FEMA diagram 6 question

I've been told that, as well, by the local flood plain manager. The enlcosure under a 6 or 7 is always just enclosure, even if it is garage, and likewise, you put N/A on the garage elevation.

just off a conference call with some underwriter. I asked her where in the FEMA instructions does it say that I need to map the interior spaces to determine which vents affect different areas. she said that they use the plural "enclosures" so that means she has to know if the 'garage' is properly vented as well as the storage area.

Really? now my eye is twitching and I need some dinner !!

I told her in 13 years surveying coastal Lee county, I've never heard of anyone asking for that.

Mayabe this is what she wants to know

Each enclosed area must have a minimum of two openings. If there are multiple enclosed areas within the foundation walls, each area must have at least two openings in its exterior walls.

Lamon,

So if they have walled off a small storage area inside the main enclosure, we are to map those walls and the locations of the vents that open to them?

Honestly, have NEVER had anyone ask for that level of detail. I would have to basically create a floor plan map for about 90% of the homes I do and attach it to the form.
Many of the smaller interior enclosures will then be NON conforming, since they might have only one vent, or none, encompassed in that space.

builders usually just space them out evenly down the wall.

Sorry, but this seems like a can of worms that is not being thought through.

ANdy

So we'd have to have owners install vents in interior walls now, since they've become "exterior" under this interpretation on " enclosures".

Can I count an interior-exterior vent twice, once for each small enclosure side? The effects of this theory are pretty far reaching.

The bottom line is you get some underwriters that are a real PITA. The form says you have to measure square footage of the enclosure and/or a attached garage, but I've never seen anywhere where it says you have to verify if each room of the enclosure has enough vents for that room's square footage.

That theory does make sense, but I never seen anything saying it's a surveyor's job to do such things. Thankfully, I have a local flood insurance agent that really knows his stuff, and I tell the client that they should contact him when their insurance/underwriter has a meltdown.

Just this week I had to reissue a elevation certificate because the underwriter did not like the way the I dated the photos. I normally write "Photographs Taken: 6/28/2012" at the top of the photo section, then write the location "Front, Rear, etc." under each photo. This underwriter wanted each photo dated separately, as if I has made several trips to the house on different days to take photographs .... geez ...

Assuming I'm understanding you correctly, I've had two cases where floodplain managers have told me that enclosures within the main enclosure must also be adequately vented.

In my cases, these inside enclosures have been storage areas under stairs going up to the main floor and storage closets. None of them have been livable space.

In A8, I use the area of the main enclosure, as measured from the outside. I, then, describe the interior enclosures, their areas and venting(or lack thereof) in the comments section.

my response...

Attached is my revised FEMA following the phone call with Dxxx. There is a small enclosure inside the overall enclosed space that has no vents. I have added comments to define the two "enclosures" as the insurance company asked. I will not revise the form to show the enclosure as a garage, or add the elevation of the slab in C2(d), or change the total area of the enclosure. I hope this helps in the process.