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Question about square footage

17 years ago

Well, here's a noob question for ya'll:

How do you figure out the square footage of your home? Do you go by the outside measurements (i.e. the one on your survey) or do you actually go from room to room and measure from the inside walls?

Do you include basements (if finished) in the calculation?

Just wondering...

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Comments (11)

momcat2000
17 years ago
good question chris. my basement has a laundry room, "teenager" room and utility room. it is heated but not finished. is that addable square footage?
southernheart
17 years ago
I'm not really sure. I know my own s.f. based on my home's purchase information (all that stuff at closing), but I am not sure about how it is calculated.
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You measure the exterior. Garages, porches, 3 season rooms, decks, lanais, basements and attics don't count (attics count IF finished, are walk-up, heated and have windows). Basements don't count at all except as an add-on, such as "3000 sf colonial with an additional 1500 sf finished basement". Measuring the exterior sounds easy, but it isn't unless the house is basically a box. In my case, I had to account for multiple bump-outs and a room that is really only on one floor but from the exterior appears to have a room above it. There are formulas for when there are slanted walls, such as knee-walls which Capes have. I know I found it online once when I searched for it once. The ceilings have to be at least a certain height (7'6" maybe?) and the knee wall needs to be 4', and part of the square footage is subtracted to account for the square footage from the knee wall to the minimum height requirement. The real estate appraiser we used and the town both said the house was 4200-4300 sf. It is actually just over 4000. I am far more confident of my measurements than theirs. I am fairly certain the town double-counted the great room (which is 2 story, so no room above it even though it appears that way from outside) and the appraiser sort of rounded up the measurements (house is 32' deep at some spots and 36' at others, he just used 36'). Now, room sizes are different. Listings will often give square footage and room sizes. Room sizes are based on interior dimensions, not exterior.
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I'd think that only the homeowner can appeal the assessment. He'd call and ask the assessor to re-measure the house. Be aware that square footage is measured from the exterior of a house and includes all HVAC-ed spaces. If you're just adding up the dimensions of major rooms, you will come up with a lower figure.
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As far as quotes go, cost based on square footage is really only for estimating and/or ballpark figures. A GC is going to give you a price based upon the actual prices he gets from his subcontractors for their scopes of work and his costs for the work he is performing (if any). The type of construction, foundation, structural requirements, finishes, etc. can cause big fluctuations in square foot costs. As far as dealing with the subs yourself with a GC as the "construction manager," yes you will save some money (although not 25% since most GC's are not able to get that kind of a profit in addition to the CM fee), however, there are some additional risks/headaches that you will incur. Under the scenario you mention, while the GC is your consultant, he is not going to be financially responsible if subs are behind schedule or hit you with a bunch of change orders (price increases) because other subs didn't finish their work on time. Also, if you have work quality issues and/or warranty issues you are going to have to deal directly with each sub (who often will blame another sub for a problem). Another factor is that you are a one time customer for the sub, whereas most GC's have subs they deal with frequently so that they have some clout with scheduling, price and getting problems resolved. IMHO, while you can save some money, unless you are experienced in construction, it's not worth the extra headaches and risk you take on. I'm sure you will hear some other viewpoints on this.
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woodenzoo
17 years ago
I'm not sure, but think that the square footage is taken inside the house. Usually, it only includes the actual amount of 'Living Area' of a house. Bathrooms and basements are not included. My Realtor explained to me, that basements cannot be included in square footage because there isn't a door or windows to escape from in an emergency. Now if you happen have a finished walkout basement...?
Cathy
southernheart
17 years ago
Here is a link that might be helpful, or you can google more related articles about figuring square footage.

HTH!~

Here is a link that might be useful: Figuring Square footage
HomeMaker
17 years ago
I figure it the way the insurance companies look at it whan calculating the replacement cost.
Measure the outside of the house, front to back, side to side, multiply by the number of floors and leave out the basement.

So I have 600 square feet on the main floor, same on the second plus the wonky little tandem room of 64 square feet hanging off the back of my 2nd floor, with an unfinished basement. One bathroom and what is affectionately known as "the outhouse" in the basement (it's a toilet and a sink, but I'd be hard pressed to call it a powder room!!).
Nancy in Mich
17 years ago
Homemaker has it, so does the link Southernheart added. You measure the outer dimensions and multiply. All halls, bathrooms, and interior wall space is counted. However, you only count the heated and cooled space, not unheated sunrooms or other not-quite-finished areas. Here, garages do not count in the floorspace, nor do porches or patios. Basements do not count even if they are finished. One just lists the finished basement separately in the description. Rooms in areas where the ceiling comes low to meet the wall are measured using only the amount of floorspace where there is at least 5 feet (I believe) of height from floor to ceiling.
minnie_tx
17 years ago
I have a one story (about 1200 sf) that does not include the garage which is part of the house.
woodenzoo
17 years ago
lol
You all are correct about the sq ft.
I guess what I was talking about was room count?...
Really should watch what I say before I've had enough coffee.
Cathy
velodoug
17 years ago
When it comes to the tax man it's all about the local rules. In our municipality a "basement" has more volume above ground level than below and a "cellar" has more volume below ground level than above. A basement with a permanent stairway to the main living area and a second means of egress and a finished ceiling counts towards the habitable area. A basement lacking one or more of these or any cellar cannot be legally used as living space and does not count towards the habitable area.
deedlesmom
17 years ago
We have about 1300 square feet on the first floor and a walk up attic that has been used as bedrooms in the past. But we have been told we cannot count the square footage of the attic because the stairs leading to it are in a 1st floor bedroom and not out in the open.
Sheree
momcat2000
17 years ago
i think i've been living in a fool's paradise. i looked up the real estate listing from when we bought the house back in 82' and it sayes 1,780! and all these years i've been saying about 2,000! i have the original plans to the house and i'm going to measure those rooms to make it official.

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