Doe's anyone know how the overall square footage calculation is figured

[stevethebuilder]

I'm a builder who draws his own plans in chief I'm pretty good at chief however I'm a much better builder. I started with x8 and now use x15 I never had this come up on over 200 plans But I have an appraiser telling me that my plan SF does noe match her calculations. she got more than 240 SF more than the total the LIving SF gives me I understand about interior and standard areas I thought..............But have I but messing up all these years... what is the answer id the living SF only to the inside wall ???? or does it include to the outside, or how do you get the overall just living area to the outside walls

Steve the Builder
Custombuildhome@aol.com

[Gene Davis]

Outside framed walls almost everywhere, thus, a 20 x 20 ranch house is 400 sf.

In TX and maybe elsewhere when exterior walls are stone-clad, it is figured to outside of stone. Go figure.

Nobody figures it to inside of walls.

[lbuttery]

there are many prior threads on this topic

there are many "official" ways to calculate living area
all depends on the industry needing the calcs

Chief now allows you to choose room by room which ones to include
but that still may not help meet some of the "official' methods

the manual describes the basics of how Chief does the calcs
if you need something different then you need to apply manual methods

see the prior threads

Lew

[stevethebuilder]

Hay I understand I know I have built over 600 homes I'm 56 years old..................Just got a little freaked out........................ I just drew a house of 20 x 20 boxes just to prove to myself I'm and the program is correct.... still can't figure how the appraiser is getting 378 more SF re-reading her email she said she spend 2 hours re-doing it over and over.....

Steve the Builder

[stevethebuilder]

I actually started with 3d home architect........then Bought 7 8 9 ........................now 15. something Like I said I'm a builder first www.andersoncustomcreations.com I'm so busy again I could use some help after preliminary drawings to finish them anyone

Steve the builder
Custombuildhome@aol.com

[kenoeightspot]

Most appraiser and assessors measure from the siding not the studs so that will yield more sf.

[dshall]

Hay I understand I know I have built over 600 homes I'm 56 years old..................Just got a little freaked out........................ I just drew a house of 20 x 20 boxes just to prove to myself I'm and the program is correct.... still can't figure how the appraiser is getting 378 more SF re-reading her email she said she spend 2 hours re-doing it over and over.....

Steve the Builder

What's the big secret here. Ask to see her calculations and how she arrived at her total. Then the two of you can discuss who's numbers are correct.

[perryh]

Sounds like she included the Garage, If there is a wall between the Garage and the house, Chief's standard method will split the wall, taking half of the wall for the house, and half for the Garage. Re-check exactly what you included in the calculation--just create a room finish schedule( standard method) to see what you have included or not.

[WendyWelton]

There's an ANSI standard for this, and it does indeed say outside of walls, not inside. So your appraiser is incorrectly trained and/or has her head up her tuckus. The ansi standard is a model and is only law if adopted as such by the individual state. But even so, I don't know of a single jurisdiction that uses inside - except for Condos. For condominimium ownership you own to the inside of your walls, not the outside - even if it's a separate house but condo ownership. So for condos the interior measure is correct. Maybe she's inexperienced and only done condos.

http://www.areappraisal.com/xsites/A...DOC[1].pdf

I don't use Chief's "Living Area" - because Chief goes to the middle of "interior walls" which means adding a garage actually decreases the "Living Area" for the house. I use a closed polyline with a text macro. You can copy and paste it out of the attached plan file and it will put that macro into your plan for use elsewhere. Notice that if there's a fill on the closed polyline, your text arrow doesn't have to touch the edge. We also go to face of framing, where the ansi standard is to the face of siding. We do that because that's how all our builders figure square footage.

The closed polyline method is more accurate, but you do have to manage it. It will not follow walls automatically.

Living Area.zip