Ceiling Height Question

[JasonRoler]

Measuring a home with a half story. Most of the 2nd floor is slightly higher than 7ft. There is a room off to the right that measures 6'6" from the floor to the ceiling. There is ductwork that runs along the top of the ceiling. Does this fall into that area where it can be 6'4" if under beams, duct work, and other obstructions? Its a room with sloping walls on both sides. Can I included this in the GLA?

 

[andrew81]

you can do whatever you want, there is no standard.

however, you should be familiar with your market enough to know how these areas are used. a picture would be nice.

is the finish comparable to the rest of the home?
how deep is the room?
how wide is the room at the 5 foot level?
are there dormers allowing for additional space?
are they knee walls?
is it accessed from the hallway or from through another room?
in your experience, are there comparable homes (sold or not) that have these types of rooms and what is their use?

it depends on the home. in my market, an older lower grade home with this type of room could be considered living space and even used as a bedroom.
in newer or average+ grade homes it would likely be used as finished storage and not considered living space.
consider what is typical in your market not what a single owner says they use it for.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

There are multiple threads / arguments about this topic.
Search!

 

[JasonRoler]

you can do whatever you want, there is no standard.

however, you should be familiar with your market enough to know how these areas are used. a picture would be nice.

is the finish comparable to the rest of the home?
how deep is the room?
how wide is the room at the 4 foot level?
are there dormers allowing for additional space?
are they knee walls?
is it accessed from the hallway or from through another room?
in your experience, are there comparable homes (sold or not) that have these types of rooms and what is their use?

it depends on the home. in my market, an older lower grade home with this type of room could be considered living space and even used as a bedroom.
in newer or average+ grade homes it would likely be used as finished storage and not considered living space.
consider what is typical in your market not what a single owner says they use it for.

I go by ANSI standards. Its a room off a hallway, and it matches the quality of the rest of the dwelling. The room is 19 feet long, and about 6 feet wide where it slopes at 5 feet.

 

[andrew81]

I go by ANSI standards. Its a room off a hallway, and it matches the quality of the rest of the dwelling. The room is 19 feet long, and about 6 feet wide where it slopes at 5 feet.

sloped ceiling half the room must be 7ft (except portions under obstructions which may be 6'4), and no less than 5 foot ceiling under the slopes

ANSI SAYS
"Ceiling Height Requirements
To be included in finished square footage calculations, finished areas must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters) except under beams, ducts, and other obstructions where the height may be 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters); under stairs where there is no specified height requirement; or where the ceiling is sloped. If a room’s ceiling is sloped, at least one-half of the finished square footage in that room must have a vertical ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters); no portion of the finished area that has a height of less than 5 feet (1.52 meters) may be included in finished square footage

For a room to be included in the square footage calculation, the floor located under sloping ceilings must have a clearance of at least 5 feet (1.52 meters); further, at least one-half of the square footage in the room must have ceilings of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters) in height. For example, a one-and-one-half-story, 28 by 42 foot Cape Codstyle house has a first level with a ceiling height of 8 feet. On the second level, the ceiling has a maximum height of 9 feet but a minimum height of 4 feet at the walls as the ceiling slopes to match the pitch of the roof. All areas are finished. While the first level has 1,176 above-grade finished square feet, only that portion of the second level meeting the ceiling height requirements described above is included in the square footage calculation."

 

[andrew81]

Does this fall into that area where it can be 6'4" if under beams, duct work, and other obstructions?

is half the room 7ft or more? if not, then no.

at least the way i understand it is if there is a beam, duct work, or other obstructions that take up some space not the entire ceiling. but ive been wrong a thousand times before.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Dwelling Age and Style/Design?

 

[JasonRoler]

sloped ceiling half the room must be 7ft (except portions under obstructions which may be 6'4), and no less than 5 foot ceiling under the slopes

ANSI SAYS
"Ceiling Height Requirements
To be included in finished square footage calculations, finished areas must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters) except under beams, ducts, and other obstructions where the height may be 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters); under stairs where there is no specified height requirement; or where the ceiling is sloped. If a room’s ceiling is sloped, at least one-half of the finished square footage in that room must have a vertical ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters); no portion of the finished area that has a height of less than 5 feet (1.52 meters) may be included in finished square footage

For a room to be included in the square footage calculation, the floor located under sloping ceilings must have a clearance of at least 5 feet (1.52 meters); further, at least one-half of the square footage in the room must have ceilings of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters) in height. For example, a one-and-one-half-story, 28 by 42 foot Cape Codstyle house has a first level with a ceiling height of 8 feet. On the second level, the ceiling has a maximum height of 9 feet but a minimum height of 4 feet at the walls as the ceiling slopes to match the pitch of the roof. All areas are finished. While the first level has 1,176 above-grade finished square feet, only that portion of the second level meeting the ceiling height requirements described above is included in the square footage calculation."

That's my question. The ceiling is 6'6"

is half the room 7ft or more? if not, then no.

at least the way i understand it is if there is a beam, duct work, or other obstructions that take up some space not the entire ceiling. but ive been wrong a thousand times before.

The main portion of the room is 6'6" high, then drywall on the ceiling, and then ductwork runs across that. In the ansi definition, is the ductwork inside the room or above the drywall on the ceiling. The definition is pretty vague.

 

[JasonRoler]

There are multiple threads / arguments about this topic.
Search!

I did search. Nothing answers my question.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

I did search. Nothing answers my question.

Answer Post 7 - may likely solve the issue