Overview
Broadly speaking, what story a room is on doesn't impact underlying math behind load calculations.
However, we offer them for two reasons:
It helps organize/label rooms in a way we typically think about them in homes, i.e., by story (or floor)
These labels can then be used in reports and other areas of the app
Assigning stories in Amply activates a few shortcuts:
For example, if you've told the app in the general section of the building profile that it is a two-story home with a unconditoned basement then:
When you assign a room to the second story, we will automatically assume the ceiling is an exposed attic and the floor is interior
When you assign a room the 1st story, we will automatically assume the ceiling is interior and the floor is over an enclosed crawl or basement
How to set the story of a room while scanning
While scanning, use the story selector in the lower left-hand corner of the screen:
Change the story of an existing room
Open the room, and look for the story selector in the upper right-hand corner of the sidebar. Tap to make changes.
Special notes about the "below grade" story
If you assign a room to a "below grade" story several assumptions are automatically changed:
Ceilings are assumed to be interior
Floors are auto changed to "slab below grade"
Walls are changed to an 8 inch concrete material with an average below grade depth of 6 feet
Not seeing a below-grade option? If you're looking for the below-grade option but not seeing, it means that you have not indicated in the project Building Profile -> General that there is a conditioned below-grade area of the home. If you have conditioned below grade areas of the home, be sure to toggle on the "Conditioned Basement" toggle:
