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Calculate
Countertops |
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Calculating Square Footage
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Calculating Flooring
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Calculating Cubic Yard |
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Calculating
Drywall |
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Central Air Conditioner Sizing |
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1 Acre
Has =
43,560
Square Feet
- Sample Lot
Size 60' x
115' = 6,900
Sq. Ft.
/43,560 =
0.1584 Lot
Size
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How to
Convert
Square Foot
to Cubic
Yard =
12 x 12 sq.
ft. = 144 /
27 = 5.3333
cubic yard
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Court
Ruling: Square Footage Must Be Accurate
Always Double Check Sq. Ft.
A Texas appeals court has upheld the
principle that size matters in a case in
which the square footage of a home sold
in the central part of the state wasn’t
what was advertised.
The buyers, who sued and won against the
real estate professionals who handled
the sale, told the court that they
bought the property largely because they
thought they were paying a lower rate
per square foot than other sellers in
the area were asking.
The house turned out to be 253 square
feet smaller than the practitioner put
on the information sheet and on the
multiple listing service posting.
A jury awarded the purchasers damages
and held the real estate professionals
liable for misrepresentation and fraud.
The court of appeals in Austin upheld
the
decision,
even though the couple had moved into
the home 30 days prior to settlement and
the information came from tax records
filed with the local municipality.
The appeals court said the real estate
professionals had a duty to get the
information right and the buyers
shouldn’t have to pull out a tape
measure.
Source: United
Features Syndicate, Lew Sichelman
(11/21/2008)
Buying a Home in Thomasville, GA. or in
any other part of the country always
look at the square footage the home is
being listed for then compare that with
public records. it will save you much
heartache.
At one time or another most homeowners
need to figure out the square footage of
their home, lot, or even a single room.
Whether you're getting ready to sell,
just want to know how much square
footage you have, or are undertaking a
home improvement project that requires
you know how big any given area is,
knowing how to calculate the square
footage of an area (without a square
foot calculator!), as well as the cubic
feet of a space, is an important skill
to master.
When buying a new home you need add the
square footage of heated and cooled area
only the garage should not be included.
How to
Calculate Square Footage:
If you're goal is
to figure out the square footage of your home, the process
is fairly straightforward. Of course, a web-based square
foot calculator is capable of doing it for you, but even so,
this is a good thing to know how to do on your own. It all
boils down to basic math. If you are getting ready to sell
your home, most realtors and appraisal companies measure
from the outside, and include any area that is heated and
used year-round.
Don't count your
garage
or
porches
into the equation if your calculating Heated &
Cooled area, but other
than that the basic formula includes measuring the
width and length of each story of your home and
multiplying them together. If you have a modest home
running 60 feet long by 30 feet wide, you just need
to multiply those two distances together. 30 x 60 =
1800 square feet. Don't forget that the only area
that is included in the price of a home is the
heated & cooled area.
If the home has an outdoor porch and it is not under
A/C it is not included in the homes square footage.
Example on how to calculate
home price per square foot.
House
$269,900 / 1733 Sq. Ft. =
155.74 per foot. This would be a sample of an over priced
home! What are you really getting for the price? Always
check with public records. Not all but some home
owners will convert attic space or any unfinished
room into living area and not pull a permit to save
money and if that attic or unfinished room was not
done with a permit most likely it was not done
right. In my area some builders will build a home
and leave a bonus room unfinished so they can make
more money by charging the home buyer an extra
$20,000 thousand for a room that should cost no more
then $4,000 to $6,000. So if the realtors square
footage does not match public records you may have a
problem......
Update 1/22/2012
It is very interesting that after our blogs on
square footage has gotten massive interest the
local real estate board has removed the option
on all listings that indicates the square
footage of each home being sold. This is a good
think because homes should not be sold on square
footage alone but the custom features it has.
This does not mean that a buyer should not ask
for public record square footage and compare it
with the Realtors listings. Some local realtors
still like to use the square footage gimmick to
justify the price of the home they are trying to
sell and some listings have more square footage
then public record has on files. If the public
record does not have the same square footage
then the bonus room or addition was done without
a permit and it may not have been done right or
to code.
