Square Footage - Understanding What's Included!

When comparing homes that are very similar in style, location, and level of finish, it is helpful to use square footage as a comparison factor. Real estate listings qualify square footage in a variety of ways: heated square feet, finished square feet, heated living area, unfinished square feet, unheated square feet, just to name a few! Depending on the region of the country, the terminology varies even more. In Florida, for example, you may encounter ACSF (air conditioned square feet.) It can become a bit confusing!

There are standard real estate guidelines used by realtors and appraisers for defining and measuring square footage in a home. Advertised square footage in real estate ads or on the multi-listing service should adher to these guidelines. Knowing these guidelines will help sellers understand how their home is measured, and will help buyers understand what is included in advertised square footage.

First of all, Finished Living Area is space intended for human occupancy. It must be heated by conventional, permanent systems. (Portable heaters would NOT qualify.) It must have floors and ceilings made of materials generally accepted for interior construction. Finally, it must be directly accessible from another finished area. If you had a finished laundry room only accessible from the garage, for instance, it would not be counted in finished living area. An enclosed porch would not be counted unless it had a permanent heating system.

Square footage for a home is calculated based on exterior walls. If possible, one measuring a home would measure the outside of a home, then subtract any unfinished areas (such as an attached garage). Sometimes it is not possible to measure from the outside, and so interior measurements are made. In these cases, the standard is to add 6" for an exterior wall, and 4" for an interior wall to calculate total square footage.

To qualify as living space, the ceiling height must be at least 7 feet. Often in bonus rooms or A-frames, upper level rooms have slanted roofs. In this case, only areas with at least 5' high ceilings are counted, as long as at least half of the room has a minimum of 7' ceiling. Any portion of the room with less than 5' ceiling is not counted in living area square footage.

Hallways, closets, and pantries are counted if they are part of the functional living space. If the furnace, water heater, or similar items are located within a small closet within the living area, that square footage is counted. However, if the furnace, etc. are in an unfinished "mechanical room" in the garage or basement, that area is not counted in finished living area.

Unfinished square footage should include those areas that are under roof and could be finished out for additional living space. This definition usually includes unfinished basements, or unfinished rooms above a garage (as long as it is accessible by a permanent staircase). A garage should NOT be included in the "unfinished living area". Generally, unfinished square footage descriptions should be clarified in the "comment/remarks" section of a listing.

If you have questions about the square footage calculations used on a property, ask your real estate agent for clarification. Finally,remember that cost per square foot is just one measure. Level of finish, upgrades (granite countertops, whirlpool tubs, etc.), condiditon of the home, location and/or view, and other qualitative measures need to be considered as well.


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