Code Date-Grandfather ceiling -San Francisco

[springerteich]

San Francisco Pacific Heights Victorian built approx 1900s. No architectural plans recored except mine , a remodel 2018. I bought prop in 2004 with a finished basement room I use for a sleeping room.... The finished ceiling is 6'8" approx.. I measured through the recessed lighting gap to the unfinished ceiling and measures over 7" . I was told that is can be legal sleeping room depending what the code was when it was built. I only have blurry permits and I think it was 1963 they ceiled the floor above. (used to have a staircase) and created the room.

When did the current ceiling height for sleeping room go into effect? Trying to legalize a space for sleeping. Thank you Springer of San Francisco

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

[GunnarAlquist]

To the best of my knowledge, the state of California enforced the Uniform Building Code. Some cities (S.F. included) added their own local ordinances. I do not have access to any of that. It might be necessary to head down to City Hall to do that research. Another place to consider would be the S.F. Library. They may have that documentation stored as well.

I looked up the room requirements in my UBC archive and the earliest reference that I can find ceiling height mentioned is 1946. The text is at the end:

But, as Jerry already indicated, we may be lost in the weeds here as there are other considerations to making something like this a bedroom.

In addition to ceiling height, a bedroom (sleeping room) is required to have light, ventilation and an emergency egress directly to the exterior. These can be difficult to provide since the S.F. homes are typcially packed pretty tight with no ability to open to the side of the building (unless at the corner). Egress can be provided by an adequately sized and located window or a door, but may not be through another room or a garage. As a matter of fact, there can be no direct access from the garage into the sleeping room. While I do not know the floorplan of your house, many S.F. homes have much the same floorplan with a tandem garage and an unfinished basement area side-by-side. All of that makes this more difficult. If you can find a neighboring home that similar (permitted) characteristics, you may be able to argue for a variance, as long as ceiling height is the only issue. I rather doubt they will bend on emergency egress, light, & ventilation. Best bet in this case would be to get an architect who knows S.F. building remodeling and can help figure out solutions for your specific situation.

I do have friends in Noe who excavated soil from the lower floor in order to gain the headroom. That required significant foundation and other structural work. Wasn't cheap, that's for sure.

From the 1946 Uniform Building Code: (available at Archive.org)
CHAPTER 14 - REQUIREMENTS FOR GROUP I OCCUPANCIES
Sec. 1401. Group I Ocupancies (sic) shall be:
Dwellings.
Sec. 1405
(b) Room Sizes and Ceiling Heights. Every room regulared by subsection (a) shall have a ceiling height of not less than seven feet sinx inches (7' 6") in at least 50 percent of its required area with no portion less than five feet (5') in height. Rooms used for living, dining, or sleeping purposes shall have an area of not less than eighty squre feet (80 sq. ft.). Kitchens shall have a superficial floor area of not less than fifty square feet (50 sq. ft.). Superficial floor area is herein defined as clear floor space, exclusive of fixed or built-in cabinets or appliances.