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Things You Should look out for when pricing a New Home
Square Footage.
1) New flat light switches
or
50 your old switches that cost .60
cents.
2) New Square Outlets
or
50 year old round outlets?
that cost .60 cents
3) Granite countertops throughout
or
Formica
4) Custom cabinets throughout
or
Standard cabinets
5) Wired for voice, data, video
&
Wireless throughout the home
or
Plain old looped telephone lines.
6)
Two
Cable T.V. outlet in each
room
or
One cable T.V. outlet in each room. +
$65.00 per run.
7) 1 - 14 Seer York Energy Efficient A/C
$60/Month
or
A Minimum Code 1, 2 & 3 A/C units for
one home at $400 to 500/Month bill.
NOT
Energy Efficient at all.
8) ENERGY STAR Certified Home
or
GREENWASHING
9) 4 Year appliance warranty
or
None
10) Savings of more then 40% on utility
bill
or
in increase of $300 + utility bill
11)
Spray Foam Insulation
or 60 year
old
Cellulose Insulation
12)
Tankless Water Heater
or
A home with 1, 2 & 3 60gal. Water Heater
(Always ask how many water heaters)
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Cubic Feet:
The other valuable space measurement
you're likely to run into won't be
addressed by a square foot calculator.
So here, you're on your own. Still, it's
not too much different. Say you're
installing an attic fan and need to know
the volume of air in your home measured
in cubic feet. Figure out the square
footage first, then multiply that by the
height of the space as well. That 1800
square foot home we mentioned earlier,
with 8 foot ceilings, has 14,400 cubic
feet of air to move (30 x 60 x 8 =
14,400). In landscaping you may also run
into the measurement of a cubic yard,
which is three cubic feet by three cubic
feet, or 27 cubic feet (3 x 3 x 3 = 27)
of material when it's all said and done.
Square Footage Calculator:
It's good to know how to figure these
measurements out on your own, since you
won't always have a computer handy to
help you. By all means, though, if
you're in the planning phases and have
the correct measurements, a square
footage calculator can save you time.
Some square foot calculator websites
even convert your measurements into
necessary materials, saving you a lot of
time converting one to the other. Run a
quick web search and you're sure to find
a square footage calculator out there to
help you on your way.
To obtain a gross idea of the square
footage of an area, multiply the length
by the width. It really doesn't matter
whether you are calculating the size of
your lot or the size of your living room
unless you are trying to figure how much
paint you need or how much space you
have for a vegetable garden. Then
getting a more accurate number becomes
important.
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Measuring your lot:
Lots in cities tend to be square, however it is by no means
uncommon for lots to be pie shaped or
irregular, especially when plotted
around a cul-de-sac or defined by a
geographical feature such as a creek.
The lot dimensions should form part of
your mortgage package. When you
purchased your home, the lenders
certainly required the dimensions and
lot size so they would know precisely
what they were investing in. However,
where those property lines are located
can be an issue if your lot has not been
recently surveyed. If you don't know
where your property starts and ends, you
may want to get that information nailed
down, especially if you want to add a
fence or wall. Even the best of
neighbors can be mistaken about where
the lot line is and if they mow on your
side of the lawn for years, they may
actually assume that they own property
that rightfully belongs to you ... or
vice versa.
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So, assuming you know precisely where
your property lines are, and the width
of your lot is 55 feet and its depth is
110 feet (an ordinary city lot) then
your lot is 6050 square feet or just shy
of 0.14 acre (an acre being 43,560
square feet). In other words, you and
six of your closest neighbors probably
equal one acre if their lots are the
same size as yours. This is a perfectly
respectable lot size, however if your
house is a 2500 sq. ft., single-story
ranch, your lot may feel considerably
smaller than if your home splits its
total square footage between two
stories. Such are the benefits of a
smaller footprint.
