[jrref]

Thanks for all the replies.

So, they do make fire rated attic stairs. One I saw in Home Depot is around $800 just for the ladder and the ladder is wood. If you want a metal ladder from the same company then it's $1080. All the rest of the attic stairs they sell are not fire rated. I'll bet most people have the non-fire rated ladder installed in their garage. The fire rated ladder has a thicker wood cover with some insulation and a better gasket to seal out smoke.

What surprises me is I purchased my home 2 years ago and I had it inspected. My neighbor sold his house and the new people had it inspected. In both cases the non-fire rated attic stairs never came up as a violation. Also, a popular attic stair company, Majic stairs, has no information about fire ratings on their stairs and they are installing all over the Villages.

So now the question is who installs fire rated attic stairs? If I'm going to spend the money, I want it done right.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by metoo21

This isn't exactly correct. The blocks are the outside perimeter - not in the wall between the garage and interior of the home. That is a standard stud (could be metal or wood) wall with sheetrock. Still a fire barrier but not block. Nothing is necessarily fire proof but there is a rating such that fire shouldn't penetrate for X amount of time. Hopefully enough time for the fire department to arrive and put out the fire before it spreads to the rest of the home.

In my research about stairs for the garage, I did read some reports of insurance companies not paying claims because the fire spread into the home through the attic stairway and the attic stairs were not properly fire rated.

Thank you for the correction. From what I understand, the sheetrock needs to be at least 5/8 inch to be fire rated and I'm guessing the sheetrock on these walls are that thichness.

[rmagee]

Originally Posted by jrref

Since I've been living in the Villages and visiting neighbors and friends who live here, I've noticed that some have no attic stairs but just a thin piece of plywood over the access to their attic over the garage. Also, If they do have attic stairs, none or very few are of the fire rated type.

That said, is there a building code here in the the Villages for fire the rating of the garage. For example, the ceiling should be at least 5/8 inch sheetrock, there should be a fire rated garage access door, etc, to delay the spread of fire for I believe 1 hr, in case of a fire in your garage.

Also, the Garage attic is not separated from the living space attic. And I also see some people who have a vent in their garage door and a fan in the garage ceiling that will turn on when the temperature reaches a certain point. This device would probably acceletate the spread of fire and smoke in a fire in the garage I would think.

In doing some research, It appears that there is no building code for this.

Any thoughts or additional information on the matter?

In some ways when I look at the build of a typical home in the Villages, I'm relatively impressed with the engineering that went into many parts of the design but Fire safety, I'm not sure what to think. Yes in a Block Home, the only way for the fire to spread from the garage would be through the ceilint and the hole for the attic stairs may not be significant unless the whole garage were on fire and at that point the fire rating of the garage stairs may be moot.

We did this in our garage; manufactured in Ocala. Love it ($3700) majic stairs - Search Videos

[rmagee]

majic stairs - Search Videos

$3700 made in Ocala

[metoo21]

Originally Posted by Normal

There is an attic ladder pull down on our new construction home purchased straight from The Villages. So are you saying they are breaking the law each and every time they do this? It would be a huge problem for the homeowners and the Developer. The ladder is mounted on thick painted plywood.

There should be a label stating it has been treated with a fire retardant if it was. And a UL label with #'s that can be looked up to see that the manufacturer was UL rated in its application.

[metoo21]

I spoke to Majic Stairs when I was looking and they didn't know anything about fireproofing. Turns out that it didn't matter as my attic construction would not have allowed the installation once I really looked at the videos. The stairs I have are Husky 800. They have an option for a fire resistant door which I have - proven by the label in my other post. I was fortunate to purchase it from a homeowner here that had it replaced with Majic Stairs.

Husky 800 stairs are manufactured in Memphis, TN. I know they have distributors but you'd have to measure your opening and call them to see if there was a local one.

[metoo21]

For an idea, I'd suggest calling Majic Stairs and see if they can provide you with contact info on some of their recent installs. Then contact those folks and see if they still have their old stairs. You could go see what they had and look for the fire treatment label. You might get lucky and find one. I found mine on Facebook. Or you could post on your facebook group saying you were looking for a set of stairs

[Wayne Mudge]

Originally Posted by jrref

Since I've been living in the Villages and visiting neighbors and friends who live here, I've noticed that some have no attic stairs but just a thin piece of plywood over the access to their attic over the garage. Also, If they do have attic stairs, none or very few are of the fire rated type.

That said, is there a building code here in the the Villages for fire the rating of the garage. For example, the ceiling should be at least 5/8 inch sheetrock, there should be a fire rated garage access door, etc, to delay the spread of fire for I believe 1 hr, in case of a fire in your garage.

Also, the Garage attic is not separated from the living space attic. And I also see some people who have a vent in their garage door and a fan in the garage ceiling that will turn on when the temperature reaches a certain point. This device would probably acceletate the spread of fire and smoke in a fire in the garage I would think.

