Excellent Quality Town Houses and Duplexes are usually individually designed, with much consideration given to both exterior and interior detail and refinements. While the materials and workmanship are of high quality, these costs do not represent the highest costs in town house and duplex construction.
The Excellent Quality town house is a gracious residence, with good detail and workmanship. Special attention is given to both the quality and the quantity of exterior and interior ornamentation. Better quality floor and wall coverings may be found.
Older town homes may require a plus adjustment for plaster interiors and at the same time a minus adjustment for the lack of current energy (insulation) standards. While some may have added trim and built-in features, other items such as kitchen cabinetry and mechanical items will be deficient by today's standards.
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 base residence cost. Floor covering includes very good quality carpet, hardwood, vinyl or ceramic tile. 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: Well-designed fenestration using a high-grade sash. Framing can be either wood or steel studs.
Roof: Wood or steel structure and sheathing.
Interior Finish: Walls and ceilings are well-finished drywall. Many walls will be paneled or wallpapered. Common partitions with adjacent units have very good sound-deadening attributes. Cabinets in kitchen are hardwood and will include built-in features such as desk or island bar. Countertops are ceramic tile. Bedrooms have spacious walk-in closets or wardrobes with sliding doors and will include built-in features. Doors are high-quality hardwood slab or raised panel. Base, casing and moldings are well-finished hardwood.
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: Convenience outlets throughout. Luminous fixtures in kitchen and baths.
Plumbing: The default at this quality is eleven white or colored, high-quality plumbing fixtures and one plumbing rough-in are included in the base cost. The fixtures can include any of the following: water heater, toilet, lavatory, tub, tub with shower over, tiled stall shower, wet bar, laundry tray, kitchen sink. Adjustments should be used for any deviation from eleven 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.
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 a minimum 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.