understanding Square Footage
Square Footage is the backbone of building. Here’s a breakdown of what it is and how to use it in your recovery.
*This information has been checked for accuracy and non-bias by licensed insurance experts and representatives from National 501c3’s specialized in insurance advocacy. We are not insurance brokers. Consult with a licensed professional about your insurance policy and specific situation.
What is
square
footage
“Square Footage” is how a physical space is measured. It’s one of the simplest calculations you can do - you multiply the length by the width. In a house, you do that same calculation for every room and add them all together.
As an example, if a bedroom is 10 feet long and 13 feet wide, you’d calculate 10 x 13 =130 square feet.
The building department has a record of your home on file that reflects the square footage you legally had permits for.
Sometimes that number doesn’t reflect exactly what you had…
what is
unpermitted
square
footage
Sometimes, especially with older houses, square footage has been added without permits. This can be an added room, enclosed porch, extra bathroom, etc.
Trying to rebuild to that same size/configuration can get tricky because the building department will require additional permits to build anything over the number they have on file.
fyi
LA County and LA City calculate square footage differently.
eaton (County)
LA County counts GRO area, including your exterior wall thickness.
palisades (City)
LA City calculates NET area, ie. inside face of exterior walls for the whole perimeter of the home.
how do I
Find what’s on file for my property
Click this link.
Enter your address.
Click on your address
Right around the middle of the screen it will say “Building Sq Ft.” That’s the total square footage the County has on file for your home.
what happens
When the records don’t match what I had
Unfortunately the Building Department will only recognize permitted square footage and your insurer may refuse to pay to replace unpermitted square footage.
There are a few situations in which your insurance company may cover unpermitted square footage, though they are not legally required to:
If they were aware of the unpermitted square footage when writing the policy
If you can prove it existed and was in use at the time of the fire
If your insurer inspected the house in person (and was therefore aware of the area)
Some policyholders have been successful in advocating for unpermitted square footage to be covered, but to do that you’ll have to start by providing proof that it existed.
If you hit a wall with this, consider discussing consulting a professional. Tugboat Claims offers a year of free support for Fire Survivors, which might be useful.
How to bring down your cost per square foot
Head over to our guide to what you can afford for a bunch of great tips on how to bring down your rebuild cost. Find that here.