I talked with a home owner recently who felt like the appraiser undervalued his home since the detached in-law quarters wasn’t included in the square footage in the appraisal. The owner figured the extra 400 square feet would’ve made a huge difference in value. Was the owner right?
Can a detached unit be considered square footage? To be considered as gross living area (square footage), the area needs to be connected to the house and accessible through the house. If you have to go outside the main living area to enter a separate structure, it is really not proper to include as part of the living space of the house according to ANSI standards (“ANSI” stands for “American National Standards Institute”). This means an appraiser should not lump a detached studio, detached in-law unit quarters or other detached areas with the square footage of the main house. On the other hand, if it is attached and accessible through the house, then it can be potentially be counted.
Real Life Example: I appraised a property a while back that was listed at about 4000 square feet in MLS, but it was actually closer to 3000 once I measured it. The problem was that the Listing Agent included the loft above the detached garage and an enclosed patio as GLA, when both should not have been considered as such. The loft was detached from the house by 50 feet or so, and the enclosed patio had no heat source. It was probably disappointing to the agent and seller that the house was much smaller than advertised, but I was still able to assign value to the loft and patio – just not as living area. Ironically, the square footage figure that the Listing Agent used came from a previous appraiser who included the loft and patio as living area. Doh!!
How do buyers see the property? The real question when dealing with detached in-law quarters or any accessory dwelling is how the market sees the structure – and how much buyers are willing to pay for it. In most cases buyers probably prefer to have all the “living area” under one roof. For instance, just yesterday I was asked for advice on whether a home owner should convert an outbuilding to a 1 bed/1 bath studio in the rear yard. The owner essentially wondered if adding a 1/1 studio would make her 2/1 house comparable to 3/2 houses in the neighborhood. How would buyers view this situation? It all depends on the neighborhood and specific market of course, but I would venture to say that generally buyers would look at the house as a 2/1 that has a studio (as opposed to seeing this house as a regular 3/2). The studio could likely contribute to value, but it probably wouldn’t cause buyers to put the house on the same playing field as a normal 3/2 home.
But Public Records Says My House is Larger: It’s worth noting that official records might very well include a detached structure in the overall square footage. Keep in mind this does not mean the appraiser will see it the same way. The county or Assessor could be wrong after all.
Any thoughts or stories to share?
If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.
I had one of these recently too, Ryan. It was a recreation room over a garage, but it was of somewhat less quality than the house, so it was more cut and dried than yours may have been. I think most people do believe that it should be included, and most agents do include it when they should not. Thanks for shedding light on this confusing subject.
Thanks Tom. You’re right that property owners do feel the area should be included. I do hope this helps word get out about how appraisers view the situation.
Timely article. I just had my first test in my Principles of Appraisal class where we had to determine the gross livable area and the teacher tried to trick some students by including an attached, enclosed sun room. I don’t think I got the square footage right, but at least I didn’t count the sun room in my calculations! Enjoy your weekend.
Right on, Brandon. It sounds like you have a good teacher. It sure is important to get the numbers right – especially for the resale market. Including a huge area that is not GLA can have a big impact.
OK, so it is not measured to the same standard as attached footage, but, there must be some value assigned as it is an improvement, assuming its permitted. There is economic value as a potentially rentable unit. Throw me a bone!
Here’s a bone, Jeff. There can definitely be value for the extra unit as I said in the post. It just shouldn’t be lumped in with the square footage. A perfect example would be The Ranch in Wilton. The units with a casita shouldn’t have the entire casita within the GLA, but the casitas can still add to the value.
Hi Ryan..is the optional storage given next to a bedroom on second floor count into sqft?the walls of this storage will be probably 3ft tall and have a roof
Hi Br. I have a couple thoughts. First, you called it storage, so I think that’s probably the tell of what it is. It sounds like this area is most likely storage more than anything (granted, I have not seen it, so take what I say with a grain of salt). I would guess this area is not finished and it does not have a heat source either, which further reinforces the idea it is not going to be counted. Lastly, if the ceiling height is only 3 ft, it automatically wouldn’t count in light of the “5 ft rule” (see this post: http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2012/07/03/are-you-using-the-5-foot-rule-when-calculating-square-footage/). I hope that helps.
