Definition of a two story home. (Calif.)

[jbl646]

I have a subterranean garage under the back part of my house. Above a part of it is a room that is 9' 3'' x 19'. It was originally going to be a "hobby" room for my wife and myself. Once we outfitted it with a large storage cabinet , tables with multiple drawers for hobby items, a bookshelf that takes up the entire North end of the 9' 3" wall, a very large (long and deep) work bench along the East wall and a larger than normal workbench stool, we quickly found out that it was cramped for one person and impossible for two to work in there at the same time. We abandoned the hobby room idea and it is now strictly a store room. My insurance company now wants to classify my home as a two story home because of that room which they define as a "living" space. It is 175.75 square feet which is 8.25% of the square footage of my home. In order for it to approach even a 1 1/2 story home the floorspace would have to increase another 889.25 square feet. I can't even increase it one square foot because of building code restrictions. The room has a window in the center of the East wall and a standard door along the West wall at the corner with the South wall. The door opens out onto a cement rear deck. There are no other exits to any part of the house. It is 35' to the nearest entrance to the house and another 30' to the nearest bathroom. The room has no heating or air conditioning. It has no bathroom facilities of any kind, nor any way to install them. It has no closets. There is no availability of water. Because of the way the room is situated I can't even install a window air conditioner because the window is at the East limit of the house without violating the required 15' free space to the rear property line. This is a store room, folks, never has been intended to be a "living" space. The insurance company wants to classify my home as a two story home because of this storage room that they define as a "living" space and they want to increase the premium accordingly.

I've given you the facts. Would an appraiser define my home as a two story home because of this (choak) "living" space?

jbl646
jdm4@me.com

 

[residentialguy]

It doesn't matter what you call it...it's about the living area above grade. In fact, a 2 story with the same sq. ft as a ranch is worth less per sq ft...it's cheaper to build up than to build out. Now, is that area finished and if so, does the quality of that room match the rest of the house? Is it considered a legal room, per code? If not, that's where I would fight them.

HOLD ON: On further reading, it sounds like there is no house access. If there is no direct access to the interior of the house and no heating or A/C, this is a 3 season porch...nothing more. Repeat that last sentence to them until they change it...or tell them you'll have a lawyer repeat it.

 

[TEL2002]

Sounds like an over the garage storage room to me.

You can download the ANSI standards if you want (cost is about 10-12 bucks) and that gives you a very detailed analysis about what makes up square footage, living space, etc. I think your insurance company would have a hard time fighting the standard.

Why not invite the insurance rep out to your storage room on a very hot day. Load them up with lots of drinks and then ask them to go into 'the living space' and spend a few hours. I betcha they determine it is not a living area.

 

[NORTON]

insurance companies run this world.....it's their world and we just live in it. (see Rex's comment below)

 

[Mr Rex]

What an appraiser would call the area means nothing to how insurance companies work. They consider if a 2 story set up, because there is an area below it that may catch on fire and burn up both stories. Fire burns upwards as a general rule, one of the only things known to man that goes uphill faster than downhill.

 

[jbl646]

What an appraiser would call the area means nothing to how insurance companies work. They consider if a 2 story set up, because there is an area below it that may catch on fire and burn up both stories. Fire burns upwards as a general rule, one of the only things known to man that goes uphill faster than downhill.

The garage itself below the room would hardly burn. The three supporting walls are 6" thick cement. The floor is 4" to 8" (raised area for tire bumper) thick. There is a very convenient 10 ABC fire extinguisher just inside the Aluminum garage door.

 

[Mr Rex]

The garage itself below the room would hardly burn. The three supporting walls are 6" thick cement. The floor is 4" to 8" (raised area for tire bumper) thick. There is a very convenient 10 ABC fire extinguisher just inside the Aluminum garage door.

You hang out there 24/7?

 

[jbl646]

To all, especially Norton and Mr. Rex.,

I wrote a "Friendly" e-mail to the insurance co and got on them about how they were trying to nip a long standing customer an extra $50/year for classifying my home for a "Living space" which was in fact a three sided porch with no direct access to the main part of the house. and with regard to the additional $29/year they wanted to tack on to the premium for the steel roof (their additional cost of replacement vs a standard roof) I told them I could see their point (roof) although when I chose that construction, I did it for the main purpose to protect against flying embers. Their rep said it would take two days to provide me a response. Nine days later, the rep called and said they would have a response to me the next day. The payment of additional premium was due the day after that. I got to thinking about how their original response was already a week beyond their promised due date. So I called back that same day and told them that if I didn't hear by noon the next day they stood a real good chance of loosing my homeowner's insurance and my car insurance (a sister company) and the high prospective of loosing the additional insurance on an additional car (my wife and I had just recently married and we were going to change her policy over to my insurance co.) I told them I was serious and had another carrier standing by. Believe it or not the next day the phone rang at 11:57 A.M. They said they had already returned the rating of my house to a single story house, they also reviewed my policy and they were reducing my premium by $57/year considering how I had both car and homeowner's insurance and a "longevity factor" with their company. So, the outcome is that the original additional premium of $79 goes away and I get an annual rebate of $57 on my homeowner's policy. They, of course be getting the insurance policy on my wife's Avalon when the present policy runs out in about two weeks. Thought you fellows might like to "Hear the Rest of the Story" as Paul Harvey used to say.

 

[residentialguy]

High fives to jbl! woohoo

I'll pm you my address so you can send me my commission check.