What constitutes a bedroom?

[3 ladybugs]

My mom is about to sell her house in Florida. I would call it 3 bedroom but I could see how it could be a 1 bedroom or a 4 bedroom depending how you look at it.

 

She had 1 bedroom that has 2 closets, a private door, 2 large windows. 1 bedroom that has a private door, a wall of windows and a fireplace (no closet). 1 bedroom which has a window (egress), a private door and no closet (she uses the whole room as a closet). All of these rooms can easily accommodate a queen size bed and a large dresser and probably a chair. Then she has a room with a closet, 2 doorways (one with a door but she could put on another door), one wall of windows and another window. She could only fit a twin size bed in there. Currently she uses it as an office. It is right next to a 3/4 bath.

 

So how many bedrooms does she have?

[Mergath]

Assuming they're all egress windows, I'd probably call it a three bedroom home with an office.

[Hyacinth]

I'm with texasmom. I think it's the closet that makes it a bedroom.

[73349]

To count a room as a bedroom here, it must have a door, a window and a closet, our realtor told us. So the first bedroom and her office would count as bedrooms, if I'm reading correctly, and the others just as rooms.

[kewb]

I have heard that the room must have a closet to be cosidered a bedroom.  Your mom should speak with a realtor. 

[slackermom]

It depends on local zoning laws. Ours requires a minimum of 70 square feet, acloset, a full sized window, a door that can be closed for privacy, and that opens into a common area (not into another bedroom).

[Artichoke]

If she's on a septic system, that'll also determine the number of rooms she can claim as bedrooms.

[PeachyDoodle]

Agreeing with the closet thing. Although I know that here that's not a legal requirement. Still what most people expect, though. I think you'll have a hard time convincing buyers that it's a bedroom without one, but you should definitely talk to a Realtor.

 

We looked at a house not long ago that billed itself as three bedrooms, but one of those rooms was in the center of the house. It had a door and small closet but no windows. Apparently there's nothing in the law here that keeps a homeowner from calling that a bedroom, but it was a deal-breaker for us. Which kid do we stick in the dungeon? And I had horrible images of there being a fire or something and no way for that child to escape their bedroom. {shudder}

 

Too bad, because the master suite that had been added on was to die for...

[OneStepAtATime]

Agree, this depends on local zoning.  In our area it has to have a door, a closet and a window.  If it is missing any of these three components it cannot be consider a "bedroom" but it could be called an office or a mudroom or an exercise room or whatever else you want to call it...

[Laura Corin]

Agree, this depends on local zoning.  In our area it has to have a door, a closet and a window.  

 

That's interesting.  Built-in closets are not universal in the UK - many people have free-standing wardrobes - so it wouldn't be part of the definition.  I checked, and there is no legal definition of a bedroom here, beyond being a room usually used for sleeping.

 

For Building Control (standards for new buildings) I believe that a bedroom requires a safe exit window/door.  I think there's something about any staircase not being too narrow too.  Estate agents tend to go with those rules for descriptions, i think.

[OneStepAtATime]

That's interesting.  Built-in closets are not universal in the UK - many people have free-standing wardrobes - so it wouldn't be part of the definition.  I checked, and there is no legal definition of a bedroom here, beyond being a room usually used for sleeping.

 

For Building Control (standards for new buildings) I believe that a bedroom requires a safe exit window/door.  I think there's something about any staircase not being too narrow too.  Estate agents tend to go with those rules for descriptions, i think.

I wondered about this.  My grandmother's old house on the ranch only had one hall closet.  The bedrooms used wardrobes for a closet.  The house was built by my Scottish ancestors so they were from Europe.  I guess they didn't see the need for a built in closet.  :)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

In our area a bedroom must have a door, a window (or egress point) and a source of heat.  No closet required as many of the older homes were built before built-in closets became common.  Many use wardrobes or chiffarobes in lieu of a closet.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I think it's local to the area/state law.  For me personally I would need a window, closet, and door for privacy to call it a bedroom.  We have a similar situation.  Our house was originally a 1200 sq ft. house with 3 obvious bedrooms.  Then someone finished the upstairs.  They added a new master suite (bedroom 4) on one side of the house.  The other side has a room with a window and a closet but it leads to a room with no window and no closet..... Is that 1 or 2 more bedrooms?  The realtors here count it as 1 with bonus.

[TammyS]

I always thought in the US at least, you had to have a closet in the room for it to be considered a bedroom, but maybe that's regional? A room without a closet would be a study or "exercise room" or bonus room or something. I'd say she has a one, maybe two bedroom if you made sure it had doors. But I am not a realtor! That's how I would see it as a buyer though.

 

That's an age of the house thing.  Older homes don't have closets at all.  They have wardrobes. 