We are considering attaching our detached garage to our home with a screened porch. The garage is about 14 feet away from our home. The screened porch will be a non-climate controlled space with fireplace and french doors that open to our great room, so it will “feel like” an extension to the living space. We want to add an in-law suite over the garage that is accessible from screen porch. How would the in-law space be viewed in an appraisal? I realize the screen porch will not be counted as living space.
Hi Jenn. Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you are adding what the appraiser will call an accessory dwelling. This is not a part of the main dwelling, but something extra (hence “accessory”). I actually wrote about the difference between an accessory dwelling and a second unit recently in case it’s of use, though that may be a bit off topic for what you’re looking for (http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2014/06/17/is-it-a-second-unit-or-an-accessory-dwelling/).
The appraiser should not consider the in-law suite as living area since it is detached from the residence. The screened porch is not considered living area, so the accessory dwelling is still considered as detached. The added space can of course contribute to the overall value of your home, but it won’t be counted in the main living area.
Does that make sense? If you have additional questions or need any clarification, feel free to comment back or email me.
I recently built my home with a garage and AC and heated pool bath (marble and custom as the house) attached by a covered breeze-way, with contiguous roof and slab. Can the pool house not be counted in the GLA ?
Hi Kelly. Thanks for reaching out. ANSI standards state to be considered gross living area, living space should be directly accessible from the main house. Since one has to exit the main house to get into the pool house, it technically would not be considered living area. However, there are a couple things to consider. Even if the appraiser does not include it as square footage, it might have significant value in your market. The value could be about the same or the same as the price per sq ft of the main house. It really depends on your market. Sometimes owners hear “it’s not worth anything” when an appraiser says it is not square footage, but that is definitely not the case. Moreover, on a practical note I will say appraisers sometimes might actually include detached structures in the square footage if that’s what has been done with all the comps. If houses in your area tend to have separate dwellings or structures lumped into the square footage of the main house in public records, the appraiser might have to simply do the same with your property to keep things consistent. Of course the appraiser will have to make it very clear that he/she did this AND explain why this was done (since it is outside of the normal rules where a detached structure would not be counted). Otherwise if there are few similar detached structures, it’s probably most likely the appraiser would stick to ANSI standards by not including the pool house in the total square footage. In this case an appraiser will ultimately attempt to determine how much value the pool house adds to the property instead of the pool house being lumped in with your main house. Does that make sense?
What about a park model trailer? I’m having problems getting a mortage because they say the park model (which is attached to the ground with wheels removed) is a detached structure, but it can be moved from the property. The underwriter won’t approve a loan even though I don’t count the square footage. Is it better to have the trailer with wheels on it?
Hi Amy. It sounds like you are talking about a mobile home park where you own the home but not the land. If that’s the case, then the structure is considered personal property (not real estate since the land is not owned in any way). I am not sure how the underwriter would handle calculating square footage for personal property since I stick with real estate. Years ago I considered purchasing a mobile home. Had I gone through with it, I would have had to obtain a personal loan (at a much higher interest rate) since I was really purchasing personal property instead of real estate. It did not pan out for me, but the appraisal of the home would have involved appraising only the structure because the land was not owned. I am not sure if that answers your question or not, but you are welcome to pitch in some further thoughts.
Ryan, we have had several opinions on this matter. Maybe you can help. We bought the house I grew up in and it had an attached in law suite. It is only attached by a wall. To gain access into the in law suite you had to access it from an outside door, this part of the house was not accessible from the main house. Since my husband and I have bought the house, we opened a doorway through the attached wall, that now gives us access into the in law suite from the main house. We now have our house for sale. We have had the opinion of 2 appraisers, 1 mortgage broker, and our real estate agent that it would be best left as is- accessible from the main house. We are still a little confused because our house is not selling because the access to the in law suite is in the master bedroom of the main house. What are you thoughts on this?
