What constitutes a bedroom?

[Catalytic]

http://consensus.fsu.edu/FBC/UBDW/2_bedroom_definition08.pdf

 

FBC Building Section 13- 202 Bedroom. Any residential room which has an area of 70 square feet (7 m2) or more and a clothes storage closet, and is not part of the common living area. For the purposes of this code, the number of “main†bedrooms for homes of three bedrooms or more is the total number of bedrooms less one. In one and two bedroom homes, all bedrooms are “main†bedrooms.

 

http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Realtor-said-I-don't-need-a-closet-to-call-a-room-a-bedroom-Will-this-kill-a-deal-Is-it-true/359292/

 

In the Orlando Florida MLS a room must have a closet to be considered a bedroom. You can always say in marketing remarks that a room could be converted to a bedroom. It is best not to give buyers inaccurate room counts.

 

(Actual Florida statutes regarding sewage)  http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.0065.html

 

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.

[3 ladybugs]

Zillow has it listed as a 3 bedroom 2 bath. 

 

The room with a closet that is small wouldn't count with the above criteria because it has a door that goes to the kitchen and the garage. 

 

Part of me wonders if you are looking for a beach house (which is what this is) you are looking for a beach house so you don't care about bedrooms and baths AS much. You still care but you would rather see what is available there rather then limiting yourself. KWIM? She has the big boat lift, and parking for 6 cars in her driveway (unbelievable for the beach). 

 

I think her sale will really be dependent on staging. However her neighbor says he knows someone who may want her house, and they may just want it for the land. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

The closet requirement strikes me as very odd.  Two forms of exit/entrance seems reasonable to me though.  So yes at least one window.  In a way it might not matter that a bedroom has a window if you are just going to sleep in there, but then in an emergency I can see that being a problem.

 

 

[Spryte]

Depends on your zoning laws. We just bought a 5 BR - the fifth is large, with a window, built in bookcases, and there was a large wardrobe that conveyed. Maybe the wardrobe did the trick?

[heartlikealion]

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.

 

These are my thoughts as well. You can stage it as a room, but on paper I don't think you can call it a bedroom. The room with the fireplace doesn't strike me as a bedroom. Yes, sometimes bedrooms have fire places, but generally speaking I would think "living room/family room/den" are the ones with the fire place.

 

[3 ladybugs]

These are my thoughts as well. You can stage it as a room, but on paper I don't think you can call it a bedroom. The room with the fireplace doesn't strike me as a bedroom. Yes, sometimes bedrooms have fire places, but generally speaking I would think "living room/family room/den" are the ones with the fire place.

 

You would have to see the house. The house was built in 1957 but it had a large addition across the back of the house in the 80's. The prior owner used it as a bedroom and so has my mom. It is too big to be a "den" in that house. It really should have a closet and my mom was planning on putting one in (she would have broke through a wall) but because that wall is about a foot thick and concrete, it wasn't going to be an easy task. If it was a normal wall I am sure it would have been done. 

 

I think this goes back to an old house with few closets thing. 

[Guest]

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.

This was what I was thinking. I did not have a built-in closet for half of my childhood (although I also did not have a true egress window, so maybe it's beside the point).

[Guest]

The closet requirement strikes me as very odd. Two forms of exit/entrance seems reasonable to me though. So yes at least one window. In a way it might not matter that a bedroom has a window if you are just going to sleep in there, but then in an emergency I can see that being a problem.

Yes, it is meant for safety/fire escape purposes. I remember when my sister was getting certified for foster care, she had to change her basement bedroom windows because they were not big enough to be true egress. I remember her specifically commenting on it because we both had basement bedrooms growing up and those windows would not have permitted escape in a fire. It made her shudder after the fact, to think of it.

[Pam in CT]

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.

 

That's how the zoning regulations define it here as well.  You do see real estate listings with "non-conforming" or "could be converted into" bedroom language, but to be listed on MLS as a bedroom it has to meet those three criteria.

[justasque]

I once rented a house in Florida that had five rooms on the second floor - four traditional bedrooms and one enclosed sun porch.  All had windows,  all opened onto the main hallway, none had built-in closets, and the entire house had no heat.  It was built in the 1920's.  

[heartlikealion]

You would have to see the house. The house was built in 1957 but it had a large addition across the back of the house in the 80's. The prior owner used it as a bedroom and so has my mom. It is too big to be a "den" in that house. It really should have a closet and my mom was planning on putting one in (she would have broke through a wall) but because that wall is about a foot thick and concrete, it wasn't going to be an easy task. If it was a normal wall I am sure it would have been done. 

 

I think this goes back to an old house with few closets thing. 

 

Oh I think I am using a different definition of den. I was thinking the size of a living room. My bedroom (aka den) growing up was actually kinda big and one wall was floor to ceiling bookcases.

Edited May 2, 2016 by heartlikealion

[magic]

Here a bedroom must have a closet, door and not just doorway, and an escape or egress window.

 

[solascriptura]

In PA, a bedroom must have a window and a built in closet.  No armoire.  I discovered this the hard way and needed to build in a closet (we did it in a weekend)  before listing my house.

 

[displace]

You don't have to necessarily go though walls to add a built in closet. It can be built out from a wall with drywall.