L
L75igf9es-127 Feb 2013 09:33A few days ago, the screed was installed in our house. Now I have noticed that the height between the screed and the bottom edge of the windows is between 79 and 80 cm (31 and 31.5 inches). The plan is to install parquet or tiles, so the final height will be between 78 and 79 cm (30.5 and 31 inches). However, several pieces of furniture have a height of 85 cm (33.5 inches). In addition, we have small children, and compared to our current rental apartment, which has a window sill height of 90 cm (35.5 inches), this feels less safe.
According to the SIA standards, which were also agreed upon in the general contractor contract, the window sill height should be at least 90 cm (35.5 inches) (the wall thickness is more than 20 cm (8 inches)); otherwise, a fall protection system with a height of 100 cm (39 inches) is required. Am I understanding this correctly?
Such a special dimension was never agreed upon with the architect, and at least as far as we can tell, it is not shown in the plans. The general contractor contract or construction specification does not mention the window sill height. Is the general contractor then allowed to choose the sill height freely and, if necessary, install fall protection, or are the 90 cm (35.5 inches) considered the agreed-upon standard?
What is the best way to proceed now?
According to the SIA standards, which were also agreed upon in the general contractor contract, the window sill height should be at least 90 cm (35.5 inches) (the wall thickness is more than 20 cm (8 inches)); otherwise, a fall protection system with a height of 100 cm (39 inches) is required. Am I understanding this correctly?
Such a special dimension was never agreed upon with the architect, and at least as far as we can tell, it is not shown in the plans. The general contractor contract or construction specification does not mention the window sill height. Is the general contractor then allowed to choose the sill height freely and, if necessary, install fall protection, or are the 90 cm (35.5 inches) considered the agreed-upon standard?
What is the best way to proceed now?
M
MODERATOR27 Feb 2013 19:20Hello,
that’s correct, the SIA Standard 358 requires parapets thicker than 20cm (8 inches) to be at least 90cm (35 inches) high. This applies whenever an SIA standard has been agreed upon as the building code, since standards are not laws and therefore cannot be assumed to apply automatically.
However, if standards are mentioned or required in the local building authority’s regulations, they take on the status of law.
There are also exceptions in SIA Standard 358, one of which states:
“Exceptions to the provisions of this standard are permitted in the following cases:
1. For residential buildings occupied by the owner himself.”
On the other hand, there is the second sentence of Article 58 of the Swiss Code of Obligations:
“The owner of a building or other work shall compensate for damage caused by faulty design, construction, or inadequate maintenance. He retains the right to seek recourse against others who are responsible for this.” So if something happens, recourse can be taken against the planner or contractor—but ideally, nothing should happen. Therefore, you should raise this issue with the general contractor and architect and request a solution regarding the parapet.
that’s correct, the SIA Standard 358 requires parapets thicker than 20cm (8 inches) to be at least 90cm (35 inches) high. This applies whenever an SIA standard has been agreed upon as the building code, since standards are not laws and therefore cannot be assumed to apply automatically.
However, if standards are mentioned or required in the local building authority’s regulations, they take on the status of law.
There are also exceptions in SIA Standard 358, one of which states:
“Exceptions to the provisions of this standard are permitted in the following cases:
1. For residential buildings occupied by the owner himself.”
On the other hand, there is the second sentence of Article 58 of the Swiss Code of Obligations:
“The owner of a building or other work shall compensate for damage caused by faulty design, construction, or inadequate maintenance. He retains the right to seek recourse against others who are responsible for this.” So if something happens, recourse can be taken against the planner or contractor—but ideally, nothing should happen. Therefore, you should raise this issue with the general contractor and architect and request a solution regarding the parapet.
L
L75igf9es-128 Feb 2013 08:40Thank you very much!
Local building regulations state that the window sill height must be at least 85 cm (33 inches) above the floor. How is the term "window sill height" usually defined? Is it the distance from the floor (parquet in our case) to the top edge of the window shelf, or the distance between the floor and the top edge of the frame of the open window?
Local building regulations state that the window sill height must be at least 85 cm (33 inches) above the floor. How is the term "window sill height" usually defined? Is it the distance from the floor (parquet in our case) to the top edge of the window shelf, or the distance between the floor and the top edge of the frame of the open window?
K
Karl-Steffen-19 Jun 2014 09:02How is the term sill height usually defined?Sill height is measured from the finished floor to the bottom edge of the window. According to the SIA standard, this distance must be at least 85 cm (33.5 inches). The general contractor is not allowed to choose this sill height freely. If an accident occurs, they could be held legally responsible.
R
Richard-19 Jan 2015 13:57I believe it is only partly true that architects cannot be relied upon. However, there are some who assume that many building dimensions are flexible. Unfortunately, in the described case, this is not true. Therefore, this is a defect and must be corrected.
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