Attic or 2nd floor?

[Susie Seibert]

Good Morning Forum and Happy Friday to You!

I did a home yesterday that is an A-Frame. The second floor is heated and finished and accessed by a regular stairway. My concern is this: It is 6'4" from floor to ceiling and the width is 5' at 4' high. It is one room that is 32' long. It has adequate windows at both ends.

Would you consider this a finished attic area or a 2nd floor. It is currently being used for storage but the kids are gone now etc etc...

It's so narrow that I want to say it's a finished attic but need some feedback.

Thanks as always!

 

[Don Clark]

Good Morning Forum and Happy Friday to You!

I did a home yesterday that is an A-Frame. The second floor is heated and finished and accessed by a regular stairway. My concern is this: It is 6'4" from floor to ceiling and the width is 5' at 4' high. It is one room that is 32' long. It has adequate windows at both ends.

Would you consider this a finished attic area or a 2nd floor. It is currently being used for storage but the kids are gone now etc etc...

It's so narrow that I want to say it's a finished attic but need some feedback.

Thanks as always!

I call it finished attic. That does not mean that it does not have value, just that it is not GLA. This is very common in my market. If the floor to ceiling height is less than 7 feet then it is not GLA. If there is 7 feet height, and more than 50% of the second floor is at least 7 feet, I will likely call it GLA since that is common to do so in my market. But, if you follow the ANSI Standard, you would only count the area of the second floor that is 7 feet, and not count the rest of the area where it becomes less. A Frames are almost always not going to be GLA. But, a finished attic with say 6-8 feet across the ceiling being at least 7 feet, then dropping below that at the slope and knee wall, would not be counted, based on the ANSI Standard. I choose to use local custom and practice. My state does not make the ANSI Standard mandatory.

 

[Urbanz]

I thought ANSI was 6 feet tall for GLA. Either way 5 or 6 feet dont help mne as Im 6'5".

I'd label it on the sketch as GBA. It is not very functional as GLA.

 

[RSW]

ANSI is 7'. Not all states have adopted ANSI Yet!

 

[Susie Seibert]

is there any minimum width for a room that's not a bathroom?

 

[CANative]

It's just a goofy room in a goofy A-Frame. Use A-frame comps and you probably won't have to worry about it. If you don't have any A-frame comps you've got more to worry about than one goofy room.

LOL... Have fun.

 

[Mark to market]

is there any minimum width for a room that's not a bathroom?

The IRC codes which apply to much of the US but perhaps not your part of the country have this;

Habitable rooms shall not be less then 7 feet in any horizontal dimension (except kitchens). ( R304.3)

Habitable rooms shall have a ceiling height of not less then 7 feet. (R305.1)

All habitable rooms shall have an aggregate glazing area of not less then 8% of the floor area of the room. Natural ventilation shall be though windows, doors, louvers or other approved openings to the outdoor air. Such openings shall be provided with ready access or shall otherwise be readily controllable by the building occupants. The minimum openable area to the outdoors shall be 4% of the floor area being ventilated. (R303.1)

 

[Susie Seibert]

thanks everyone

 

[Greg Bell]

(a) Every habitable room and bathroom shall have a minimum ceiling height of not less than 7 feet, 0 inches for a minimum of 50 percent of the room's floor area. The remaining area may have a ceiling with a minimum height of 5 feet, 0 inches. Minimum height under dropped ducts,beams, etc. shall be 6 feet, 4 inches.(b) Hallways and foyers shall have a minimum ceiling height of 6 feet, 6 inches.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

subject built on slab, crawl, or basement?

Was "Attic" finished when dwelling was built or need(ed) / have a supplemental C. of O. ?

do A-frame comps exist, do they have similar finished "attic", loft Rec or BR?