 

AFAIK, the only thing required for a room to be a "bedroom" is an egress window.  After that, it's all preference.

 

[MysteryJen]

Here a bedroom must have a window (egress if in basement), door and closet. If no closet, it is listed as a "non-conforming" bedroom.

[TammyS]

Agree, this depends on local zoning.  In our area it has to have a door, a closet and a window.  If it is missing any of these three components it cannot be consider a "bedroom" but it could be called an office or a mudroom or an exercise room or whatever else you want to call it...

 

So what about old houses that were built before closets were common?

[TammyS]

In our area a bedroom must have a door, a window (or egress point) and a source of heat.  No closet required as many of the older homes were built before built-in closets became common.  Many use wardrobes or chiffarobes in lieu of a closet.

 

A source of heat is required?  That's weird.  Loads of the houses where I live do not have heated bedrooms.  I mean loads do, but lots of the houses that date before 1970 just have heat downstairs.

[MysteryJen]

So what about old houses that were built before closets were common?

Here, they are listed as "non-conforming" bedrooms. Most people looking at older houses, at least here where they are pretty rare, understand the closet/bedroom issue.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

A source of heat is required?  That's weird.  Loads of the houses where I live do not have heated bedrooms.  I mean loads do, but lots of the houses that date before 1970 just have heat downstairs.

Yep, we found that out when we bought our current house, c 1920.

[Lady Florida.]

Agreeing with those who say it's not just a matter of opinion. I'd have her check with a local realtor for the definition.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[3 ladybugs]

I didn't even think of heat! All of them have heat/central AC.

 

So if she were to go to Ikea and get 2 wardrobes and stop by Home Depot and get a door, she would have a 4 bedroom house?

[UCF612]

Our last house was 2 official bedrooms and one bonus room. The bedrooms had closets, bonus room didn't. When we were selling we listed it for a bit as two bedrooms, then switched it to 3 bedrooms. A lot of people who toured said they didn't understand it as 3 bedrooms because the bonus room was being used as a playroom. So we set up a bed in that room and nobody mentioned it again. It sold within a few days of adding that bed! The bed was actually just an air mattress on milk crates done up with nice bedding. So assuming you can legally list as bedrooms I recommend making them look like bedrooms for showings.

Edited May 1, 2016 by UCF612

[OneStepAtATime]

So what about old houses that were built before closets were common?

I assume, as mentioned up thread, that it would have to be listed as non-conforming, but I really don't know.  Good question.

 

There aren't a ton of really old houses here, though.  "Old" is considered a house from the 1940's or 1950's.  There are some that are older but not many.  This are used to be highly agricultural, with only a few scattered tiny towns.  All that land got converted to housing and businesses in the past few decades so they are all more recent construction.  I guess that makes a huge difference in the local rules.

[Sun]

I didn't even think of heat! All of them have heat/central AC.

 

So if she were to go to Ikea and get 2 wardrobes and stop by Home Depot and get a door, she would have a 4 bedroom house?

 

I don't think so, at least not where I live, and probably not there either if a closet is required. If a closet is necessary for it to be a bedroom, it might be worth hiring someone to add closets to those two rooms because that could make a big difference when selling. If it only has two legal bedrooms, then someone who is looking for four would probably never see it when house hunting because the MLS information would generally have to be entered as two bedrooms, not four. You really need to talk to a realtor there.

 

[displace]

I didn't even think of heat! All of them have heat/central AC.

 

So if she were to go to Ikea and get 2 wardrobes and stop by Home Depot and get a door, she would have a 4 bedroom house?

 

If she made them built in closets (which can be built), if that's what the Florida definition is, yes? A Florida realtor would know.

[LucyStoner]

Around here I see listings for houses where some or all of the bedrooms lack closets. A lot of older homes don't have them unless they have been remodeled extensively. You need to check the local codes.

[3 ladybugs]

She was listing it herself. She lives on the beach and this house was built in 1957. It is on the water with a boat lift and a dock. She plans to list it on Zillow.

 

I think she needs to stage it but I don't know she will. She will not list it for a month so I have time to work on her. 😉

[historically accurate]

In our area, a bedroom has to have 2 entrances/exits (usually a door & window), a minimum square foot (70), and have a ceiling height of 6'4". If the bedroom has a sloped ceiling at least 50% of the room must be over 6'. If there are ducts, etc coming down from the ceiling, they cannot be lower than 6'4" from the floor. Nothing about closets, but I think realtors really want to see closets in order to list the house as a bedroom. 

[displace]

FYI, Florida building.org states it must be 70 conditioned? squared feet, along an exterior wall, have a closet and egress and a door (or a door can easily be installed). Plus some other stuff.

