CHAPTER 4. RENOVATIONS

401.0 General Requirements
402.0 Additional Requirements
403.0 Structural Requirements
404.0 Accessibility

401.0 General Requirements

401.1 -- Renovations, as defined in Chapter 2, shall comply with the requirements of this Chapter.

Exception:

1. As modified in Section 904.0 for historic buildings.

401.2 -- All work shall comply with the materials and methods requirements, as defined in Chapter 2.

Note that while repairs are generally permitted to be done with like materials (whether or not those materials are still permitted by the code for new construction), renovations must conform to the materials and methods requirements of the applicable codes. "Materials and methods requirements" is defined in Chapter 2 as: "Those requirements in the building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and fire codes that specify material standards, details of installation and connection, joints, penetrations and continuity of any element, component or system in the building. The required quantity, fire resistance, flame spread, acoustic or thermal performance, or other performance attribute is specifically excluded from materials and methods requirements."

401.3 -- The work shall not make the building less conforming with the building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical or fire codes, or with any previous approved alternative arrangements, than it was before the renovation was undertaken.

Exception:

1. Minor reductions in the clear opening dimensions of replacement doors and windows that result from the use of different materials shall be allowed.

This requirement is intended to prohibit such items as reduction in design capacity to bear structural loads required by the Building Code, to meet water supply requirements, or to meet electrical loads; and reduction in existing light and ventilation to below the levels specified in the Building Code, or below the existing levels, whichever is lower.

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402.0 Additional Requirements

402.1 -- Wood paneling and textile wall coverings used as an interior finish shall comply with the flame spread requirements of the Building Code.

402.2 -- Carpeting used as an interior floor finish material shall comply with the radiant flux requirements of the Building Code.

These additional requirements are necessary because they call for features that are explicitly excluded from Section 401.2 by the definition of "materials and methods requirements".

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403.0 Structural Requirements

403.1 -- Unreinforced masonry buildings located in a seismic zone where the A_v > 0.25 shall have parapet bracing and wall anchors installed at the roof line whenever a reroofing permit is issued. Such parapet bracing and wall anchors shall be designed in accordance with Appendix 1 of these provisions.

Av is the effective peak velocity-related acceleration, indicated as the decimal equivalent of the percent of gravity (e.g., 0.25 = 25 percent of the acceleration of gravity). Seismic maps are currently undergoing a major revision. According to the 1994 NEHRP maps, Av > 0.25 applies to most of California and portions of Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Washington. A similar requirement triggering parapet bracing and wall anchors based on reroofing permits appears in the Utah code.

403.2 -- Unreinforced masonry buildings undergoing structural renovations where the work area exceeds 50 percent of the building area and located in a seismic zone where the A_v > 0.35 shall be strengthened in accordance with the requirements of Appendix 1 of these provisions.

Exception:

1. Buildings of Use Group R with no more than five dwelling units or guest rooms, and used solely for residential purposes.

According to the 1994 NEHRP maps, Av > 0.35 applies to much of California, portions of Alaska and Nevada, and small parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

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404.0 Accessibility

404.1  Materials and Devices -- All new material used and new devices installed shall comply with the accessibility requirements of the Building Code.

404.2  Path of Travel -- In all Use Groups except R-2, R-3 and R-4, an accessible path of travel shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the Building Code if required by the Building Code based on the work being performed.

All three model codes include accessibility requirements applicable to existing buildings in their respective Chapters 11, but none has yet received Department of Justice certification that they meet or exceed the ADA. In light of the complexity of the topic, this section of the NARRP does not include substantive requirements. Rather, it incorporates the requirements in the Building Code by reference, with the expectation that those requirements will ultimately be revised as necessary to achieve certification by the Department of Justice. Note that New Jersey, in an effort to develop a complete code for rehabilitation of existing buildings, has undertaken to extract the applicable requirements from its Building Code. The following requirements based on New Jersey's draft are included for reference: "1 Materials and Devices -- All new material used and new devices installed shall comply with the requirements of CABO/ANSI A117.1, where applicable. "Exceptions: "1.Buildings of Use Group R-2, R-3 and R-4 with three or fewer dwelling units are not required to comply. "2.Multi-story dwelling units in buildings without elevators are not required to comply. "3.Accessory structures for individual exempt dwelling units are not required to comply. "2 -- Where it is technically infeasible to comply with the requirements of CABO/ANSI A117.1 or of other technical standards in the Building Code, the work shall comply to the maximum extent feasible. "3 Path of Travel -- In all Use Groups except R-2, R-3 and R-4, where the space renovated includes a primary function space, an accessible path of travel to the primary function space shall be provided unless the cost of providing this accessibility is disproportionate to the cost of the renovation to the primary function space; a cost is disproportionate if it exceeds 20% of the cost of the renovation work. "1.The path of travel shall include, but not be limited to, an accessible parking space, an accessible exterior route, an accessible building entrance, an accessible interior route to the renovated area, accessible restrooms, accessible drinking fountains, and accessible telephones. "2.In determining disproportionate cost, the following materials may be deducted from the overall cost of the project: "i.Windows, hardware, operating controls, electrical outlets and signage; "ii.Mechanical systems, electrical systems, installations or alterations of fire protection systems, and abatement of hazardous materials; and "iii.The repair or installation of roofing, siding, or other exterior wall facade. "3.Where the work consists solely of renovation to building components deducted from the disproportionate cost calculation by 402.3.2 above, no additional accessible building features shall be required. "4.Where the renovation work is for the primary purpose of increasing the accessibility of the building or tenancy, the requirement to further improve the path of travel shall not apply. "5.Where the tenancy, space, or building being renovated already complies with accessibility requirements in the Building Code, no further improvement shall be required and the disproportionate cost requirement shall not apply."

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