Structure

Structure

Now we move from the land to the building on it. This module covers four sections: Disaster Mitigation, Energy Efficient and Green Features, the Sketch, and the Dwelling Exterior. The first two appear only when there's something to report. The last two are on every URAR.

Built to take a hit

Disaster Mitigation is new. It captures features that prevent or reduce damage from natural disasters. Think water heater strapping, a fortified roof, flood vents, storm shutters, or a storm shelter. If there are none, the section stays off the report. When it appears, commentary is required.

Three kinds of green

This section displays when you know of at least one of three things. Renewable energy components, like solar or geothermal, with each one's ownership: owned, leased, or a power purchase agreement. If it's owned, note any financing tied to it. Building certifications, like LEED or NGBS Green, with the organization, the certification, and its year, version, and rating when available. And efficiency ratings, like a HERS score, with the organization, the rating, and the score. Then one impact for all of it. If you can't measure it, choose Neutral and explain why.

Measured, and on the record

The Sketch section is always on the report, with a sketch or floor plan of the dwellings and outbuildings. No sketch? It reads Sketch or Floor Plan Not Available, and you explain why in Sketch Commentary. With one, report the Measurement Standard: ANSI, AMS, or Other. Other covers a state that requires a different standard, or a property where a standard doesn't apply, like a condo in a mid-rise. ANSI declarations go in the commentary.

One section per dwelling

Dwelling Exterior repeats for every dwelling on the property. On a two to four unit property, each dwelling gets a Structure Identifier, like Building 2 or Rear, that labels it throughout the report. Units in Structure counts the living units in or attached to this dwelling, ADUs included. For a condo, it's just the subject unit. Attached homes get a Structure Design, like rowhouse or mid-rise. Detached homes get a Dwelling Style, like ranch or colonial. Townhouses add four quick answers: end unit, back to back, units above or below, and if so, top, middle, or bottom.

How high, how old, how built

Front Door Elevation is new: the approximate height from grade to the bottom of the front door, in one-foot bands. Watch the edges. Exactly two feet is one to two feet. Two feet and one inch is two to three. In a condo building, use the unit's door. A third floor unit is ten or more feet. Year Built is when the original structure was completed. An estimate shows with a tilde. Construction Method can be site built, modular, manufactured, 3D technology, and more, and you can pick more than one. Manufactured opens the Manufactured Home section.

Living area with a backstory

A Converted Area started life as something else, like a garage or porch, and is now living area. Report what it used to be, and whether its finish is superior, similar, or inferior to the rest of the house. Finished basements don't count here. Noncontinuous Finished Area is finished space attached to the dwelling with no direct way in from the living area. Picture a bonus room you can only reach through the garage. It's for single-unit properties only. Combine every such space into one total area, with a count of each room type.

Rate the outside

The exterior Quality and Condition block appears when the homeowner is responsible for all exterior maintenance. It carries an Exterior Quality Rating, Q1 to Q6, and an Exterior Condition Rating, C1 to C6. Condition is absolute, not relative, and assumes required repairs are done. The Exterior Features table backs those ratings up: walls and trim, foundation, roof, and windows, plus any other significant feature you add. Detail is specific: wall material, foundation material and type, roof material, and roughly how long since the roof was replaced. Can't see the roof, say under snow? It shows as Unobservable, and you explain why in the commentary.

Damaged, but does it work?

Each exterior feature also gets a Condition Status. There are four. New or Like New. Typical Wear and Tear. Damaged and Functional. And Damaged and Nonfunctional. The line between the last two is function. A worn, patched roof with no leaks still works. An active leak doesn't. Specific problems go in Apparent Defects, Damages, Deficiencies. Recommend a repair, and the status reflects the repaired state, and the report is made subject to it.

Heat, cool, and the rest

Mechanical System Details always displays. Report each permanent heating system and its fuel. No heat at all? Say whether that's typical for the market. Cooling is None, centralized, or individual. Core Heating System Below Grade asks whether the furnace or other main heat source sits below grade. And Other Mechanical Systems lists extras like a sump pump or radon mitigation. Nothing to list, no row.

Five things to remember

Quick recap. One. Disaster Mitigation and Green Features appear only when there's something to report. Two. The sketch always shows, with its measurement standard, or a reason it's missing. Three. Front Door Elevation is new, measured to the unit's door. Four. Converted and noncontinuous areas are reported on their own. Five. Condition Status turns on function, rated as if repairs are done. Next up: manufactured homes.