Bi Level Home Square Footage Calculation

[Mr Rex]

Here ya go:

https://krec.ky.gov/legal/Legal Forms Contracts/calc_sqfootage.pdf

 

[BRCJR]

Keep it simple to the function of the house. On bi-levels like you are talking about (we call them Split foyer or Split entry), typically the kitchen level is the GLA. The GLA will probably be your exterior/parameter of the house. If it is 25x40 = 1000 GLA. Below that is a typical functioning basement, so treat as such. That family room area is nothing but a finished area of the basement.

Word of the wise: I would never discus GLA with agents. They equate GLA with value and that's not the reason appraisers designate it as such. It's simply for measuring purposes so that apples are compared to apples.

We have bi-levels (and tri-levels) that are not split-foyers in the local market. They are viewed different by market participants, as well.
Typically, the split-foyer will have a 7 to 71/2 foot ceiling on the lower level (basement) and the bi's and tri's have an 8 foot or higher ceiling height on all levels.

 

[residentialguy]

We have bi-levels (and tri-levels) that are not split-foyers in the local market. They are viewed different by market participants, as well.
Typically, the split-foyer will have a 7 to 71/2 foot ceiling on the lower level (basement) and the bi's and tri's have an 8 foot or higher ceiling height on all levels.

I was just going by OP's description and he called it a bi-level. I really dislike that term because there is no continuity.
Ceiling height also depends on the quality of the house. Higher end homes will have basements with 10' ceilings....one had 13' or 14' ceilings in the lower theater room.

 

[Mike Pro]

Most agents don't know that GLA and square footage mean the same thing. When I comp a house, my focus is to find the most similar homes that have sold the most recently and are in the closest proximity to my subject. I make my adjustments based on the adjustments from recent appraisals of homes I sell in that community. My biggest pet peeve is when I call an agent and ask how they priced a home and they respond by telling me they took the average p.p.s.f. and multiplied it by the square footage. Split entry makes the most sense to describe the home I have since the entry door is located on a landing. It is called a bilevel or raised ranch in my market. I appreciate everyone's input. I joined this group so that I can continue to outperform inferior agents and be a master of my craft. I can see that this group is going to help me achieve greatness.

 

[Mike Pro]

Mike Pro are you asking from a listing agent's perspective? While in an appraisal report the GLA must be separated into above and below ground space, that doesn't only go for the GLA, but bedrooms and bathrooms also. So if you have any finished living space that worms can get into and is also a bedroom or bathroom then technically those rooms should not be described as above grade. However the majority of listings that I have seen (and I'm really new at appraising so don't listen to anything that I say unless verified by someone who actually knows what they are doing) describe the GLA as the total finished square footage amount, many times without even a mention of a basement or below grade. If you are going to describe the total square footage as one amount then you should also segregate the total below grade area. If there is a bedroom and a bath below grade then you could say something like "downstairs bedroom and full bath" without having to get into finished basement space (I'm imagining two inches of dirt on one wall scenario). If the house in question does have a proper finished basement then you should also list the unfinished area, if any.

However if you are interested in how that space relates to value then the best thing you can do is look for nearby comparables that have recently sold and have similar attributes.

I listed one of these and different agents tell me different things. A very experienced top producer told me to list it as a basement and that would increase showings since some people won't look at a house without a basement. That seemed questionable to me. I wondered if it was proper to call it a basement. I would not consider it a basement, even though it does have the two inches of dirt where there is a raised flower bed out front. I did use the lower level square footage when comping the house since that is how the builder sold it, it is common for the area and the city includes that in the GLA in the tax records. My goal is to make sure I am listing the home for sale with the proper description of the home.

 

[glenn walker]

This issue has always bothered me and in my opinion any area that is livable should be gross living area but I realize I am never going to win this battle.

 

[Deleted member 130081]

LOL. Yup, its an old argument/discussion that seems to have no end in sight. First, there is no nationally mandated standard to calculate GLA. ANSI is a "national" standard so to speak, but it is not mandated everywhere. Hence, how anyone calculates this stuff is all over the board.

From an appraisal standpoint, which in most cases concerns mortgage lending, we use forms that are standardized on a national level (FNMA 1004 for instance). The 1004 asks we separate above grade living area from below grade living area and the deciding factor for this is in fact if any portion of a level is buried (see illustration from Marion). FNMA will allow an exception for multi-level homes, however it must be clearly disclosed and it must be done consistently throughout the report, so the appraiser is comparing apples to apples and so the reader does not become confused. Usually, an appraiser will separate the two in the report and if you are comparing a multi-level to a traditional 1 or 2-story style, you really have to do it that way or the report is no longer consistent. If you had 3 comps that were all multi-levels, then it could be easier (or appropriate for the market) to report the below grade area as above grade GLA, but again you would have to explain that and you will likely find not all appraisers agree - lol.

The conundrum is buyers don't always see it the same way (meaning they often view finished below grade area in these types of homes as the same as all GLA) and at the end of the day, buyer perception rules. This is really just one of those things where the national standardization of reporting formats might conflict with local custom.

I would check to see if your area in fact has any standards in place required by law. Of course you should follow that if there are. If not, I would advise you go with local custom, to benefit yourself. From an appraisers standpoint, I would love it if you always separated above and below grade finished areas per the Illustration Marion provided.

Clear as mud right? Good luck.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

The use of the term "below grade" needs clarified. "Below Grade" from an engineering standpoint means below the ground level (grade). But for many other uses, it would refer to the "grade" (quality) of the building. So a finished lower portion can be "below grade" without being "below grade"...

 

[Meandering]

Grade neutral labels.

How about, Upper, Middle, Lower levels and sloped roof levels for attics, and Sub lower levels 1, 2, 3 for those cliff face homes in California that have more than one below grade level?

But really the total fight is about $ per SF.

As long as all the $ per SF are the same for each level, what you call the level, is not relevant, unless basements and attics have a bad reputation in the neighborhood as being renegade bad boys, and the owners just can't stand the thought that they own, or might buy, one of these bad boys.

Silliness for the sake of pushing value is all the label fight is.

Here's a photo of the exterior front and back of the building, Here's the label's I've applied to each level. Here's the definition of the label that was used. If anyone else doesn't like it, here's the classes they can take to get their certs, and call anything they want to call it in any report they are certifying too.

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[residentialguy]

Grade neutral labels.

How about, Upper, Middle, Lower levels and sloped roof levels for attics, and Sub lower levels 1, 2, 3 for those cliff face homes in California that have more than one below grade level?

But really the total fight is about $ per SF.

As long as all the $ per SF are the same for each level, what you call the level, is not relevant, unless basements and attics have a bad reputation in the neighborhood as being renegade bad boys, and the owners just can't stand the thought that they own, or might buy, one of these bad boys.

Silliness for the sake of pushing value is all the label fight is.

Here's a photo of the exterior front and back of the building, Here's the label's I've applied to each level. Here's the definition of the label that was used. If anyone else doesn't like it, here's the classes they can take to get their certs, and call anything they want to call it in any report they are certifying too.


,


.

I don't think anyone is going to argue with that picture you posted.