DEFINITIONS
Attic, Habitable - A finished or unfinished area, not considered a story, complying with all of the following requirements:
- The occupiable floor area is at least 70 square feet
- The occupiable floor area meets ceiling height requirements
- The occupiable space is enclosed by the roof assembly about, knee walls (if applicable) on the sides and the floor-ceiling assembly below
Basement - The portion of a building that is partly or completely below grade
Clear Opening - Unobstructed area for exiting a window (clear opening charts are available by going to a specific product page, clicking on the green tab "Sizes, 2D & 3D Drawings, Clr Opgs, CSI Specs," then in the left tan area, clicking "Misc - Specs, Opgs, Assembly." Or, they can be searched for in the Architect Library.)
Daylight Area - Amount of visible glass as seen when looking through an installed window or door
Egress (Means of EGRESS) - A continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel (allowing exit from an egress-rated side-hinged door) from any occupied portion of a building or structure to a public way. A means of egress consists of three separate and distinct parts: the exit access, the exit, and the exit discharge. ("Egress" only pertains to some side-hinged doors.)
Emergency Escape & Rescue Opening (EER) - An operable exterior window, door or similar device that provides a means of escape and access for rescue in the event of an emergency.
Grade Floor Opening - A window or other opening located such that the sill height of the opening is not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) above or below the finished ground level adjacent to the opening
Habitable Space- A space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking (bathrooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces and similar areas are not considered habitable spaces)
Vent Area (Ventilation Area) - When a window or door is in a fully opened position, vent is the area that allows airflow between the interior and exterior. For example, the vent area of a double hung window is the same as its clear opening; however the vent area of a casement window is typically larger than its clear opening due to the space between the sash and frame that's unaccounted for in the clear opening.
REQUIREMENTS
The requirements stated here are based on the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC). They meet most national building codes, however, some may differ. Please check local building codes.
EER windows & doors
- Shall have a sill height of not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) above the floor
- Shall have a minimum clear opening width of 20 inches (508 mm)
- Shall have minimum clear opening height of 24 inches (610 mm)
- Shall have minimum clear opening area of 5.7 square feet (0.530 m²)
[exception: grade floor openings shall have a minimum net clear opening of 5 square feet (0.465m²)]
- Operational constraints: Emergency escape and rescue openings shall be readily operable from the inside of the room without the use of keys, tools, special knowledge or effort
Egress doors
- Shall be side-hinged
- Shall have a minimum clear opening width of 32 inches (813 mm), as measured between face and stop of the door, with the door open to 90°
- Shall have a minimum clear opening height of 78 inches (1981 mm), as measured from the top of the threshold to the bottom of the stop
- Operational constraints: Egress doors shall be readily operable from inside the dwelling without the use of keys, tools, special knowledge or effort
KOLBE PRODUCT LINE TERMINOLOGY
Heritage Series - Windows and doors that are all wood on both the interior and exterior
Ultra Series - Wood windows and doors with extruded aluminum cladding on the exterior sash and/or frame that allows for multiple casing options
VistaLuxe® Collection - Wood windows and doors with extruded aluminum cladding on the exterior sash and/or frame; specifically designed with larger daylight openings for comtemporary projects
KOLBE PRODUCT/MODEL TERMINOLOGY
Crank-Out Casements
Adjustable Hinges
- are available in sizes of 10" or 14"
10" hinges are used on units equal to 30" wide and smaller
14" hinges are used on units larger than 30"
- can be used only on rectangular Ultra, and Heritage units
- are used with dyad or dual-arm operators
Concealed Euro Hinges
- are available for Ultra Series crank-out casements
- are used with single-arm operators
- are completely concealed (i.e. NOT visible) when the sash is in a closed position
Dual-Arm Operators
- can be used only on rectangular units
- are used with either 10" or 14" adjustable hinges, depending on the unit size
- are used on units equal to 24"wide or larger
Dyad Operators
- can be used only on rectangular units
- are used only with 10" adjustable hinges
- are used on units smaller than 24" wide
Single-Arm Operators
- can be used on rectangular, radius or geometric units
- are available in sizes of 7", 12", or 14"
7" operators are used on units smaller than 24" wide
12" operators are used on units from 24" to 30" wide
14" operators are used on units larger than 30" wide
- are used only with concealed euro or tri-euro hinges
Tri-Euro Hinges
- can be used on Ultra and Heritage radius or geometric units
- are used with single arm operators
- are visible to exterior when the sash is in a closed position
- are color-matched to standard exterior colors
Push-Out Casements
Friction Adjusters
- provides resistance to swinging sash, so they do not swing freely
Friction Hinges
- resistance is built in, so sash do not swing freely
Multi-Point Locks
- handle mechanism with more than one locking point to secure the opening
Single Point Locks
- handle mechanism with one locking point to secure the opening
- units 48" and taller have two handles
Crank-Out Awnings
Adjustable Hinges
- are available in sizes of 10" or 14"
10" hinges are used on units equal to 30" wide and smaller
14" hinges are used on units larger than 30"
- can be used only on rectangular Ultra, and Heritage units
- are used with dyad or dual-arm operators
Concealed Euro Hinges
- are used on all rectangular Ultra Series units
- are used with single-arm operators
- are completely concealed (i.e. NOT visible) when the sash is in a closed position
Narrow Operators
- are used with adjustable or euro hinges (tri-euro hinges for Heritage; concealed hinges for Ultra Series)
- are used on standard performance units equal to 20-3/8" wide or smaller
- are used on all impact performance units
Wide Operators
Tri-Euro Hinges
- are available for rectangular Heritage units
- are used with single arm operators
- are visible to exterior when the sash is in a closed position
- are color-matched to standard exterior colors