Hi Donna. Thanks for reaching out. Having a door or not having one doesn’t sound like it would be a major deal-killer because it is not a huge-ticket item to fix. It’s hard to give an opinion on what would be best since I have no idea what market you are in, and I really don’t know the set up in detail without seeing it. It is less common of course to have an accessory dwelling open up to a master bedroom, but there are stranger things in life. I do wonder if there is something else holding the property back. Are you sure it is priced right? If there are no offers yet, it’s hard to think one door is the main culprit (unless I’m missing something). What type of feedback is your agent getting from prospective buyers and their agents about the house and the price? If it is just the door, you can always offer to close the wall up to solve the problem. If it is more than the door, that’s worth exploring. Any thoughts?
Hi Ryan,
I live in Louisiana – rural area out of city limits.
I have a detached RV shed 32′ x 48′. I have a heated & cooled (window unit & portable electric oil furnace heater). office & 1/2 bath in the RCV shed.
I know that it wouldn’t be included in the living area, but would it be considered as additional heated & cooled square footage?
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Lee. Thanks for reaching out. The definitive source to answer your question would be someone in your local market. In my area I would not count it as square footage but as a detached structure not meant for living space. It’s easy to consider something that is detached as an accessory dwelling (which would be like detached square footage (but not lumped in with the main house)), but even an accessory dwelling has a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. In this case it sounds like a tremendous upgraded shed, but it doesn’t meet the minimum to even be called an accessory dwelling. If you want to talk with someone closer to your area, you might consider reaching out to appraiser Bill Cobb (based near Baton Rouge I believe). http://www.accuratevg.com
Thank you for the great article and insightful responses. This helped me out on an offer for a client.
Right on Matt. I’m glad that helped. Thanks for reading and for the comment.
I have a 900 fully finished guest house in my backyard with 2 bedrooms a bathroom a large kitchen, a living room, laundry and two patios but the appraiser only gave me $25000 in value for it saying it was just like a garage. To build this on a lot it would cost over $100k. How is it worth the same as a garage in value?
Hi KC. Thank you for reaching out. It’s hard to comment on your situation since I may not know your market (not sure if you are in Sacramento or not). It’s possible the appraiser nailed value and recognized the market is willing to pay $25,000 for the extra structure. It’s also possible the appraiser was too conservative. How much do you think someone would pay for the extra unit? If you lined up 100 buyers, how much more do you think the group might pay for the property? I say 100 because 1 buyer will always pay mor eor less, but when we are thinking in terms of market value, we are thinking with a bigger picture in mind. Regarding cost, there is very often a difference between cost and value. Just because the unit costs $100K does not mean the market will pay that amount. The same holds true for a kitchen remodel at 40K. A house may only sell for a fraction of that cost more despite the cost instead of 40K more. I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you for the conversation.
I have a property that the lender required two appraisals on, one appraisal came in at value and the other came in significantly under value and the issue seems to be stemming from total square foot of the habitable space.
The main structure is 4500 square feet with an attached but outside accessed 400 square foot casita and a detached 1400 square foot guest structure. I understand that technically the 4500 square feet is the habitable space for the main home but this property is zoned as multi family use and based on my rudimentary understanding of that zoning, wouldn’t both the square foot of the casita and detached guest home be included in the total habitable square feet? I have one appraiser saying yes and the other saying no and its creating a huge problem with my sale.
Does the multi family use zoning affect how the total square foot is calculated?
I appreciate your input as I found this page very informative.
Hi A Messing. Thanks for reaching out. If this is residential it is best to not lump in the square footage together. Here’s the thing though. Just because the square footage figure does not include the other structures does not mean they are not included in the value. If it is a multi-family property one would probably include all the square footage together. Without knowing your location or zoning, it’s hard to say what this is though. It could be a single family home with an accessory dwelling and a casita. It could also be two houses on one lot with a casita. There are many questions to ask to find out if it’s a duplex (two units) or a single family with an accessory unit. I actually have a blog post on that here in case it’s relevant: http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2014/06/17/is-it-a-second-unit-or-an-accessory-dwelling/
I will say it’s not always easy to figure out what a property is, so an appraiser is going to have to do research and make a judgment call. In my mind the most critical thing is how value is handled. Is one appraiser not accounting for the value of all the structures here? That’s the critical question.
