Square footage of dormers

[Mike Boyd]

Just what exactly is your rationale for not including the space? Is the ceiling too low? Are they too narrow to use for a chair or other furniture? Without knowing why you chose not to include it, how can anyone possibly give a reasonable answer to your question?

It's a great place to set up a telescope in order to peek at your neighbors.....or whatever. I always include them.

 

[Wayne Tomlinson]

As Vargasteve said. It is nice to have a published, accepted reason to do something.

The ANSI guideline gives you an official basis for acting in a certain way. Don't give up the security of following a well founded guideline.

It sure beats having to say that "Someone on the Forum said....."

Measure the things.

Wayne Tomlinson

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Measure the things.

from the outside of course That's ANSI too...

 

[rbrienza]

Vargasteve,

Could you please send a link to the ANSI website of which book you downloaded it.

Thanks Ray Brienza

Ray.Brienza @ goldapp.net

 

[Jim Hill]

Why would you not count sf that adds value?

I have always found it interesting that some appraisers don't count or give much credit to many things that add value.

I have been in the building business for over 30 years and and when a customer wants to add anything to a home I never said that's Free because it does not add value.

I have been appraising for the past 10 years and see many things that appraisers do not include into the final value and yet someone paid for it and it does add value.

Jim Hill

 

[Steer]

MimiH,

Why are you doing anything for a realtor? Is this a private appraisal for a realtor, or have you shared an appraisal that you did for one of their buyers?

 

[Mike Boyd]

Can you live in a dormer? Does the sqft of the dormer have any substantial effect on value? I would probably adjust for design and style aspects before I went back at the request of someone who is not my client to measure 36SQFT. And don't give me 36SQFT is value. Because if we're going to be concerned with 36SQFT then those of you who use mechanical tapes need to start calibrating them according to temperature differences. You probably lose or add 36SQFT depending on whether it's hot or cold, respectively.

The fact is, he measured incorrectly in the first place. Having to go back and remeasure is not relevant. When you have made an obvious error you lose credibility and that is the one thing you do not want as an appraiser.

 

[Mztk1]

from the outside of course That's ANSI too...

Not on a cape, which with dormers I am assuming this house is. ANSI states:

"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 inlcuded in the finished square footage.

So once you reach 5' in ceiling height, or you reach an interior portion that is not finished, you stop your measurement. The result is that 1/2 story properties are almost always measured for width from the inside, and for length from the outside.

 

[vargasteve]

Just do a web search or a forum search for ANSI - I did this a few years ago & don't have the current link.

 

[Rufus]

Could you please send a link to the ANSI website of which book you downloaded it.

I found a copy here: ANSI Z765-2003 It is a PDF.