The following activities are exempted from the provisions of this chapter: (1) The practice of engineering by a professional engineer licensed under the provisions of chapter 391, and the performance by such professional engineer of architectural work for which such professional engineer is qualified by education and experience and which is incidental to such professional engineer’s engineering work; (2) the construction or alteration of a residential building to provide dwelling space for not more than two families, or of a private garage or other accessory building intended for use with such residential building, or of any farm building or structure for agricultural use; (3) the preparation of details and shop drawings by persons other than architects, for use in execution of the work of such persons, when buildings are designed in accordance with the requirements of this chapter; (4) the activities of employees of architects licensed in this state acting under the instructions, control or supervision of their employers; (5) the superintendence by builders, or properly qualified superintendents employed by such builders, of the construction or structural alteration of buildings or structures; (6) the activities of officers and employees of any public utility corporation whose operations are under the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority; (7) the activities of officers and employees of the government of the United States while engaged in this state in the practice of architecture for said government; and (8) the making of plans and specifications for or supervising the erection of any building, any building addition or any alteration to an existing building, where the building, including any addition, contains less than five thousand square feet total area, provided (A) this subdivision shall not be construed to exempt from the provisions of this chapter buildings of less than five thousand square feet total area of the use groups as defined in the State Building Code as follows: Assembly, educational, institutional, high hazard, transient residential, which includes hotels, motels, rooming or boarding houses, dormitories and similar buildings, and (B) the area specified in this subdivision is to be calculated from the exterior dimensions of the outside walls of the building and shall include all occupiable floors or levels.