Ceiling Height

[Brett Last]

What is considered living area for the attic, it is accessed by a stairway. The attic ceiling is flat for 3' x 30' and the height is 7 feet at this 3' wide peak. It drops to the floor at about a 45 degree angle. The attic is completely finished and heated. What, if any of the attic should be included in gross living area.
thank you
:mellow:

 

[Bama Bayou]

According to ANSI you would include the area that has a ceiling height from 7 feet down to 4 feet. Anything under 4 feet would be left out. The whole area would be left out unless some portion was a least 7 feet high, but your house meets that minimum requirement.

My state board adopted the ANSI standard six or seven years ago, so I have to use it. In Oregon you may be free to use your own judgment. However, nothing prevents me from using my own judgment for comparison to the comps. I often take out the area for comparison purposes if it's nothing more than heated storage.

However, since you are in Oregon, it might make a really good grow room and provide high dollar utility.

 

[jlabauve]

From the ANSI standards,

"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; further, at least one-half of the square footage in the room must have ceilings of at least 7 feet in height."

Does at least one-half of the room have ceilings of at least 7 feet? If not, none of the square footage is included.

 

[jlabauve]

Thought I'd post the website for ANSI:

www.nahbrc.org/bookstore/bd1003w.aspx

$10 for a download copy - a huge bargain. Very easy to understand. Drawings showing examples. Every appraiser and agent should have their own copy.

Several times I've been involved in disputes over what constitutes living area. It's extremely helpful to be able to fax the ANSI standards page regarding the particular dispute to the other party. It has always immediately put a stop to the whining.

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

According to ANSI you would include the area that has a ceiling height from 7 feet down to 4 feet. Anything under 4 feet would be left out. The whole area would be left out unless some portion was a least 7 feet high, but your house meets that minimum requirement.

My state board adopted the ANSI standard six or seven years ago, so I have to use it. In Oregon you may be free to use your own judgment. However, nothing prevents me from using my own judgment for comparison to the comps. I often take out the area for comparison purposes if it's nothing more than heated storage.

However, since you are in Oregon, it might make a really good grow room and provide high dollar utility.

Four feet? What copy of ANSI do you have? Mine says five feet.

 

[Bama Bayou]

Four feet? What copy of ANSI do you have? Mine says five feet.

I stand corrected.

 

[RSW]

Mine says "Five".

 

[Don Clark]

What is considered living area for the attic, it is accessed by a stairway. The attic ceiling is flat for 3' x 30' and the height is 7 feet at this 3' wide peak. It drops to the floor at about a 45 degree angle. The attic is completely finished and heated. What, if any of the attic should be included in gross living area.
thank you
:mellow:

In my state the ANSI standard is voluntary. However, if less than half the 2nd floor is less than 7 ft in height I treat it as a finished attic, not living area, except in those cases where there is market acceptance as living area of such spaces. In the case you describe, I would not, even in the above conditions, treat it as living area. That does not mean that a finished attic such as you describe does not have value. It simply means it does not have value as living area.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Four feet? What copy of ANSI do you have? Mine says five feet.

It's the version for midgets.

 

[CANative]

I'm about 5'11"

When I measure a finished attic I stand under the slope and measure down from a point between where my head and my shoulder makes contact with the ceiling. I do the same on the other side of the room. I label the middle portion GLA and the outer portion "low head clearance" (or something like that.)