Exterior Door Requirement - Numbers of Doors?

RE: 624 square foot northern Michigan lakeside cottage

There are two (2) existing exterior doors to this small cottage. One faces the deck and lake, and the other faces the road and is located in the tiny kitchen.

I would benefit from sealing off this kitchen door and including that space in the expanded kitchen. Are a minimum of two doors required in any dwelling (again, this is a small cottage)? Or are numbers of doors related to square footage - this is 625 square feet.

Wondering if there is some sort of fire regulation addressing this. At any place in the cottage, you are no more than 20' from the lakeside door.

Thanks.

Every habitable room requires two means of exit. That MIGHT be a window. The size and height of a window off the floor and the fall to the ground dictate whether it is able to be considered an exit point.

In a single story dwelling, the bedroom window can be an egress, as described by jad.

The bedroom window CAN be an egress, but it also has to meet several stringent parameters. When customers spent too much time in the "freak show" P.T. Barnum put up a sign, "This way to the egress" over the door to the outside.

I think hj was on speaking terms with PT Barnum!!!!

Wondering if there is some sort of fire regulation addressing this. At any place in the cottage, you are no more than 20' from the lakeside door.

Click to expand...

20' is a long way if 15' of that is on fire. Check code for acceptable egress windows and get creative with the remodel to expand the kitchen and still maintain a safe exit option.