Quagmire

I've been working on the window issue, and I am really stuck in a vast quagmire. The existing windows are double-hung (i.e. two sashes on top of one another that move up and down). I can't use this type of window because to get the minimum height required, the window has to be 5 feet tall. Since our ceilings are 8 feet, and the window has to be 3 feet off the floor, that leaves no room for a header. The 3-feet-off-the-floor rule is to keep people from falling out. If it is less than 3 feet, you need safety rails which have their own set of complex codes. In neighboring cities, the window only needs to be 18 inches off the floor.

Another type of window is an awning or casement. Both of these open with a hand crank and the awning is hinged on top and the casement is hinged on the side. The entire sash opens outward. I can't use these because the windows in question overlook the driveway and since our driveway already isn't big enought to meet current codes we cannot infringe on it in any way.

The final type of window is a glider, which the sashes are side by side and slide open sideways. If we use this type of window, we have to go to a bigger size, which means getting plans drawn by a structural engineer, going through plan submittal (3 months), and possible having to add shear strength to the walls. Shear strength is so the the house doesn't sway side to side and would be obtained by removing either all the stucco or all the interior plaster and putting plywood on all the walls. Then all the windows have to be finished with a bullnose since they are now not thick enough to span the wall. This will be really expensive.

So, we're really running into walls here, and not sure how to solve it. The city is difficult in these areas - they won't put anything in writing, and whenever you ask a question, you get the most conservative answer. In other words, they would make me do shear calculations and shear work. I really don't know how to figure this out. One bright spot is that that we were going to turn one window into a door on our next permit, and the inspector said we could do it under this permit and that would meet egress for one room.