Western Incorporated Has Two Service Departments (Human Resources and Building

Western Incorporated has two service departments (Human Resources and Building Maintenance) and two production departments (Machining and Assembly) . The company allocates Building Maintenance cost on the basis of square footage and believes that Building Maintenance provides more service than Human Resources. The square footage occupied by each department follows. $\begin{array} { | l | r | } \hline \text { Human Resources } & 3,500 \\\hline \text { Building Maintenance } & 8,700 \\\hline \text { Machining } & 9,900 \\\hline \text { Assembly } & 15,000 \\\hline\end{array}$ Over how many square feet would the Building Maintenance cost be allocated (i.e., spread) with the direct method and the step-down method? $\begin{array} { | l | c | c | c | } \hline & \begin{array} { c } \text { Direct } \\\text { Method }\end{array} && \begin{array} { c } \text { Step-Down } \\\text { Method }\end{array} \\\hline 1 & 24.900 & & 28.400 \\\hline 2 & 24.900 & & 37.100 \\\hline 3 & 28.400 & & 24,900 \\\hline 4 & 37.100 & & 24.900 \\\hline 5 & 28.400 & & 37.100 \\\hline\end{array}$

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5