What is the American Institute of Architectures definition of a build or structural footprint?
Answer Good afternoon Richard – thanks for your question! A “footprint” is defined as the entire area of ground covered by permittable structure; in other words almost everything except pavement. Attached porches are still part of the footprint. The “area” of the house is a different thing however, and there are many definition of what it includes. Generally, the entire heated and cooled area of a house, measured to the face of the structural sheathing on the exterior walls, is the “area”. Covered porches may or may not count, depending on who’s doing the counting…uncovered porches don’t count. Two-story spaces only count once…stairs only count once…garages don’t count at all. How you define area (and maybe, footprint) should depend on the use you’re going to make of the information. Most people try to maximize the area to increase the tax value, decrease the cost-per-square-foot, or compare the house to smaller ones for the same cost. I express a home’s area as the gross heated