Ryan,
My wife and I are in the process of negotiating the purchase of a home with a detached in-law quarters. The 440 square foot structure is detached from the home and actually connects to the garage. It was originally the sales office for the neighborhood in the late 1960s. The structure has a bathroom, living area, and bedroom. It has it’s own HVAC system, but water is tied to the main house. To our knowledge, there are no other homes in the neighborhood that have a similar quarters. How much of discount off the appraised value/square foot would an appraiser take when valuing such an improvement?
Hi Andy. Thanks for reaching out. I appreciate hearing about your situation. There really isn’t a standard discount because it’s all about what buyers are willing to pay in your market. I would hope there would be some examples in the neighborhood – even if they are old. Or maybe there are some examples in competitive areas of town.
Keep in mind there isn’t always a discount for detached space technically because sometimes buyers will pay about the same for that space per sq ft that they might pay with the main house. I am not talking about the total price per sq ft of the entire purchase price, but just the amount buyers are actually paying for only the square footage. This post might help unpack what I mean a bit more. http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2015/05/19/how-to-avoid-one-of-the-biggest-value-mistakes-made-with-square-footage/
I bring this up because at times the market will enjoy the other structure at about the same level as what buyers are willing to pay for extra square footage. That’s what I found in the last appraisal I did with this scenario. The total price per sq ft of the entire value of the property was about $200, but when looking at the difference between sales in the market, it looked like buyers were willing to pay about $100 or so for extra square footage. In this case it looked like this number of $100 lined up perfectly with my in-law quarters. It would be easy to look at the situation and say there was a huge discount, but when we look at the in-law quarters as just square footage, the market paid about the same price as what they paid on the inside.
This is certainly not true in every case, and there are so many moving parts to figuring out the value here. I just wanted to bring this up though because it might look like there is a big discount if we look at a price per sq ft for the purchase at $200, but when adjusting at $100 for square footage in the neighborhood, it really isn’t a discount at all if we discover value is about the same for the detached structure.
All things considered, I do think generally buyers might pay a little less for space outside, but there is no hard-and-fast rule to apply to every market, property type, or price range.
I hope that was not too much. Let me know if that makes sense or if I’m just babbling.
Thanks, Ryan. Your response is very helpful. We’ll definitely take the extra square footage example into consideration in our negotiation.
Thanks Andy. It’s always a bit interesting to value accessory units. There are so many factors to consider. A colleague just taught a class about them a few days ago. It was interesting to see his example of a $75,000 ADU (accessory dwelling unit), though this was a 1.5M property, which means it was really only about 5% of the total value of the home. Agents in his market really thought the unit was worth anywhere from about 40-100K. Part of it comes down to the size of the main house too as it can be a huge asset if the main house is smaller. But if the main house is enormous, it might not sway value as much. Here is another post I wrote about tips for valuing an accessory dwelling. Just an FYI in case it matters. I appreciate the way you are thinking through this: http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2016/10/05/how-to-figure-out-what-an-accessory-dwelling-is-worth/
I think we are going to hire an appraiser so we have some hard evidence to show the homeowner. The square footage of the home is over 2,600 square feet and this ADU is only 440 square feet. Also, the HOA prohibits the lease of individual rooms in this neighborhood. I think we have a good case that the ADU is not worth much. I’ll get back in a few weeks with the appraiser’s results. Thanks for your help – this is very educational!
Sounds like a good idea Andy. I will say homeowners can overstate value at times for the ADU – especially when owners have built the ADU. I recall doing an appraisal on a property where the extra unit could only be rented to a family member. That makes the extra unit less valuable because it’s really not all that marketable. At times it seems like ADUs are a bright and shiny object that we think will add tremendous value. That’s not always the case. At the same time if an appraiser gives a $10,000 value adjustment when a unit rents at $1,000 per month, that sounds very iffy because you’d think the market would pay far more than that.
