Square Foot Schedules

[ValleyGuy]

3 hours ago, SHCanada2 said:

so million dollar question, where is your total for all floors coming from (it's own one line schedule?)

It isn't from a separate schedule. The individual floor values come from CAD poly lines with a macro in the label. The total is a macro formula in a Rich Text box. 

 

[SHCanada2]

too bad, I was hoping for a non polyline solution. just be careful if those macros are using global variables. If those are on different sheets than the actual floor, and if you have two open floor plans, you may get results from the other floor plan.

 

[ValleyGuy]

1 minute ago, SHCanada2 said:

too bad, I was hoping for a non polyline solution. just be careful if those macros are using global variables. If those are on different sheets than the actual floor, and if you have two open floor plans, you may get results from the other floor plan.

 

I exhausted everything I knew to get a total from a schedule and came up short. 
You are right about the different poly lines on different layers / multiple plans messing up the numbers. I scratched my head and said a few bad words until I figured that out. 

[SHCanada2]

12 minutes ago, ValleyGuy said:

You are right about the different poly lines on different layers / multiple plans messing up the numbers. I scratched my head and said a few bad words until I figured that out

There is only one way I know to avoid that, and that is to use the filename as a key/check on the variable.

 

Did you find another way?

 

[ValleyGuy]

Just now, SHCanada2 said:

There is only one way I know to avoid that, and that is to use the filename as a key/check on the variable.

 

Did you find another way?

 

I just keep all of the CAD poly line boxes on my Terrain Working SPV. I just cut and paste to the upper and lower floors - then back again to the home base parked off to the side.  I'm barely out of the staring blocks on macros so there isn't much depth of experience to draw from. 

[SHCanada2]

that's the "keep all of the items which contribute to the global variables and the resulting calculations, on the same view" method. That works well, you just cant move the resultant calculations off that view.

 

I'm guessing with CA doing more and more on work on schedules lately, there will be a schedule solution to this soon

 

 

 

[ValleyGuy]

3 minutes ago, SHCanada2 said:

I'm guessing with CA doing more and more on work on schedules lately, there will be a schedule solution to this soon

 

 

It's greatly appreciated that CA is putting some good effort towards schedules, that's for sure.  Did you ever find out how the other programs handle this total sqft issue? 

[SHCanada2]

well i just looked around and cannot even find user doc for SP or archicad. SP looks like it has a concept of an area object, just cant tell if it is live or not

 

[Renerabbitt]

I have stated this before, and unfortunately this is not one of those things that I would give away for free as others sell a similar system. All I am willing to tell you is that it is totally doable without the need of a rich text box. 
My next version of the Pro Plan has an expanded area analysis that is very easy to adapt to many different conditions. It only requires one polyline for the lot size. The rest is done automatically. 

[SHCanada2]

no argument that it is not doable, as I already do it as well without polylines (except for the lot),...but it is not implementable in a simple manner. 

 

I just think it should be available OOTB, or described by CA as to how to configure it OOTB. ...in other words a standard(live - non polyline) solution by CA

 

 

 

[Joe_Carrick]

3 minutes ago, SHCanada2 said:

I just think it should be available OOTB, or described by CA as to how to configure it OOTB. ...in other words a standard solution by CA

 

There are various rules depending on the jurisdiction so a standard solution by CA wouldn't work except in just a few cases.

IAE, if CA did provide one then the work Rene, Michael, myself and others who sell a system would be devalued.

 

FWIW, my system using named polylines has no problems with multiple floors because I use one plan for the site and referenced plans for each floor.  All the macros are thereby visible and executed.

[SHCanada2]

On 12/11/2024 at 4:08 PM, Renerabbitt said:

Its only using a global variable for my polyline based Lot Perimeter

well you sort of gave it away at least for the rudimentary totals which have been on all plans since the beginning of time

 

using the macro I suggested above (which I assume you have similar but maybe not  ), and using schedules to group similar without the room name one can get the rudimentary floor and living area totals:

 

 

I suppose one could then add in any number of additional flags in the OIP for garages, porches, above grade, parcel coverage etc.

