Average Quality Town Houses and Duplexes are usually constructed to local building code and will exceed the minimum requirements of mortgage insuring agencies. Overall architectural design is simple, with attention given only to the front elevation to distinguish one unit from another. The overall quality of materials and workmanship is average.
The Average Quality Town House is best described by saying that it is a national average and not a local average. Average Quality Residence costs with in this program may be above average quality or even below average quality residences for your part of the country. What is average quality for one area of the country will not necessarily be the same for other areas.
In most areas, town houses of Average Quality will be encountered more frequently than homes of other qualities. They will generally exceed FHA design and specifications. Roof slopes will increase, as well as the overhangs and complexity of the roof style. Better fenestration and ornamental trims are found on the street exposures. House shapes will be rectangular to ''L" shaped with some corners or indentations that add to the cost.
Many town homes or duplexes may require more than a casual view to determine the construction class, and an inspection must be made of the interior for reliable determination of quality. However, the experienced appraiser will notice the details of workmanship, design and exterior finish materials, which often indicate the quality to be found inside.
Some items which affect the cost and which may be observed from the exterior are roof pitch and type. Costs of shed, gable, and hip roofs generally ascend in that order. Typically, a cut-up roof requires more labor and materials than a simply designed roof.
Eave soffits and gutters, or their absence, and the trim and ornamentation should be observed, as well as the quantity and quality of fenestration.
In most cases, the interior improvements will be commensurate with the exterior, but even when they are not, the exterior design and finish have a great effect on the cost.
Summary: Fenestration, roof pitch, design, materials, and workmanship are the major indicators of cost from an exterior view. Fireplaces, porches and appliances are separate items not considered in the quality of the house, although they may be indicative of the quality of other structural items. Interiors may not conform to the exterior quality. The costs included in this program are derived from construction costs of many buildings and are medians of cost ranges.
The following will further describe building components at this quality of construction:
Foundation: Concrete perimeter foundation with continuous foundation or piers under interior bearing walls.
Floor Structure: Wood structure and subfloor or concrete slab on grade for ground level, all upper floors are wood structure and subfloor.
Floor Cover: Floor cover is not included in the basic residence cost. Floor covering includes carpet, hardwood and asphalt or vinyl composition tile or sheet. The floor cover allowance is a weighting of those typically found at this quality, and can be used if floor cover is not itemized.
Exterior Wall: Adequate fenestration using standard-grade sash. Framing can be either wood or steel studs.
Roof: Wood or steel structure and sheathing.
Interior Finish: Interior walls are taped and painted drywall. Ceilings are usually sprayed drywall with some enamel paint in kitchen and bath. Adequate wardrobe-type bedroom closets and guest closet or shelved linen closets. Cabinets in kitchen are hardwood veneer or paint-grade wood. The cabinet tops are laminated plastic or ceramic tile with splash. Interior doors are stock, hollow core or flat panel, with standard-grade hardware.
Note: Base interior wall height is 8'. For each foot of variation, the program will add to or deduct from the base cost only, 4% for all masonry exterior walls including masonry veneers and 3% for frame exterior walls.
Electrical: Adequate number of outlets and standard-grade fixtures.
Plumbing: The default at this quality is seven competitively priced, white plumbing fixtures and one plumbing rough-in are included in the basic cost. The fixtures can include any of the following: water heater, toilet, lavatory, tub, tub with shower over, tile or fiberglass stall shower, kitchen sink. Adjustments should be used for any deviation from seven fixtures and a rough-in.
Built-in Appliances: None are included in the base residence cost. The built-in appliance allowance is a weighting of those typically found at this quality level, and can be used when appliances are not itemized.
Fireplaces: None are included in the basic residence cost. Add as needed.
Porches and Balconies: Similar to the basic residence in both quality of materials and workmanship, porches and balconies are priced per square foot of floor area.
Unfinished Basement: Costs are inclusive of poured concrete or concrete block walls, concrete slab, floor drains, the necessary columns and beams to support the living area above, and an adequate number of electrical outlets.
Basement Finish: As an additive cost to an unfinished basement, costs are provided for two degrees of finish: minimal and partitioned. The minimal finish is typical of game rooms and the partitioned finish is somewhat similar in both quality of materials and workmanship to that of the base residence.
Garage: Garage costs include a reinforced concrete slab floor, an overhead door and electrical lighting, all of which conform to the residence in both quality and construction.