# Egress Window Bracing -- Understand drawing



## wraezor (Aug 12, 2016)

Hello,

I am developing a basement suite and was required (in order to have a permit issued) to get engineering drawings for the egress window expansion. The drawings I received are below.











As I understand it, the bracing wall is to share the load of the main floor, particularly where the window span is. In order to do this, the bracing wall needs to support/be attached to the joists above, does it not?

In the second photo, I don't see how the wall bears any of the joist load. Is that a board that I need to add spanning the bottom of the joists that would butt up to the top of the new wall? Right now it is just joists and concrete.

Thanks in advance.


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## Sparky617 (Aug 12, 2016)

I believe it would keep the joists from twisting.


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## nealtw (Aug 12, 2016)

Time to call the engineer and tell him to shake his head.
None of the studs he is calling for are doing anything for structure, except you do want two studs on each side of the window.
Above the window it appears he started out drawing in a second rim joist, anything over 51" centered over the hole will do the job, if he doesn't like that add 2 of them up there.
Just above the wall he shows a block between the rim and the first joist, you want a 2x4 block like that at each end and one ever 2 or 3 ft just to nail the wall up to.
The upper and lower headers are none sense, how are you supposed to drywall that. 
The extra rim joist carries the load so the window just need lumber on the flat to frame the window.
Call him up and have him pull his copy and read what I have said to him.


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## wraezor (Aug 12, 2016)

Thanks guys.  What do you mean by the "extra rim joist"?

I couldn't make much sense of their drawings.  In the first drawing it says the window header should be "secured to the joist above", but it is in between and parallel to the joists above.  A bit of blocking to secure the wall to isn't going to make it load bearing.  Makes me think they cut and pasted the first drawing from someone else's plans, where the joists a perpendicular to the concrete wall.

I will give them a call and see what they say.


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## nealtw (Aug 12, 2016)

If I understand it correctly, you have or will cut a hole in the concrete..
Above the concrete you have a 2x6 on the flat on the concrete _*(sill plate)*_ and then a 2x10 above that standing up under the floor *(rim joist)*.
The rim joist and sill plate transfer the weight of the house the house into the concrete wall.
When you have an opening in the wall for a window, you need a header to transfer the weight from over the window to both sides of the window.
If the rim joist is 2x10 another piece of 2x10 standing and nailed to the rim joist gives you an easy header.
That takes care of the weight of the house..

If you can understand that, we can then work on the wall in front of it.
Can you post a picture of what you have inside.
In this picture he is adding a beam beside the rim joist.


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## beachguy005 (Aug 12, 2016)

Not an answer to your question but an observation.  I don't know the requirements up there but generally there are maximum sill heights above finished floor, usually 44". Yours appears to be 63" or so.  Hard for Granny or the children to exit in an emergency.


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## nealtw (Aug 12, 2016)

beachguy005 said:


> Not an answer to your question but an observation.  I don't know the requirements up there but generally there are maximum sill heights above finished floor, usually 44". Yours appears to be 63" or so.  Hard for Granny or the children to exit in an emergency.



Same code up here, good catch, some engineer??


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## Snoonyb (Aug 13, 2016)

Did the eng. visit the site?
Do they understand egress and window wells?
Why are the plans indicating a structural wall, tight against a structural masonry wall, with no direct ties to the floor joist system,above?


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## wraezor (Aug 13, 2016)

beachguy005 said:


> Not an answer to your question but an observation.  I don't know the requirements up there but generally there are maximum sill heights above finished floor, usually 44". Yours appears to be 63" or so.  Hard for Granny or the children to exit in an emergency.



Thanks for the note.  The drawing is not to scale.  The sills, as expanded, are actually about 48" off the floor.  I have not seen any mention of sill height in the civil or provincial documentation (though that's no guarantee).  They do repeatedly discuss window opening size and also window well spacing from window.  I have, also, seen illustrations in their documentation of putting dressers under the window to climb out on.

Here's to hoping I am not 4 inches short!  I may be talking to them next week, so I can ask before I get too much further.


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## wraezor (Aug 13, 2016)

Snoonyb said:


> Did the eng. visit the site?
> Do they understand egress and window wells?
> Why are the plans indicating a structural wall, tight against a structural masonry wall, with no direct ties to the floor joist system,above?



Yes, he did visit the site and took some pictures.  I don't know what he understood or didn't, but I will be talking to them on Monday.

Thanks all.


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## Snoonyb (Aug 13, 2016)

Were I you, I'd first pay a visit to the building authority and obtain a copy of the applicable ordinance.

There is also a min. openable square footage, with min. width requirements.


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## nealtw (Aug 13, 2016)

Snoonyb said:


> Were I you, I'd first pay a visit to the building authority and obtain a copy of the applicable ordinance.
> 
> There is also a min. openable square footage, with min. width requirements.



I think the odd 33" height is to make it min. egress but an off the shelf 36" would be  cheaper.


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## beachguy005 (Aug 13, 2016)

wraezor said:


> Thanks for the note.  The drawing is not to scale.  The sills, as expanded, are actually about 48" off the floor.  I have not seen any mention of sill height in the civil or provincial documentation (though that's no guarantee).  They do repeatedly discuss window opening size and also window well spacing from window.  I have, also, seen illustrations in their documentation of putting dressers under the window to climb out on.
> 
> Here's to hoping I am not 4 inches short!  I may be talking to them next week, so I can ask before I get too much further.



"Not to scale" only means that the drawing isn't scaled to any true measurement. It could of been drawn 1/4" = 1' but copies or reprints or just being a rough draft, distorts those measurements.
Your drawing shows a layout of the framing construction plan, which is different from "scale".
As for a dresser under the window...I know Ikea has a massive recall going on because their dressers tipping over and killing or injuring kids that were climbing on them. I can't see any authority permitting that rather than a properly installed egress rated window.
As for the egress window itself, you'll need the specification for the window you're going to be using which should be egress rated.


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## GBR (Aug 20, 2016)

Your code is lacking the height to the egress opening; http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ss/STANDATA/building/BedroomWindowFAQ06.pdf

Check with your local AHJ for more info. Some jurisdictions are aware of this problem- and others; built-in furniture added, window swing interfering, etc., eg; http://www.lethbridge.ca/Doing-Busi...ications/Documents/Window Egress Bulletin.pdf

Gary


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