3rd Floor Egress Options

[Cory St. Esprit]

Our city code requires a method of egress for 3rd Floor units. There's not currently one in place. Does anyone have any good options that are safe and won't break the bank? Something similar to the attached. I can find a lot of options in the UK and elsewhere, but not really in the US that's not like "break the bank" expensive. 

[Robert Rixer]

That's rough, nothing's going to look very aesthetic. How about a fireman's pole? Or an a plane evacuation slide? Haha

[Gino Barbaro]

@Cory St. Esprit

I had a commercial building that I needed to add a third floor means of egress. I had to construct metal stairs to the third floor. Not a cheap solution, but a lot more aesthetically pleasing and safer than that picture.

Maybe some type of spiral staircase

Gino

[Zane Cress]

Inflatable airplane slide. Compact and super fun when needed. 

[Cory St. Esprit]

Apparently not many serious replies. Thanks. 

[Matthew Drouin]

@Cory St. Esprit
Have you checked with a local architect on this?

Local building codes are going to dictate the options.

I researched it several years ago and it ended up being cost prohibitive because of these reasons: 1.)  I was going to have to build an interior fire rated stairwell.  Steel fire escapes have been banned in many states. 2.)  I was going to have to have the third floor sprinkled and have a commercial fire alarm system installed. 3.)  I was going to have to get a zoning variance because the subject property was in a low density residential zone.  When I added all this up, it was going to cost $150k in a neighborhood where sales comps trade for $100k per unit.  That being said, I scrapped the idea and bought another rental property.

One hack to consider, a colleague of mine finished a third floor, made the third floor the living room and kitchen and the second floor the two bedrooms because that scenario avoided the need for a second means of egress.

[Jonathan Greene]

The last thing you want to be cheap on is 3rd floor egress. There are really only two options if there aren't interior back stairs. 1. Fire escape. 2. Back stairs.

If you are talking about making a 2+1 into a legal 3, the towns are going to tell you only the above two will qualify.

[Jared W Smith]

Hello @Cory St. Esprit

@Matthew Drouin makes some good suggestions and things to think about. The photo you included is very likely not considered a legal means of egress from the third floor units. You do not want to go cheap on this, especially when it's for life safety. 

Unfortunately, @Jonathan Greene, in nearly all municipalities, fire escapes cannot be newly built and added onto a new project. Only those that legally existed prior to new Codes can be maintained, replaced, etc. So that is not an option. 

From your post you said that there is more than one unit on the third floor, correct? Then your best bet is to add a second stair, make several duplexes or, if possible, see if there are any unique Code exceptions to allow a single stair to be the means of egress. I know NY/NYC has some. All the best.  

[Scott Allen]

@Cory St. Esprit Wood stair case will be much cheaper than the metal ones - ideally going to a door that is up at the top of them and not a window so that it's a second entrance/exit to the unit.

[Cory St. Esprit]

Unfortunately we won't have the space for wooden stairs, without losing out on the parking spaces. The 2nd floor apartment is longer so the third floor can open out onto the roof of that 3rd floor (it's very solid - I've been up there and I'm 6/2, 250). So we need egress down but don't want to limit the parking because the main floor is becoming a laundromat.