I did an elevation certificate on a house, diagram 5, that had a carport. Behind the carport was a workshop that is diagram 1B and is not attached to the main house by any common walls. It is however attached by a roofline. Insurance company is telling me that the workshop is part of the house and needs to be the lowest floor as it shares a common roofline, according to FEMA guidelines. I was thinking of just doing a separate elevation certificate for the workshop as I do not think that the workshop should be considered part of the main house. If the workshop had to flood it would not impact the main house.
Any thoughts as what would be the correct solution?
> I did an elevation certificate on a house, diagram 5, that had a carport. Behind the carport was a workshop that is diagram 1B and is not attached to the main house by any common walls. It is however attached by a roofline. Insurance company is telling me that the workshop is part of the house and needs to be the lowest floor as it shares a common roofline, according to FEMA guidelines. I was thinking of just doing a separate elevation certificate for the workshop as I do not think that the workshop should be considered part of the main house. If the workshop had to flood it would not impact the main house.
>
> Any thoughts as what would be the correct solution?
Tell the insurance company you feel it is a detached building, and not part of the house which is why you said the building is a type 5. We run into this a lot the insurance company always wants to change the building type so they can charge more, then when the client files a claim they will say that isn't part of the house, you better get hold of the surveyor and ask him why he called it a building 1B.
If they tear down the breeze way then is it a stand alone shed.
Anytime we get a called do an elevation certificate and the garage is detached we tell the client it will take a separate elevation certificate which we be an addition fee, if they want to insurance the garage they get it, if they don't insurance the garage they can save their money.
I am beginning to think this insurance agent is not very experienced at dealing with elevation certificates. Now they want me to change the building diagram from a 5 to a 6 because the hot water heater that is located on a concrete pedestal adjacent the house on the outside is partially enclosed.
I had a similar situation on a house I did an elevation certificate on last year, I believe.
Let me look through my notes and see what they told me. I have several conversations with a FEMA rep about this.
Edit:
I found my notes, and according to a phone conversation with a FEMA Representative on 10/5/2012, if the structures are connected with a roof, they are considered one (1) building structure.
Here is a picture:
I hope this helps.
Jimmy
> I had a similar situation on a house I did an elevation certificate on last year, I believe.
>
> Let me look through my notes and see what they told me. I have several conversations with a FEMA rep about this.
>
> Edit:
> I found my notes, and according to a phone conversation with a FEMA Representative on 10/5/2012, if the structures are connected with a roof, they are considered one (1) building structure.
>
> Here is a picture:
>
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Jimmy
I agree I would call this one building, since that is how it was design by an Architect and this is a house on slab, but changing from a building type 5 to a 1 is a big difference in insurance.
Can you post a picture of the house, shed, and roof line?
Here is a photo. The structure on the right is the workshop behind the carport, slab on grade, and the structure on the left is the main house, post and pier.
