ANSI confusion...

[Mejappz]

So if I understand ANSI correctly, the 4x12 stairway on the first floor would be excluded from the first floor and the open space of about 6x8 where it is open to the foyer below would also be removed, so a total of 96 sf should be subracted. Should I inform the Assessor and Realtors they are overstating ANSI Finished area by 96 sf? I can see an extra 1 hour of time explaining that to realtors, owners, and of course a ROV with pressure from the AMC. Its a 5% difference.




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Elliot, that 96sf can bring the entire economy down! Obey the users!

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

My understanding is simple. If you had a scissor lift and measured the exterior of the 2nd floor, it would include the "hole" ie.-the stairs. Then you measure the exterior of the ground floor...same thing. Neither measurement involves subtracting anything out of anything. The only case you would would be the case of a "great room" with an 15-19' tall ceiling or a foyer open all the way to the second floor ceiling. Some of those are a real PITA to measure. And if there is a stairway to the basement, same thing. The GLA is the footprint of the house measured at the exterior. Regardless where or if a stairs is there, the GLA is the same. This is somewhat similar to one I did a few years ago that actually had a walkway between the north and south ends of the 2nd floor and overlooked a great room front and den in back. And the "FROG" finished room over garage was accessed by the second floor and fully appointed and used as a pool room.

 

[David S. Roberson]

I don't read it that way. I see it as including the area that conforms as GLA. The rest of it would be listed as a separate line item. If necessary. It's poorly written. But it does not explicitly say you don't count any of it because part of it doesn't conform. Makes no sense at all

"Well, we are talking about the ANSI standard. If the space under the stairwell is closed off and made into a closet or bathroom, then the 7-5' high requirements take force - and some of that space will be discarded - most likely the space behind the rear wall of said room."

By that logic, you would have to subtract storage areas where they have benches or flowers, etc, under windows. What about the kitchen where wall cabinets result in a height less than 5'?

 

[DTB]

T's posts, particularly the last one are the way to do it. Anything different makes no sense.

 

[residentialguy]

 

[RCA]

Please correct your quote, I didn't say anything about benches or flowers.

 

[RCA]

Removed.

 

[Steelers74]

I get the confusion, some are saying to take out the stairs, others say you don't, the class I took said you don't for any floor so there is a lot of contradicting information out there.
One thing is certain, measuring to anything less than 1/2 foot is overkill and completely unnecessary.

 

[Overimprovement]

OK, so lets use an example, sorry I don't have a quick way to make a diagram, but we are appraisers, we have good imaginations, right?

Basic two story house. 30' x 30'. Really big people live there, so they made the staircase 5' wide, and it is 10' horizontal feet long. So its area is 50 sqft.

There are no vaulted areas, and the area UNDER the staircase is not used and not accessible.

What does everyone say the ANSI-approved GLA of both levels will then be? 900' each, or something different?

Bonus questions:
Does it matter if the area UNDER the staircase is usable?
Does it matter what type/style the staircase is?

 

[RCA]

One thing is certain, measuring to anything less than 1/2 foot is overkill and completely unnecessary.

Sure if you are back-filling values to make the end result match the assessor records. The less accuracy in your measurements, so much the better.

It is just sloppy and you can't trust the result. MAIs do this and worse of course. A lot of MAIs don't know how to measure at all. I would assume that SRAs are better at that.

But, I will argue on your side here, that if customers are not willing to pay for accuracy, then you shouldn't have to spend time and resources on accurate measurements ..... if you can get away with it, - and if you just don't personally care about the quality of your work that much.