much less in some areas (i.e. front
hallway and room #1) due to the sloping ceiling/roof. The current edition of the Massachusetts 4'
State Building Code defines Habitable space as: "Space in a structure for living, sleeping, eating,
or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet compartments, closets, halls, storage or utility—space, and
similar areas are not considered habitable space." The Code also defines an Attic (habitable) as:
"A habitable attic is an attic which has a stairway as a means of access and egress and in which
the ceiling'area at a height of seven and one-third (7 1/3) feet above the attic floor is not less I
than one-third (1/3) the area of the floor next below."
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The Code also contains a section (3401.6.1) on ceiling heights: "Habitable (space) rooms, other
than kitchens , storage rooms and laundry rooms shall have a ceiling height of not less than seven
(7) feet three (3) inches, Hallways, corridors, bathrooms, water closet rooms, and kitchens
shall have 'a ceiling height of not less than seven (7) feet measured to the lowest projection
from the ceiling.
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If any room in a building has a sloping ceiling, the prescribed ceiling height for the room is .
required in only one-half (1/,2) the area thereof, No portion of the room measuring less than
five (5) feet from the finished floor to the finished ceiling shall be included in any computation
of the minimum area thereof. If any room has a furred ceiling; the prescribed ceiling height is
required in two-thirds (2/3).of the area thereof, but in no case shall the height of the furred
ceiling be less than seven (7) feet,"
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In addition to the low ceilings on the second floor, the stairway leading to the second floor is
narrow (2'; 3" at its narrowest point) and the headroom is only 5' 11". The Code, in Section
340 1.10.8 Stairways, states: "Required egress stairways shall be not less than three (3) feet
in clear width. Headroom, rise and run shall conform to Figure 3401-1. Minimum headroom
for basement cellar and service stairs shall be six (6) feet six (6) inches, Handrails may
project from each side of a stairway a distance of three and one-half (3 1/2) inches into the
required wyidth." Figure 3491-1 details a minimum headroom of 6' 6" for stairways;
To summarize the current code references above, this house contains no habitable space on the
second level and the stairway to the second level does not meet current code requirements. By
current standards, this is a one bedroom home with storage space on the second level.
RECOMMINDATIONS AND COST ESTIMATES
In order for the second level of this residence to be fully functional, the ceilings and stairs
should be in conformance with The Code requirements set forth above, As can be seen from the
enclosed photographs and drawings, the only way to increase the ceiling height to acceptable .
dimensions is to "raise the roof". Rebuilding the stairs will entail significant modifications to
the stairwell area and probably the stairway underneath to the basement as well.