[mripley]

I contracted to have our local builder add another bedroom onto our house which I wanted 16 X 16. Our contract doesn't include a floor plan and says "to build one 16 X 16 foot addition onto existing home according to plans furnished by the contractor and approved by the owner" and then details materials, finish, etc.

After the footings were poured, I measured and the room size would end up about 14 1/2 X 14 1/2 feet inside wall to inside wall. The builder said he has done it correctly because room sizes are always figured outside wall to outside outside wall.

Is builder right?

 

[Daniel Holzman]

In the commercial world, net square footage is the usable square feet of a room (inside dimensions only, less column area), and gross square footage is the total square footage of the room, in my experience often measured to the outside wall, and including column area. So your builder is effectively giving you gross square footage.

Since you have no room plan, and the agreement is that the builder will come up with a plan acceptable to you, I am a bit confused. Did the builder pour the footings prior to developing a plan for the addition? Or did he give you the plan, and you missed the fact that the room was 16 feet square outside dimension? In any case, your situation points to the fact that you should always have agreed upon plans prior to contracting a job.

 

[Wildie]

In the casual world when a size is mentioned, it means the maximum size!
A rooms inside size is dependent on the thickness of the walls.
A room framed with 2X4's could be 4" greater than one framed with 2X6's.

 

[Bob Mariani]

Huh? An addition is from the concrete or block foundation outside edges to outside edges. That is what a permit will be based on, what rafters or trusses are calculated from, what materials are based on. The exterior materials are more costly, so exterior measurements are more important when costing or designing a job. Studs that are 16" OC start from the outside edge, not the inside edge. These dimensions would have been displayed on your plans. Did you look at them and question the net interior space?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

My garage was designed as 24x36 outside dimensions

Unless you specifiy something else you get outside dimensions
Some people build 2x4, some 2x6, some even 2x8 walls
Real Estate lists sq footage as outside, not insiwe measurements

Builder is right

Did you receive & approve plans?

 

[vsheetz]

Is it 16x16 measuring the outside walls? Then the contactor is right.

What is the siding, framing size, etc. that makes up 9" thick walls?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

After the footings were poured, I measured and the room size would end up about 14 1/2 X 14 1/2 feet inside wall to inside wall. The builder said he has done it correctly because room sizes are always figured outside wall to outside outside wall.

Is builder right?

The footers will be bigger then the actual walls
So the footers may be 9" wide, but the walls will only be the 2x4 or 2x6 walls

You could do 2x8 walls in really cold area to conserve on heating
But I think at that point spray foam would be easier/cheaper

 

[concretemasonry]

What you wanted and what you got is slightly different because you apparently did not have a detailed plan for the contractor to build from. - Why did you give the go ahead without knowing what you would get?

Did the "owner" approved the plans that were required to be provided by the "contractor" as specified in the contract that was signed? It sounds a little loose and uncontrolled.

Checking after the footings were poured is not the correct time to ask for or approve plain, unless it was quickly done while you were sleeping and completed in the morning when you woke up.

 

[concretemasonry]

What you wanted and what you got is slightly different because you apparently did not have a detailed plan for the contractor to build from. - Why did you give the go ahead without knowing what you would get?

Did the "owner" approved the plans that were required to be provided by the "contractor" as specified in the contract that was signed? It sounds a little loose and uncontrolled.

Checking after the footings were poured is not the correct time to ask for or approve a plan, unless it was quickly done while you were sleeping and completed in the morning when you woke up.

 

[Willie T]

I contracted to have our local builder add another bedroom onto our house which I wanted 16 X 16. Our contract doesn't include a floor plan and says "to build one 16 X 16 foot addition onto existing home according to plans furnished by the contractor and approved by the owner" and then details materials, finish, etc.

After the footings were poured, I measured and the room size would end up about 14 1/2 X 14 1/2 feet inside wall to inside wall. The builder said he has done it correctly because room sizes are always figured outside wall to outside outside wall.

Is builder right?

As everyone else has said, the contractor seems to have given you a 16' x 16' room addition according to the footing measurements. But I'm wondering if he really did. Does it appear that way to you when you put a tape on the footing? I ask because you seem to say you are losing almost a full two feet in either direction. Even using concrete blocks, that seems like a lot.

First thing I would do is go re-measure for where the 16' dimension would fall. If that is on the outer edge (or even outside) the footing, you aren't going to end up with 16' outside.

And he should NOT be calling the edge of the roof the 16' dimension. It's the outside edge of the structure.

