Ceiling Height Question

[CANative]

What would the market think about it?

Small markets with limited choices, few sales, no consistency or little conformity... probably no big deal.

I'd call it a room within the GLA.

 

[JasonRoler]

I guess my actual question is this. The ductwork and beams it mentions to allow 6'4", Is that in the room under the drywall or can that be above the drywall?

 

[andrew81]

please post a picture

 

[Deleted member 128537]

If it's a house with more modern construction I would follow ANSI standards which are guidelines. On an old house I would call it GLA from 5'. My hunch most buyers would consider it GLA. They don't know anything about ANSI.

 

[Dublin ohio]

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.

Since none of the room has a 7' ceiling. With or without ductwork. Not GLA per ansi. Whether or not your market shows value. Only you can make that decision.

 

[Mr Rex]

I'd consider it as GLA and make a heavy functional adjustment, say 1/2 value of more typical GLA.

 

[Solo Flight]

Is it relatively common for the immediate market, and acceptable for typical buyers expectations? Some market's it would be a major issue, other's it's much more common. Just comment and address however you see fit.

 

[BarbaraNJ]

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."

Not a good answer, IMO

Building standards change over time. In NJ, the Building Code is revised every 3 years. If the home is 100 years old it cannot be held to the 2019 ANSI standard. Even 30 years might make a difference.

If ANSI or ICC states the ceiling height must be 7 feet and you appraise a 60 year old home which has 6'8" ceilings throughout the ENTIRE home, do you appraise it a "zero" ?

Look at it this way: If you are lucky enough to own an original 1965 Mustang, it likely has either no seatbelts, or perhaps just lap belts for the driver and passenger. And certainly no air bags. Is it legal to drive ??
Of Course. And that is because it was built to the legal standards of 1965.

Homes are the same way. If a home was built in 1930, 1940, 1950 and was constructed to the standards present at the time of original construction, it is permitted to remain "as is" and it is Legal to occupy.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

If ANSI or ICC states the ceiling height must be 7 feet and you appraise a 60 year old home which has 6'8" ceilings throughout the ENTIRE home, do you appraise it a "zero" ?

lack of height means it isn't GLA, doesn't mean it isn't usable space and has a value. If it has the same as GLA, well, that is your judgment call and what the house and comp information is telling you. That is listed as "other" or "off grade". ANSI would apply to any and all spaces if you apply ANSI. Neither age nor building codes are at issue. To extract a value of sub 7' ceilings you'd likely need to find some similar old houses with sub 7' ceilings. Identifying those might be problematic but that's why they pay us the big bucks

 

[glenn walker]

Common sense and market reaction, if the house sold or has been sold multiple times over the years it may not be a big issue- ANSI is just a guideline. I never use 7" as a hard rule and in my market we have a large population of South Americans and most are not even 6-feet tall and every room is used for something. I am 6.2 and I have never encountered anyone over 6.6' in my life unless it was a NBA or NFL player and they live in Beverly Hills where ceilings are 15' or higher. The bigger issue is the height of the door headers ? At a gross ceiling height of 6.4' what is the height of the doors leading into the rooms ? If the door headers are 6' it may be fine but if there 5.5' them occupants may want to wear helmets. I would call it GLA but would deduct for FO in the costs approach. I would also check around to see how common that is in your market area - We had one entire tract out here built in 1950 and as I recall the ceilings were about 6.5 and there still buying and selling those today- As I recall the term header was invented by the Navy because water tight bulkhead doors on ships were often less than 5' and sailers learned to always bend over when they got near a door. ) LOL