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But what if your lot size is oddly
shaped? How do you calculate square
footage then? Probably the simplest
means is to revisit your high school
geometry lessons and break your lot into
more easily calculatable elements. Your
lot comprises rectangles, squares, and
triangles. Even if math isn't your
strong suit, it's not too difficult to
lay out a series of rectilinear shapes
and determine square footage. In the
adjacent image, you can see how a series
of rectangles have been imposed over an
otherwise irregular shape. Where a
diagonal bisects a rectangle, the total
is divided by 2. All individual
components are calculated, then added
together to obtain the total.
Square footage of your
home:
Determining the actual square footage of
your home is not as straightforward as
you would expect. American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) suggests that
residential property be measured using
exterior measurements of the building at
each level. (For the purposes of
figuring a home's square footage, room
dimensions are irrelevant.) Keep in mind
that ANSI standards (which are
guidelines, not regulations) define
finished
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Rectangles and triangles help determine
square footage.
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spaces as any enclosed area that is used
year around. Exclude any space that is not
finished or heated like the main body of the
house. Don't include the garage as part of
your home's square footage, though you would
count it when calculating its footprint
relative to the property itself.
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Determining the actual square footage of
your home is not as straightforward as
you would expect. American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) suggests that
residential property be measured using
exterior measurements of the building at
each level. (For the purposes of
figuring a home's square footage, room
dimensions are irrelevant.) Keep in mind
that
ANSI
standards (which are guidelines, not
regulations) define finished spaces as
any enclosed area that is used year
around. Exclude any space that is not
finished or heated like the main body of
the house. Don't include the garage as
part of your home's square footage,
though you would count it when
calculating its footprint relative to
the property itself.
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Measure the exterior of the building at
the level of the floor. If a bump out
occurs at the floor level, include it.
If it occurs higher like a cantilevered
window with a window seat, do not
include it as part of the square
footage. Measure to the nearest inch or
1/10th of a foot as this makes
calculating room sizes more accurate. To
arrive at total square footage, multiply
width by depth. Add bump outs and
subtract indentations. Subtract
stairwells. For second floors that occur
under a gabled roof, you'll need to
measure inside.
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Measuring Rooms:
There are a variety of good reasons to
measure the rooms in your home. Buying
enough paint, wallpaper, or flooring;
arranging furniture; and calculating the
type of home theater components are just
a few.
A third dimension that often comes into
play with rooms is ceiling height. Cubic
area—that is, width x length x height—is
used to calculate the size of air
conditioning units and heat pumps.
Measuring cubic feet is the same as
measuring square footage. A living room
that is 15 x 14 x 8 feet is 1,680 cubic
feet. For a room with a cathedral
ceiling, the following illustration may
help.
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Calculating squares and cubes is
manageable for most of us who have
forgotten most of what we knew about the
finer points of mathematics ages ago.
Measure Twice:
"Measure twice, cut once" is an old
saying but which always holds true.
Carry it a bit farther and keep a record
of all the measurements of your home. It
is incredibly useful to know sizes and
dimensions of each window and room,
especially when new carpet is on your
short list and there is a smoking deal
over a holiday weekend at your local
carpet retailer's. It will save you the
trip home to measure or the cost of
ordering more than you need, just to be
on "the safe side”.
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The sizing chart below is useful to help you
determine your
approximate
central air conditioner size requirements. This
would
not be the same for a green home.
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If your A/C unit is
to big you will put to much moisture in your
house and if to small your a/c will work harder
and it will never shot off.
Another way to size air conditioners is to determine the system size that is currently in place. The manufacturers do not list the air conditioner size on the unit. The system capacity will be coded into the model number of the outdoor unit.
For example, model CKL24-1 is a 2 ton unit. Why? There are 12,000 Btu's per ton. The number 24 in the model number indicates the unit is 24,000 Btu's, divided by 12,000 Btu's per ton, equals 2 tons.
