Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 7/30/2010

Question
QUESTION: Good afternoon sir. Is there a new code against having a door from a bedroom that leads directly into the kitchen?

ANSWER: Hi Robert, Hmm. That's a good one.  I can't remember ever building a kitchen with a bedroom door in it but I guess I never thought about why.  Are you sure that the doorway is illegal or is it that the only egress the bedroom has is through the kitchen?  Does the bedroom have a window which can be used for escape in case the kitchen is on fire?  Plus, in the case of the photo you supplied, it looks like this is an older home?  If so, and the home was built this way using a proper building permit and received a certificate of occupancy, then how can the doorway become illegal later?  And who is saying it is illegal and what is their reasoning for doing so?  If a room or house was built illegally and improperly permitted or not according to permitted plans then the whole room would be illegal until steps were taken to make it legal. Sincerely bruce e johnson

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Not another question, but a follow up to the answer given. No, I'm not sure the doorway is illegal. A gentleman that has a construction company shared that with me. I know the older homes were built that way. My house was built in 1913 and it was built that way. I had, prior to hearing this, closed off 1 of the 2 access/egress doors, the one to the Kitchen. I thought maybe there has been an adjustment to this practice due to a number of possible deaths from kitchen fires in homes with a doorway leading into the bedroom. Just responding to an earlier claim.
Sincerely Robert Thomas

ANSWER: Hi again Robert, it probably is due to egress.  I don't think the issue is the bedroom per se but the means of egress from the room in case of fire.  Sincerely bruce e johnson

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So then, would you say that it's an unspoken, or unwritten law? For instance, I'm sure you will never find in the code book that you should never put a window in a wall that separates two bedrooms right? It's an unspoken or unwritten rule that you will never find in a code book, you automatically know it should never be done. So in this case, eventhough it may not be an official code violation due to a specific code in the book, building a door that leads into a kitchen is a practice that today, is or is not still happening?

Answer
Hi Robert I find it hard to believe that there is an actual code that forbids bedrooms from being built directly off from a kitchen.  If you only have a 600 square foot house you have to build the bedroom directly off the kitchen. What? you're going to have to put a hallway in a 600 sq. ft. house?  I don't know who you are getting your information from but as I said before, there may be an egress issue in certain municipalities which could be incorporated into their building codes but if I wanted to design my house with a bedroom off the kitchen I'd like to see somebody try to stop me. I may have to give the room another exit or an egress window but in the end I will be able to build that bedroom where I want.  Sincerely bruce e johnson