 

and thinking about how SP assigns "areas" for their sq ft totals, I suppose just putting the flag in the room is a similar concept, just not quite as pretty.

 

 

 

I am curious how your snippet above could be done without a rich text box...and if that also includes without shifting if, say a new floor is added. I will have to play around.

 

I suppose they could just all be text boxes or text boxes and schedules, but then if a floor was added they would need to be moved around. That is the advantage of doing it all in a rich text box with a couple macros...they auto adjust vertical size.

 

You are making me rethink mine which is currently a rich text box and is fully dynamic with:

AREA SUMMARY

 

%allarearef_2%

 

%allarearef_2_basement%

 

PARCEL COVERAGE

 

%parcelCoverage%

 

which yields on layout:

 

 

 

the only downside I see so far is the schedules don't always update with the macro changing the underlying global variable ...I think I saw you post about that a little while ago. I'll have to go back

 

 

...and the only other issue I see for using schedules is up here, the city wants to know total above grade and finished area below grade (as that is what the assessment works off of as finished basements only contribute ~10k to the house value), and the schedule tool only allows one to pick one floor or all. I suppose one could put in an OIP or two to add a couple flags, but that seems like a total work around and subject to error

 

[Renerabbitt]

14 hours ago, SHCanada2 said:

.and the only other issue I see for using schedules is up here, the city wants to know total above grade and finished area below grade (as that is what the assessment works off of as finished basements only contribute ~10k to the house value), and the schedule tool only allows one to pick one floor or all. I suppose one could put in an OIP or two to add a couple flags, but that seems like a total work around and subject to error

Can you expand on this?

[SHCanada2]

39 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

Can you expand on this?

on what they want to see here?

 

99% of houses in the west have basements. New house plans will typically show the above grade floors and the basement. The basement plan usually shows an outline of a "future" bathroom so that this gets rough in in the concrete floor.

 

So new house plans will always show each floor sq ft, and the sum of above grade on the first page of the plans (or in the title block). The basement below grade is reported as "finished area" if it is actually being finished (which is rare unless it is a walkout basement). Finished area excludes furnace room.

 

sq ft for above grade is just the area to the outside walls (includes stairwells, atriums, etc) although I have seen plans submitted to the city that the Architect excludes open to below, my guess to try and reduce the sq ft for property tax assessment purposes. But by bylaw here, sq footage is to outside wall for above grade.

 

And it is rare to see total sq footage to include basement, even if they are finishing it, as the tax department has two seperate fields (above and below grade sq footage). And the tax guy told me they only assign a value of ~10k. so like ten dollars a sq foot, so no one wants that area to be included in the actual above grade area.

 

 

 

multi family apartment:

 

 

[Joe_Carrick]

 

1 hour ago, SHCanada2 said:

99% of houses in the west have basements

 

Really ???  -  Maybe in some northern areas but not in most of the US.

 

But the rest of your post just illustrates how every jurisdiction and every home requires different information.

I've needed to show:

• Property Area
• Buildable Area - inside setbacks
• Each Floor Area
  • Livable
  • Non-Livable - Garage, Storage, Utility
  • Conditioned
• Impervious
  • (Roof Drip Line - plus Paving, etc not under the Drip Line)
• Pervious (Landscaping and other materials that will allow water to soak in)
• % of Lot Coverage (Bldg Footprint)
• Floor Area Ratio (Total Floor / Property Area)

In some jurisdictions Pools and Ponds are counted as Impervious and in others they are not.

 

Stairways, Elevators, etc are only counted on one floor.  Open Below is not counted.

 

There just isn't a single solution that covers every case.

[SHCanada2]

53 minutes ago, Joe_Carrick said:

Really ??? 

in western Canada (excluding BC), yes