24,000 Btu's/12,000 Btu's per ton = 2 tons
Use the following conversion information to determine your existing system size (use the system model number NOT the serial number)
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18 = 1.5 tons
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24 = 2 tons
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30 = 2.5 tons
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36 = 3 tons
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42 = 3.5 tons
-
48 = 4 tons
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60 = 5 tons
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Heating Guide
Use the lower of the two numbers if your home is well insulated and the higher number if it is older or poorly insulated. (Hint: Use the larger of the two numbers above if you're unsure of your home's insulation)
Simply multiply the appropriate factor above by your home's total heated square footage to arrive at your approximate required heating capacity. For example, if you live in the yellow zone, your home is well insulated, and you have 2000 heated square feet, the equation will look like this:
The high of the ceiling is NOT
included in the square footage.
2000 square feet
X .40 heating factor (from the chart above)
80,000 Btu actual output
Then, to calculate the output on a gas furnace, multiply its efficiency rating by its listed input rating for the actual Btu output of heat. For example, if a furnace has a listed input rating of 100,000 Btu's and an efficiency rating of 80%, it will produce
100,000 Btu input
X .80 efficiency
80,000 Btu actual output
If the same 100,000 Btu furnace has an efficiency rating of 93% it will produce:
100,000 Btu input
X .93 efficiency
93,000 Btu actual output
For this example, using an 80% efficient furnace, the 2000 square foot home above would require a 100,000 Btu input furnace which will produce the necessary 80,000 Btu's output of heat.
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What is the right size
air conditioning system for my
house?
The old
accepted estimate is that the HVAC unit
should provide 1 ton (12,000 Btu) of air
conditioning for 400 to 500 square feet
of building area. However, this rule
fails to take into account how well the
home is insulated, how well it's sealed
and the local climate. In a very
efficient house, 1 ton could condition
800 to 1,000 square feet of space. Use a
unit too small and you won't cool the
home. If the unit's too big the home
will be cool but the unit won't properly
dehumidify. I would get a reputable A/C
Company.
Q: What is a SEER
rating?
A:
It’s easy to think of SEER like MPG in a
vehicle. The higher the SEER rating the
more efficient the unit is, meaning less
power is used. This is good for the
environment, decreases air pollution,
and greatly decreases your utility
bills. In case you’re wondering, SEER
stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency
Ratio. The minimum SEER currently
required by the U.S. government is 13.
Several units exceeding 23
SEER.
Q: What is the right size air conditioning
system for my house?
A:
Having the right size system is
extremely important. Even one that is
too large is a big problem: It will cool
your house too quickly (satisfying your
thermostat before removing sufficient
moisture), leaving a humid environment
and potential mold problems. It will
also cycle on and off more frequently
decreasing efficiency dramatically. Of
course, a system that is too small
simply can’t get the job done.
Determining the size of a
system involves a lot more than matching
square footage to the right unit. Every
house is different. Factors such as
floor plan, types of walls, windows,
orientation, sunlight/shade, attic
conditions and much more affect the
required size. It is best to have an
experienced HVAC technician thoroughly
inspect your home before making any
decision on what size unit to install.
Q: Do air purifiers, like the ones for sale
in malls, work to improve indoor air
quality?
A:
Yes and no. They improve indoor air
quality, but in a very limited fashion.
The types of purifiers you find in
retail stores are extremely limited in
range. They only help the room in which
they are used as opposed to the whole
house. Even in that one room they are
far less effective in comparison to air
cleaners that are a part of your home’s
ventilation system.
Improved
filter systems and air purifiers that
are embedded in your heating and air
conditioning system work on all the air
that is circulated through your house.
Recent technology has led to products
that are more than 100 times more
effective than standard filters.
Q: What if my heat and AC equipment
are fairly new? Are there other ways to
increase energy efficiency?
A:
Certainly. Your home’s insulation,
ductwork, window sealing and much more
impact how often your equipment needs to
run. Improving these aspects of a home
is often called weatherization. It can
also include solar screens for windows
and new programmable thermostats.
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Equal Housing Opportunity