In doing some research, It appears that there is no building code for this.

Any thoughts or additional information on the matter?

In some ways when I look at the build of a typical home in the Villages, I'm relatively impressed with the engineering that went into many parts of the design but Fire safety, I'm not sure what to think. Yes in a Block Home, the only way for the fire to spread from the garage would be through the ceilint and the hole for the attic stairs may not be significant unless the whole garage were on fire and at that point the fire rating of the garage stairs may be moot.

R302.6 Dwelling-garage fire separation.
The garage shall be separated as required by Table R302.6. Openings in garage walls shall comply with Section R302.5. Attachment of gypsum board shall comply with Table R702.3.5. The wall separation provisions of Table R302.6 shall not apply to garage walls that are perpendicular to the adjacent dwelling unit wall. TABLE R302.6DWELLING-GARAGE SEPARATION
SEPARATION MATERIAL
From the residence and attics Not less than 1/2-inch gypsum board or equivalent applied to the
garage side
From habitable rooms above the garage Not less than 5/8-inch Type X gypsum board or equivalent
Structure(s) supporting floor/ceiling assemblies used for separation
required by this section
Not less than 1/2-inch gypsum board or equivalent
Garages located less than 3 feet from a dwelling unit on the same lot Not less than 1/2-inch gypsum board or equivalent applied to the interior
side of exterior walls that are within this area.
So yes there is a code and basically here in the Villages 1/2 Gypsum meets the requirement. Doors to the home need to be fire-rated, but self-closing devices are no longer Required.

[RobO178]

Intumescent fire control paint is UL tested and will fire proof pull down attic stairs in the garage to meet local fire codes. It's expensive and when applied correctly, the paint will expand 6" during a fire, sealing all openings and the stairway.

[MrChip72]

My question is why would this be necessary? No one is going to be sleeping or spending much time in the attic as far as I know.

[metoo21]

Originally Posted by MrChip72

My question is why would this be necessary? No one is going to be sleeping or spending much time in the attic as far as I know.

Because fire will spread to the rest of the home rather quickly. The barrier is to allow time for occupants to escape the home and/or fire personnel to arrive and fight the fire.

[metoo21]

///

[Normal]

Originally Posted by metoo21

Because fire will spread to the rest of the home rather quickly. The barrier is to allow time for occupants to escape the home and/or fire personnel to arrive and fight the fire.

I appreciate your posts. This was an aspect I never had considered in home construction. Have a wonderful day

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Normal

I appreciate your posts. This was an aspect I never had considered in home construction. Have a wonderful day

The opening effectively acts like a chimney accelerating a fire originating in the garage.

This is also why it's a bad idea to partially open the attic access and crack the garage door open to help ventilation. If an insurance investigator finds this, a homeowner could have problems collecting.

To put it in perspective, at least since I've been here, more homes and caught fire due to lightening strikes than garages fires.

[Janie123]

Originally Posted by jrref

Since I've been living in the Villages and visiting neighbors and friends who live here, I've noticed that some have no attic stairs but just a thin piece of plywood over the access to their attic over the garage. Also, If they do have attic stairs, none or very few are of the fire rated type.

That said, is there a building code here in the the Villages for fire the rating of the garage. For example, the ceiling should be at least 5/8 inch sheetrock, there should be a fire rated garage access door, etc, to delay the spread of fire for I believe 1 hr, in case of a fire in your garage.

Also, the Garage attic is not separated from the living space attic. And I also see some people who have a vent in their garage door and a fan in the garage ceiling that will turn on when the temperature reaches a certain point. This device would probably acceletate the spread of fire and smoke in a fire in the garage I would think.

In doing some research, It appears that there is no building code for this.

Any thoughts or additional information on the matter?

In some ways when I look at the build of a typical home in the Villages, I'm relatively impressed with the engineering that went into many parts of the design but Fire safety, I'm not sure what to think. Yes in a Block Home, the only way for the fire to spread from the garage would be through the ceilint and the hole for the attic stairs may not be significant unless the whole garage were on fire and at that point the fire rating of the garage stairs may be moot.

Florida building code (which differs state to state) requires 20 minute rating (just enough to get out of the house), 1/2” drywall on all walls and doors in the garage that is attached to the house. Attic stairs (without vent holes retro fitted into them) are allowed as long as it too provides the 20 minute requirement. Doors need to be solid core, not a standard residential hollow core door. Self-closing is not a requirement in FL. The 20 minute goes to 1 hr if there is a direct bedroom above or attached to the garage. No doors into an attached bedroom either. No venting from garage into attic is allowed however, a vent from garage to the outside thru the roof is allowed or the garage is separated from the house by an attic wall. Also, all penetrations (ducts and pipes) must be sealed with material that is also fire retardent.