Clarification of ceiling height

[Shakespeare]

Hi,
I recently had an appraisal done. I'm not sure if I received credit for all of the square footage. I've read through the site and am familiar with the 7' rule. My bonus room (over the garage, accessed through a full sized door from the upstairs hallway, fully finished, heated/cooled from the same source as the rest of the house) is about 16' wide. The middle 6'-8' has a flat ceiling that is 9' high. The ceiling then slopes to the knee-wall (typical) One knee wall is 6' high and the other is just under 5'. The pitch on the roof is such that I has 7' ceiling height for about 13' of the 16' that the room is wide (it's 35' long). The appraiser, on the appraisal report, indicated that the room only has ceilings of 7' over a section of the room that is 8' wide x 35' and credit the square footage 260'. I'm clearly not an expert, but my interpretation of the ANSI rule is that all square footage with ceilings over 5' is counted if the majority of the room has 7' ceilings. So, should more of the sq' have been counted (I do understand that on the less than 5' knee wall section, I'd have to subtract until the ceiling is 5'). Is this a different scenario based on the fact that there is a flat spot on the ceiling? Additionally, since closets and dead space are measured (right, by measuring the outside?) Should I get credit for the finished walk in closet in that room as well?
Thanks for all of your time.

 

[toddmallard]

My question is, Is the 7' ceiling over 8 feet x 35 or is it 7' over 13 feet x 35?. I personally will not count any space with a ceiling height of less than 7'

 

[Mr Rex]

Per ANSI

Attics, Lofts and Low Ceilings

Level ceilings must be at least 7 feet high, and at least 6 feet 4 inches under beams, ducts and other obstructions. There is no height restriction under stairs. If a room has a sloped ceiling, at least one-half of the finished floor area must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet. Otherwise, omit the entire room from the floor area calculations. If a room with a sloped ceiling meets the one-half-of-floor-area-over-7-feet requirement, then include all the floor space with a ceiling height over 5 feet.

Lofts and finished attics must be accessible by a conventional stairway or other access to be counted. If you can only reach the loft by climbing a ladder, it’s not part of the finished floor area regardless of the ceiling height.

 

[KD247]

It's more important for the appraiser to accurately compare your house than it is for the appraiser to label it a particular way. The appraiser's job is to estimate how the market would react to the sum of all of the important characteristics of your house. They'll do this by noting the market reaction (sales prices) to other similar houses and drawing conclusions based on the differences between your house and the comparable sales.

It's not uncommon for a room to fit equally well into more than one classification, with appraisers frequently asking whether a room is actually a bedroom or whether an enclosed patio is the same as other living area. There's a general protocol, but however we decide to label the house, it's most important to make sure that we're comparing like with like.

The problem with using ANSI standards arises when the market and/or data doesn't use ANSI standards. For example, if the MLS showed a sale with a room similar to yours counted as the full 560 square feet, comparing your room with smaller living area would "penalize" you. In fact, it would be inappropriate to apply ANSI standards when measuring your house if the comparable sales and public data were calculated using a different standard.

Appraisals are not a series of calculations ultimately resulting in a computed value. Think of how you would react, as a buyer, if you were looking at your bonus room. Most buyers would feel that your bonus room is superior to a 13 x 35 room with a flat ceiling and vertical walls. But, an added bonus room is usually less valuable than living area designed as part of the original floorplan. The appraiser's decision often boils down to a judgment call and we are rarely fortunate enough to have a calculation yield the most appropriate answer.

It gets complicated. Should the appraiser use ANSI standards and then "convert" the sales data, or should the appraiser measure using a local standard that may not comply with the lender's guidelines? This call is usually based on the less of two evils, with the goal to provide a report that is accurate, reasonable, and not misleading.

Winning the battle over ANSI compliance doesn't get you anywhere. Proving that the appraiser didn't make appropriate comparisons might get you a second look.

 

[Greg Bell]

Heres' HUD...

HUD ATTIC CEILING HEIGHT GUIDELINES/LIVABLE AREA

(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.

 

[Shakespeare]

I guess I do understand the idea that appraising a house isn't an exact science. It just seems that ANSI standards are used to get an apples to apples (or at least as close to that as possible) comparison. It just seems that if an appraiser is measuring a house and applying ANSI measuring standards (yes, I've read them and in fact understand what I've read) only to the parts that he chooses to, then why have the standards at all?
Even in the answers to my original question, I've had two responses that have included very objective guidelines and two that have been much more subjective in their approaches.
I guess that's why I'm getting frustrated by the 4 appraisals (5 if you count the assessing department) that I've had on this house that have come back with differing sq' ranging upwards of 400sq' (it's only a 1970-2370' house...don't know for sure:blush: )

Again, I do appreciate the feedback!