When you get a CubiCasa floor plan, you also get the total area of the property. We have set rules so that every scan comes out with the same logic regarding the area calculation. For the USA and Canada, this standard calculation is called Total Area.
While we try to have solutions that are all-encompassing, there will always be architectural oddities, regional habits, or simply personal preferences that will break these rules. To accommodate situations where our standardized rules may not work for you, we have tried to build up a solution that makes sense and can be easily edited without our help so you can get the output you need and are happy with.
Disclaimer: The Total Area calculation has no legal value nor does it follow any specific standard. While Total Area is designed to closely match public records and appraiser reports by including wall dimensions, it is not ANSI compliant. We support the strictly regulated ANSI-Z765 standard in the US, which is available through our GLA add-on (read more about it here).
Ground rules
Total Area includes all spaces that are:
Indoor
Finished
Enclosed
with a minimum ceiling height of 5' (or 152cm)
Important Distinction: For the USA and Canada, the Total Area measurement includes the dimensions of the external walls in the final calculation. Outdoor spaces are always excluded.
How to include an excluded space?
It's quite simple to include any indoor space by changing their properties. Here is how to do it:
Open the floor plan in our Quick Edit tool.
Click on the label of the space you want to edit.
The space properties pane appears on the right.
Check the finished and enclosed checkboxes.
Make sure the height is over 5' (or 152cm).
Need to adjust the ceiling height? If the displayed ceiling height needs to be corrected to meet the 5' threshold, you will not be able to change it yourself. Please submit a Change Request or contact our Customer Support team.
Repeat this for each space you want to include. Then save your floor plan and wait for the delivery.
Other elements
External walls
Unlike our international measurements (GIA), the Total Area metric for the US and Canada automatically includes external walls in the base measurement. If you need strictly regulated external wall measurements, you should choose our GLA add-on (read more about it here).
Outdoor areas
By definition, Outdoor areas are always excluded from the Total Area. Nevertheless, areas that are "attached" to the property such as verandas, patios, decks, porches, balconies, and terraces, will have their areas displayed on the floor plan so potential buyers can properly estimate the property area.
The following areas are excluded from the final calculation (even if screened or covered):
Balconies
Decks
Patios
Porch
Terrace
Swimming pools and bathtubs
These are ignored as they overlap spaces. Counting them would make their area count twice.
Wondering how Total Area compares to GLA?
Read our article on Understanding Total Area vs. GLA: Why Your Measurements Might Differ to learn why these numbers might not match and which one you should use.