The three types of Square Footage: Living. Total. Adjusted.

When most people think of square footage, they typically think of measuring a room from wall to wall, but the fact is, there are three types of square footage; Living, Total and for Property Tax Purposes, there is Adjusted. Let me see if I can help you understand how each of three is calculated, and the purpose each serves:

Living, Heated or A/C I think is the most common and easiest to understand. Regardless of the name used, this type of square footage is simply a measurement of the living spaces in a home, that are: A. legal (built with permits to current code)
B. conforming to size requirements. For example Fannie Mae requires Living areas to have a minimum room height of 5’ or minimum width of 7’.
C. In some circumstances, exceptions are made if a feature conforms to what is typical in a neighborhood. Like enclosing a garage or patio, but keeping it below the grade level of the main house.
To find your homes Living Area square footage, simply measure the exterior of your house, from one corner to the next. Create a sketch and do the math.
One final note on Living Square Footage, is to understand that when using the cost to build (price/sq ft) to calculate a homes cost or value, we use the Living Square Footage, because the cost to construct an open space is minimal since such spaces are formed by the existence of surrounding interior rooms.

2. Total is determined by measuring the entire exterior of the home, but rather than measuring from the corner of a wall, you actually measure using the most outer edge of your roof. And unlike the Living Area, Total Area includes non-air conditioned spaces; like garages, carports, patios and entrance overhangs. Any legal space under a roof is defined as Total Square Footage. Total must be covered. But does not need to be enclosed.

3. Adjusted Square Footage is typically used ONLY by your local Property Tax Authority. It does not represent the actual physical size of the home, despite the actual size is used to calculate the Adjusted. When viewing the property sketch, found on most if not all County Property Appraisers websites, you’ll notice that certain areas of your home are noted with a code. For example, in Broward County, Fl., you’ll see codes like 1.0 (single story living area), 1.8 (two story living area), 1/2 (a garage) or 1/3 (patio). These codes indicate the factor by which the actual square footage is applied to arrive at the Adjusted Square Footage of a space.

It is important to remember, that when looking at homes, most buyers are concerned with the feel of the home vs. the actual square footage. Because the design of a room, the height of the ceilings in the home and of course the furnishings, all play a part in our "feel" for a space and its size, putting too much into a numerical value can cause you to overlook a home you may otherwise like. After 20 years of selling real estate in South Florida, I'm still amazed at the buyers that worry that a bedroom may be too small for their kids; ignoring the fact that the Florida climate means half the closet space is needed vs a northern home

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The three types of Square Footage: Living. Total. Adjusted.