I am in the process of planing a 2br/1bath guest house in Anaheim California. My question is one of cost to value. This addition will be physically attached to the house, roofing angles will be slightly different but shouldn’t detract from the house and it will look very much like a part of the house. As a matter of fact it will be right in the front and one can easily mistake it for the main house entrance. But I am wondering if I should include a door to give it access from the main house living room. Would having that door make that addition more or less value, and if so a lot or not much difference. I know it really depends on the market but can u give an “in general” answer? My house is 1384sqft 3bed/2bath. The addition is 710sqft 2bed/1bath. There’s only one spot I want to put the guesthouse and the question is whether I should put a door to connect to the house or not. The door will connect the guesthouse kitchen/living area to the main house living room . The bathroom in the guesthouse has two door and opens into a large room with small walking closet and also opens into the kitchen /living area so I think it can be considered a master bedroom. So basically with that door it makes the house 5beds/3bath/2 kitchens including master bedroom with private backyard ~2094sqft VS a 1384sqft 3bed/2bath + 710sqft 2bed/bath with master guesthouse. Comps in the area for the standard house is ~500k. A lot of houses in the area have additions but looks like their additions are bigger and nicer than the main old houses. The guest house can still function as a stand alone if that door is shut and locked. So, yes or no on that door?
Hi Alex. Thanks for reaching out. Congrats on the coming addition too. First off, like I talked about in the post, if an area is not directly accessible from the main house, then it won’t be counted in the square footage. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t count in the value. I just wanted to clarify so we are on the same page.
Would it be more valuable to have the space included rather than a separate accessory dwelling? Well, that’s really hard to say – even generally. With that being said my gut says it’s probably better for value to have a larger house as a whole rather than an accessory unit because that house is simply more marketable and appealing to more buyers. Though if rents are on fire and you can command a huge rental income up front in the addition, that’s when it can be quite valuable for you to build it without a wall. If most homes are rentals in the neighborhood too, then having two rentals in one could be huge.
I think part of this comes down to how the area is permitted. Is it permitted as a guesthouse or is this seen by the city as regular square footage? It sounds like I’m splitting hairs, but you’ll want to be sure there is no distinction here. This will be important for a future appraiser too.
If you wanted to go the extra mile to consider what your house might be worth when the addition is complete, you might pull data in two ways: 1) Find comps that are around 2000 or so sq ft. What are these homes selling for? This assumes the 710 sq ft addition flows well and looks okay in the front yard too. Realistically an addition doesn’t always pencil out perfectly where the cost adds significantly more value. It always works on HGTV, but not always in real life. In your case I hope it does of course. 2) Find examples in the market of properties that are closer to 1400 sq ft with an accessory unit. Is there a real value difference between #1 and #2? That’s the question at hand, and this is one way appraisers might answer that question. Or find properties of any size in the neighborhood with an accessory unit and try to find out what buyers paid for otherwise similar-sized units without the accessory. This will give you a good idea of what the market has been willing to pay for accessory units. I realize it may not be possible to find data like this, but I wanted to walk you through this to help illustrate in part why it’s not always easy to give a quick answer on value. Like I said, I lean toward saying it is likely worth more together than separate, but that’s honestly just a guess, and the proof is in the market.
If value is a huge concern you might consider reaching out to a local appraiser to do some consulting with. I would think maybe doing some research and giving some advice would be more helpful than doing a full appraisal like you’d get from a lender. I might also recommend you reach out to a few real estate friends and ask for their advice. Or maybe ask on Facebook too for an informal poll. 🙂 Of course ask yourself what it is going to rent for too. If a door from the rental to the house wouldn’t matter for the rental at all, then it maybe cannot hurt to install one. Or if it does matter to renters then maybe just plan to open up the wall in later time when selling (this is where you’ll want to be sure the permits don’t just say guesthouse for the front because that could freak out future lenders). As a side note, it may be a little awkward for some to have two kitchens in the house, so this reminds us there is no pleasing everyone.
I hope that helps. Sorry I couldn’t give you a laser-focused answer.
Mr Lundquist.
I have a 1350 sq ft home in Butte County. Built in 1989. The property has a separate guest house that is a 1 bed 1 bath. Probably 550 sq ft. Guest house and main house have their own septics, electric and water. Actually each has its own address but APN states it all as one property. My question is this. The guest house is nice inside but is not on a foundation. About 100 sq ft is on a foundation. Will the appraisal be any different by adding a foundation to the guest unit? I am deciding weather to put foundation in before selling but only if value increase is worth the cost and profit. The property is zoned to have the two units on the property. Thank you for any insight to this issue.