 

If the size and other structure requirements fit, installing a closet may make them a bedroom.

[Ellie]

My mom is about to sell her house in Florida. I would call it 3 bedroom but I could see how it could be a 1 bedroom or a 4 bedroom depending how you look at it.

 

She had 1 bedroom that has 2 closets, a private door, 2 large windows. 1 bedroom that has a private door, a wall of windows and a fireplace (no closet). 1 bedroom which has a window (egress), a private door and no closet (she uses the whole room as a closet). All of these rooms can easily accommodate a queen size bed and a large dresser and probably a chair. Then she has a room with a closet, 2 doorways (one with a door but she could put on another door), one wall of windows and another window. She could only fit a twin size bed in there. Currently she uses it as an office. It is right next to a 3/4 bath.

 

So how many bedrooms does she have?

 

There is probably a legal definition of "bedroom." In California, at least at one time, there had to be a closet for it to be a bedroom. By that definition, she has two bedrooms.

[Saddlemomma]

A bedroom must include a closet.  I recently confirmed this with a realtor because we were thinking of making our two offices into a master bedroom w/master bath (neither room has a closet).  I wanted to know if it would improve the value of our home in the future. The realtor stated we would definitely need to build in a closet ts for the MBR to count as a BR.  

[Tammyla]

Check your local codes.  Here a bedroom has to have a closed and window.

[Lolly]

Check the local laws. It will vary by location. I would probably call it 3 plus and office. If it is in a highly desirable rental area, I might put up a door and call it four. I believe here bedrooms have to have a door and a window. No closet required. They also must open into a heated space. We have an obvious bedroom in an unfinished basement. It has a door, closet, large window, and private adjoining bath. We can't call it a bedroom because it opens into the unfinished garage area. Of course, it is a bedroom anyway. We have a full bed, three twin beds (not bunks), a dresser, and a desk in the room... If we listed it, we would have to call it an office with a full bathroom...

Edited May 1, 2016 by Lolly

[Tanaqui]

For house sale purposes, I think it has to have a closet and a window. For living in purposes, I think it just has to have a bed.

 

Our second floor apartment has two bedrooms because they built some fugly extension to make a closet. Every day I look at that thing and wish they hadn't bothered.

 

A source of heat is required?  That's weird.  Loads of the houses where I live do not have heated bedrooms.  I mean loads do, but lots of the houses that date before 1970 just have heat downstairs.

 

You must live somewhere fairly warm. I've never heard of a home in my area without a radiator in every room.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've seen people word these sorts of rooms that could be used for various things as a "bonus room". 

[Carol in Cal.]

Here in CA you're supposed to have a closet for a room to be called a bedroom.

So our cabin, for instance, was described as having two bedrooms plus two additional sleeping rooms, because two of the bedrooms didn't have closets.  

 

You really have to check the local laws and customs, and one way to do that (as well as to learn other 'typical' descriptors) is to read listings on realtor.com and visit local open houses.

[QueenCat]

Closet, window that opens, door, heat.

[Pink and Green Mom]

We had a bonus room/bathroom combo above our garage on a previous house.  Because we wanted it to be listed as a 5 bedroom, we had a handy man come in and create a closet.  It took very little time and was not expensive at all.  A corner, a few sheets of drywall, a shelf/pole combo, and a set of doors. 

[Annie G]

I have an old house and I looked our property tax assessment up- it lists number of bedrooms, etc. and it's what our local realtors use when they list a house.  We have two bedrooms with closets and two without and our assessment lists five bedrooms, meaning our upstairs living room is being considered a bedroom.  (I can see that, as it has a door to close it off and windows, but no closet).  I also looked at the real estate listing they used when we bought the house and it lists five bedrooms. 

 

I think because of the age of our house that they are fine calling a room a bedroom even if it has no built in closet.  I kind of think it's odd that a closet is what makes a bedroom. I think big enough for a bed and a door for privacy are essential but a closet? Naw. 

 

Some places have much tighter building codes and regulations....like California. Here in NW Illinois they are more flexible. 

[4ofus]

In our area, as far as I know, a closet, a door, a window. 

[sheryl]

I didn't read post or replies; only title.

 

The real estate definition of a bedroom is a room that has a closet and window.   The window has to meet certain dimension requirements, I think, and I don't know if the closet can be "floating" or if it must be "built-in".

 

 

[ondreeuh]

I agree with many of the previous posters - here a bedroom has to have an egress window and a closet, plus you can't exceed what the septic is approved for. Our house has a 3-bd septic system, and it has three legal bedrooms plus a huge den. The den functions as a bedroom and we use a bedroom as a school room ... eventually we will upgrade the septic and frame in a closet, and it will officially be a 4 bd house at that point.

