10B-086 237 Main St Leeds 2012-04-20M e t c a l f e A s s o c i a t e s architecture & interior design
142 Main St. Northampton, MA, 01060 Tristram W. Metcalfe III, Ma. Reg. 5393
Phone number > 413 586 5775 Cell number > 413 695 8200 Email > twm3@rcn.com
NCARB, NYS, MA, CT registrations
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April 20, 2012
Louis Hasbrouk, [413 587 1239]
Building Inspector City of Northampton
Puchalski Municipal Building,
212 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060
RE; Renovations to egress
237 Main St Leeds Ma
Dear Louis,
The builder Jeff Barry with the building owner have asked me to review their plans to
upgrade egress & access to the 5 unit apartment house above.
I toured the building with the owner and Jeff using his drawings to comprehend the layout. I
made my plans from Jeff’s sketches with his field dimensions of existing and they are schematic
only for the needed egress concepts and are attached.
Their plan is to remove all the exterior stairways which compromise their rear roof repair and
place 2 new egress stairs from the 2nd floor’s two units down to grade.
There is a 3rd floor exit from unit #5, which will be relocated to the second floor. Then that
unit #5 will have one bedroom on the 3rd floor just like Unit #4 which has one 3rd floor bed room and
both units #4 & #5 will have an exterior new stair down from 2nd floor plus their existing interior
stair up form grade.
All 5 units will have two exits to the exterior with Units #4 & #5 sharing a common 2nd floor
hall that has two stairways down to grade.
A common stair to the basement laundry room is accessible from unit #3, #4 and #5 but not
units #1 & #2 which go outside to get to the basement.
You can see the exits are as far apart as reasonably possible given the buildings massing but
a difference occurs with new 2nd floor stairs where unit #4 egress is through the kitchen and unit #5
egresses through a bed room. If there is no bedroom lock I assume it will be safe as two option
egress not including windows which I understand don’t count in over two family buildings.
Jeff showed the HEAT, SMOKE and COMBINED Co2 detectors and I have included them
in my revised drawing to verify layout, but I have not verified the detectors as I assume a fire dept
inspection will do that.
Let me know what questions you have.
Please let me know if there is any other information you seek.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tris Metcalfe