Hi Dylan. Thanks for reaching out. If this property is zoned for two units and they are entirely legal, it’s hard to think a foundation would not be needed for the secondary unit. Granted, foundations don’t always have to be concrete though either. Here’s the thing. I would recommend being sure your foundation meets market standards. What does your market expect? What does code allow? Be sure you have that sort of foundation. If what you have now does not conform to code, then it’s probably time to get in conformity. Before doing anything I would talk with a Realtor also to be sure you are spending your money wisely. I do not appraise in that county either, but I know as an appraiser I would be expecting to see a foundation on a secondary unit as an elementary piece of the valuation puzzle.
Hey Ryan, first of all I’ve learned a lot from the article and the comments, so thank you! My questions are, I recently bought my in-laws house and there was a 2 car garage that was turned into an in-law apartment and there was a wall put up that used to give access to the garage. If I open that back up I’m guessing since the old doorway was in the kitchen it would allow the in-law apartment to be included with the square footage, would that be a good assumption? Also the appraisal for the FHA mortgage didn’t include the finished side of the basement. Are there certain guidelines for including basement square footage? Thanks
Hi Jay. Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you’re picking up a few pointers and such too. That’s great.
It’s hard to answer your question because I’m not sure if the area was permitted, what the quality is like, and what your local zoning allows. Assuming the original unit was legal and it would be legal in the eyes of the building department to have this space as part of the house, then it would be a reasonable assumption to include the area. Though if this space was specifically built only as an accessory dwelling or has some sort of conditional use permit or something, then it’s not going to be prudent as living space. Or if the space has a low quality or simply does not feel like the rest of the house, it’s probably best to treat it separately.
Basements can be tricky. Usually a basement is not considered square footage – in my market at least. Though I have colleagues in other parts of the country that regularly consider the basement in the square footage. Or if they don’t include the area in the square footage, the space is really given about equal value as above grade space. Here’s an article to explain a bit more. http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2014/05/27/can-a-basement-be-consdered-square-footage/
Let me know if you have any pointed questions.
We have a 2,000sq ft home in Texas, and we built an additional 3 car garage with a 900 SQ foot 2 bedroom & 1 bath apartment. It is very nice and equal in standard to the house. Has gas, sewer, water & electricity that runs from the house. Only thing separate is the air-conditioner. It cost us $65,000 in 1996 to build this as a place for our mother. It has a fence & gate that are attached to the house along with a deck that is attached to the house. Is there any stipulation in which we can include it in square footage for house sale?
Hi Susan. Thanks for the comment. This sounds like it is detached and an accessory dwelling. It really shouldn’t be in the square footage because it is detached. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be in the value. The appraiser can absolutely assign value to the additional structure according to what the market says. I would just be very cautious about choosing 2,900 sq ft comps because this isn’t really a 2,900 sq ft house. Maybe the market will pay the same amount, but I’m most focused on 2,000-ish sq ft comps that have an accessory unit. That’s the best indicator for value because that’s what you have.
Ryan, I have a detached two car garage and a 5th wheel storage space attached to the garage and I want to attach our master bedroom to the garage to include the garage sq. footage to our home, Is that possible?
Hi Nevaloni. Thanks for the question. I’m not sure I completely get what you are saying, so pitch in some thoughts o help me understand more clearly if I am not. If the space in the garage was converted to living area it could likely be counted (I’m assuming it’s permitted, has a heat source, has a similar quality of work to the rest of the house….). Otherwise if the garage is attached but still a garage, it’s definitely not counted in the gross living area (square footage). In short, a garage is a garage regardless of whether it’s attached or detached.
Do exterior open stairs (no environmental controlled), particularly for emergency exit purposes, count towards square footage of a building?
It’s a 2 floor story building with one set of indoor stairs and another set of stairs for emergency purposes (metal / exposed).
Hi Felix. I’m not too sure I know exactly what you are talking about, but when using the word exterior, I’m inclined to say this is clearly not living space if it’s outside the house. The same would hold true with balconies, porches, and decks. These ares could be useful or even highly necessary, but when they’re on the outside of the house, they don’t count in the square footage.