Stairs and fireblocking

[Denray]

Think this space below the first landing and again at the back of the closet on the final stair reach need to be drywalled?

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[Erby]

Check 2012 IRC R302.7 Under-stair protection.

Enclosed accessible space under stairs shall have walls, under-stair surface and any soffits protected on the enclosed side with 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board.

[Denray]

Those spaces don't go from top to bottom. They're like closets.

[gtblum]

Those spaces don't go from top to bottom. Their like closets.

What do you mean? They go from the top of something, to the bottom.

Erby's got it. Anything from 2012, provided your local office has actually adopted it, should be covered.

I'd suggest it as a safety upgrade, if I mentioned it at all.

I don't see that as critical path for a safety upgrade. I concentrate more on what might cause that to become an issue, after the fact.

[Denray]

Short closets, cabinets. That first one just goes as high as the first turn-around, like 3 ft. Second is under the final run for a ways.

I let it go in the report.

As always, thanks for the input!

[Erby]

Actually, it goes back a lot further than 2012.

Denny, is it enclosed? Is it accessible. Is it under the stairs?

[gtblum]

Actually, it goes back a lot further than 2012.

Yup. My mistake. I apologize.

[Denray]

The spaces were open to the room on the upper one and the hallway on the lower.

[resqman]

I call it out if the stairs would likely have to be used as an emergency esacpe. So spaces under stairs from second story bedrooms to ground floor exits gets mention in my reports.

Stairs from walk out basements up to main story, not so much. During a fire on the "main floor" people are unlikley to run down stairs into the basement when they could walk out to grade. People in a walkout basement would just walk out and would be unlikely to go upstairs to exit. If clients are present, I discuss why they may consider drywalling the underside of the stairs in basements.

Drywall is going to provide a 20 minute fire resistance so the stairs would not burn through when needed as an emergency exit.

[Denray]

Excellent point Bruce!