And one more point. Your post says two different things.

Our contract doesn't include a floor plan and says "to build one 16 X 16 foot addition onto existing home according to plans furnished by the contractor and approved by the owner"

This seems to indicate that if you never received... AND approved... "plans furnished by the contractor", there is a contractual problem.

I think you would both be in the wrong here. Him for not delivering plans for approval, and you for allowing a start without seeing any plans. Catch it now. Work out an agreement on what he will see as 64 more square feet. That's a fair amount of money... Probably $10,000 or better.

But get this worked out right now.

And grab hold of the responsibility that is yours too. This is your home, your money, and you had danged well better know (with no uncertainties) exactly what your are getting for the outlay.

"I thought............. " flat don't cut it!!!! That's exactly WHY contracts are the standard.

 

[SDC]

An addition could be built on piers with a beam. Therefore just because the piers, footing whatever you want to call them, are not at 16' does mean the addition will not be 16' x 16'. There could be a cantilevered situation. I am NOT saying the contractor is right though. You should have a drawing, to scale for the permits, you have permits?

If you have no drawing, no permits, or no detail of what you are buying
it would be hard to hold him accountable.

I hope it all turns out well.
I just did this as an example in about two minutes. It is how i would show a 16x16 addition, outside of frame to outside of frame.

Good luck, :thumbsup:

 

[Joe Carola]

I contracted to have our local builder add another bedroom onto our house which I wanted 16 X 16. Our contract doesn't include a floor plan and says "to build one 16 X 16 foot addition onto existing home according to plans furnished by the contractor and approved by the owner" and then details materials, finish, etc.

After the footings were poured, I measured and the room size would end up about 14 1/2 X 14 1/2 feet inside wall to inside wall. The builder said he has done it correctly because room sizes are always figured outside wall to outside outside wall.

Is builder right?

14' 6" x 14' 6" inside to inside only gives you a 15' 1" outside to outside room if your using 2x4 walls. If your using 2x6 walls the outside to outside dimensions are only 15'5" . He's wrong either.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

14' 6" x 14' 6" inside to inside only gives you a 15' 1" outside to outside room if your using 2x4 walls. If your using 2x6 walls the outside to outside dimensions are only 15'5" . He's wrong either.

Not if the footing are 9" wide which they should be approx
9" footing on either side gives you 18"
That equals 16' x 16'

The walls are built on the outside edge of the footings/foundation
Not the inside edge
Unless a brick exterior is going on the outside
In that case the wall is usually moved in to allow the brick to sit on top of the cement foundation

When you say footing were poured
Do you mean a foundation?
A cement wall all the way around?

 

[Bob Mariani]

We all seem to be saying the same thing. An addition is measured from the outside edges of the foundation wall. Not the siding, not the footers. If it is too small and he used his size based on the footers, he is wrong. Otherwise you are do a sizable refund.

 

[Joe Carola]

Not if the footing are 9" wide which they should be approx
9" footing on either side gives you 18"
That equals 16' x 16'

I'm not talking about footings. If you have a set of plans that call for a 16x16' addition, that means where I'm from 16' outside to outside of the walls and that's what the foundation should measure.

Plans that I get give outside to outside measurement for the foundation which would read 16'x16' . The framing section shows the same 16'x16' measurements outside to outside. You can't go wrong that way. If the OP is saying that he is supposed to have a 16'x16' addition outside to outside that's what he should have. It doesn't matter whether he uses 2x4 or 2x6.

The walls are built on the outside edge of the footings/foundation
Not the inside edge

Not where I'm from, they're built in the center of the footing.

 

[Bob Mariani]

Glossary issues there... Foundation walls.... wall is build at the outside edge. Footings... foundation walls are build in the center. siding is beyond the framing and beyond the outside measurements we use to build by. Interior dimensions would be determined by subtracting the wall thickness at both outside walls.

Scuba.. footings have no direct bearing on the outside dimensions of an addition. A footing could include a 10 ledge like a lot I do to hold up the 12" thick granite walls. But the room size is still by the framing, not the siding.

 

[cutyzar]

Greetings, We, my husband and I, retired and would like to add a 16 x 16 addition to our farmhouse. It is 900 sq ft. three room, one bathroom, kitchen/dining room and tiny tiny storage laundry room. Can I use your floor plan 16 x 16 so that I can get a permit?

 

[AndyGump]

Are your walls really 9" thick?


Andy.