[JFSinIL]

Older houses might have furniture to hold clothes instead of a closet. I think if a person can sleep in it, and it has a door at a window, it is a bedroom. Sounds like most folks expect a closet, though, so I think your mom has a 2 bedroom house with additional office and multipurpose room. She could buy a wardrobe to put in one of the rooms lacking a closet and call it a guestroom, perhaps.

Edited May 2, 2016 by JFSinIL

[Reflections]

My mom is about to sell her house in Florida. I would call it 3 bedroom but I could see how it could be a 1 bedroom or a 4 bedroom depending how you look at it.

 

She had 1 bedroom that has 2 closets, a private door, 2 large windows. 1 bedroom that has a private door, a wall of windows and a fireplace (no closet). 1 bedroom which has a window (egress), a private door and no closet (she uses the whole room as a closet). All of these rooms can easily accommodate a queen size bed and a large dresser and probably a chair. Then she has a room with a closet, 2 doorways (one with a door but she could put on another door), one wall of windows and another window. She could only fit a twin size bed in there. Currently she uses it as an office. It is right next to a 3/4 bath.

 

So how many bedrooms does she have?

 

1 "bedroom" with 2 closets = bedroom #1

 

1 "bedroom"  with no closet = bonus room/office #1

 

1 "bedroom" with no closet = bonus room/office #2

 

1 "bedroom" with 1 closet = bedroom #2 (add the door)

 

She has a 2 bedroom home with 2 bonus rooms.  If she ignores it and lists the home as a true 4 bedroom, be prepared that when the buyer has a home inspection the inspector will point it out to the buyer.  And when they have an appraisal done, (required for all buyers in Florida, except those paying cash) the appraiser will for sure point it out.  

 

And in Florida, when listing, even though it's on the form, there really isn't something called a 3/4 bath.  Most list it as full bath that only has a shower.  Purists exist, but I'd just list it as a full.

 

 

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.0065.html

 

(b)1. “Bedroom†means a room that can be used for sleeping and that:

a. For site-built dwellings, has a minimum of 70 square feet of conditioned space;

b. For manufactured homes, is constructed according to the standards of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and has a minimum of 50 square feet of floor area;

c. Is located along an exterior wall;

d. Has a closet and a door or an entrance where a door could be reasonably installed; and

e. Has an emergency means of escape and rescue opening to the outside in accordance with the Florida Building Code.

2. A room may not be considered a bedroom if it is used to access another room except a bathroom or closet.

3. “Bedroom†does not include a hallway, bathroom, kitchen, living room, family room, dining room, den, breakfast nook, pantry, laundry room, sunroom, recreation room, media/video room, or exercise room.

 

 

*edited, missed the other bonus room.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Reflections

[horsellian]

I find this closet thing interesting, as in the UK many houses don't have any closets. The closet-required definition turns my parents 7 bed with an office/study house into a 1 bed house (and that bedroom is the office/study, which has built in bookshelves on two walls, and a built in cupboard!)

[heartlikealion]

I thought it needed a closet to be considered a bedroom, regardless of whether the person living there compensates for that with a wardrobe. When I was growing up my parents gave me the den as a bedroom. It was technically not a bedroom, though because there was no closet. They bought me a wardrobe/armoire.

 

Maybe she could advertise it by naming the other rooms

 

2 bedrooms

den

office

 

or something like that

 

The buyer might look at that and decide for themselves if they actually need an office and what else they would use it for. Depending on where she is advertising, there may be a chance to include photos so people can decide for themselves what would actually fit there. Maybe even stage it as a bedroom if you want to show off "the bed will fit" or whatever.

[Catalytic]

Pretty sure in FL it must have an egress window and a closet to be called a bedroom.  The realtor will know how to list it, and will likely call it a Xbedroom with bonus room(s)

[Catalytic]

I didn't even think of heat! All of them have heat/central AC.

 

So if she were to go to Ikea and get 2 wardrobes and stop by Home Depot and get a door, she would have a 4 bedroom house?

 

That would not have sufficed the last time I house shopped in Florida (Brevard County to be specific), but that was over 20 years ago.

[Catalytic]

I didn't even think of heat! All of them have heat/central AC.

 

So if she were to go to Ikea and get 2 wardrobes and stop by Home Depot and get a door, she would have a 4 bedroom house?

 

That would not have sufficed the last time I house shopped in Florida (Brevard County to be specific), but that was over 20 years ago.

[DawnM]

Wardrobes don't count here at all.  It must have a built in closet to be called a bedroom.

 

However, many homes are listed as "4 bedroom plus bonus flex area/possible 5th bedroom"  BUT, that means those searching ONLY for 5 bedrooms won't be able to pull up that listing if the criteria is 5 bedrooms.