What makes a closet

A bedroom needs to have an exterior egress, so a window of adequate size or a door would have to lead to the exterior. Not having an exterior egress would immediately disqualify the room from being a bedroom. Thank you again. The appraiser is not counting one upstairs room as a bedroom even though it is clearly a bedroom.

It easily meets all the requirements you list above, and even has a closet, though the closet door is short so you have to stoop to reach into it. Hi Shawn. Why did the appraiser not consider it a bedroom? Does it not have a heat source maybe? Is it directly connected to the house? Was the second story not permitted? I might recommend asking the appraiser why it was not considered a bedroom to see what the appraiser says.

You can always cut and paste any information about IRC or local code to help show the room does count. The appraiser might have a compelling reason. One other thing to consider is whether the room not labeled as a bedroom had any impact on value or not. The room is upstairs right next to two other bedrooms and a bathroom. Definitely directly accessible. As far as we know, the second story is original construction. The entire upstairs is without central heat and air.

Where can I find the local code or irc about counting bedrooms? Do they apply to older houses, or only new construction? Is there a written standard the appraiser is referring to? I think not personally, but there may be some wisdom there. I believe I linked to the code above or at least referenced the section of the code about bedrooms. I have asked for her documentation. It looks like it used to be a link at one point. Very informative blog post.

Glad I came across it. I own an old home in East Sacramento and have had some issues getting it properly appraised. The home had 2 rooms put on as an extension in succession. No hallway etc.

The method to get to the furthest room is to walk through the nearer room. Both rooms have closets, exterior windows and doors. When we bought the home it was positioned such that both rooms were counted as bedrooms. Is this true? If not, the loss of an official bedroom greatly hurts my value, and I need to figure out a way to appeal. Otherwise it sounds like you only have one bedroom for this set-up.

I think it depends too on how many other bedrooms you already have. For instance, there can be a bigger value difference between homes with 2 bedrooms vs. Because buyers buy based on so many other factors including layout, location, condition, etc…. There is no automatic adjustment that is given for a 3-bedroom vs. Sometimes they sell on par, but other times there is a value difference.

If there is a premium for a 4th bedroom, at times it is not just about the bedroom, but about the larger size compared to the three bedroom. Now if you are assessed at 4 bedrooms, I would recommend telling them you have only 3 bedrooms in case their formula will reduce your taxes.

I have room that is 75 square It has a closet but I have excluded it from the measurement It is a L shaped room not square. Hi Jparker. Thanks for reaching out. If you want, send me an email with the dimensions or a rough sketch so I can help answer your question as best as I can obviously. Or you can take a quick YouTube clip and send me a private link seconds please so I can maximize my time here.

Glad to help. Take care. Thanks for the image. That looks like a bedroom to me, though it is definitely on the small side. Sometimes when I walk through a house I do also consider the size of other bedrooms in a house when I make the determination of what something is. For instance, I appraised a very custom home recently where all bedrooms were large, but there was one tiny room that technically met the requirements for a bedroom.

This room was likely meant as a Den by the builder because of the clear size difference when compared to the other bedrooms, and in my opinion it was likely the market would see it as a Den also.

This one looks like it just makes it, but the appraiser is going to have to ask how buyers would see this room too. There are technical definitions so we can define something clearly, but we still need to ask how the market would see the property. I hope that helps. Thank you for the reply the apartment is small and the other bedroom in this apartment is small also not as small as this but you can definitely fit a twin bed in this room. Thanks for the reply.

Are there any requirements on the size of bed that can fit in a room. Hi John. If anyone knows of something, speak on. Thanks for the comment John. Ryan- I have a home in a Natomas subdivision that has an office that in the original plans could have been a bedroom if one had elected to have the builder build the bedroom instead of an office.

I would like to turn it into a bedroom for the resell value of having the fourth bedroom. I know I have to get permits to put the door into opening but how do I get it qualified on paper as a fourth bedroom?

Hi Isaac. After the work is finished, call the Assessor and follow their procedures. Or better yet, call them before the work is started to ask them what they will need. A home owner recently hired me to measure his house so the Assessor would change the square footage of the house in official records.

The owner had done an addition of a bedroom as well as a bathroom with permits , but official records were never changed. I simply measured the house and included a layout of what was there.

I might ask them if a sketch from a licensed contractor with photos would suffice. I imagine you can get clear direction though with just one phone call. I have a 4 room home that has a living room, kitchen, bedroom and a family room.

The full bath also has access to the half bath. The family room has a closet and a Murphy Bed permanently installed and has an exit door to the rear of the house. Or can it not be a bedroom since the bath must be accessed through it? Hi Theresa. You are welcome to email me a quick visual you draw or do a private and quick video on YouTube if you wish. Otherwise it sounds like your Family Room is a Family Room.

The simply truth here is it sounds like your floor plan was designed to have this room function as a Family Room because of the bathroom set-up.

I am glad to take a more detailed look if you want to email though. I am currently renting a room that has only one exit point. I have a door and no windows. Should I contact a lawyer or tell the landlord I am going to refuse to pay rent? That does not sound like a bedroom to me by any definition since there is no egress to the exterior.

I cannot give you legal advice or tell you what to do in this situation, but I wish you the very best. Happy Holidays. I think we are saying the same exact thing.

A bedroom should have two means of exit. One needs to be the hall door and the other can be a window or door of adequate size. Hi Ryan, Very informative. Thanks for all the insight. I have a rental property in Arden Arcade originally built in The 3rd bedroom was a garage conversion in the 70s; which is my dilemma. Taking into account the value of the third bedroom in this particular neighborhood, what would your opinion be?

And would it be wise to seek a revision from the assessors office to actually list the home as 3 bedrooms? And if you feel like settling a friendly dispute, what is more valuable: the above mentioned 3rd bedroom or the single garage it used to be? My Husband says otherwise.

Hi Paula. There are MANY garage conversions in that area. By the way, I appreciate your patience in hearing back too as I was out of town for two weeks and just got back. There is no one rule for what a garage conversion is worth.

It really depends on the neighborhood. In Arden Manor, for instance, the garages are often only one space and there are so many conversions out there to be able to show how the market feels about them. In short, the best way to know what a conversion is worth is to find other competitive homes with conversions. Regarding telling the Assessor, that is a personal decision because you will be taxed on more space. Are you a fan of more taxes? Very informative post thank you… You stated that there needs to be two egress points, two doors or one window and one door.

If the room has a door that opens to the house and another one that opens to an adjacent room would this be considered two egress points? Or does the second door have to open to outside… Please keep in mind that the adjacent room has one door to the outside as well as a window and another door to the house. Hi Serkan. I appreciate your patience in hearing back too as I was out of town for two weeks and just got back. The other egress point really needs to be to the outside of the house.

I live in Florida and I have a room over the garage that the builder did the framing for a bathroom and walking closet along with all of the electrical and plumbing. We want to finish the room so it will add an additional room and full bath to our homes square footage. It will only be used as a game room for us so the stand alone ac will be better for us but I want to lose equity for that reason.

Hi Lauren. First off, are you getting a permit? If not, that adds an entirely different dimension to how I would answer the question. If you go through the permitting process and the building department lets you install a wall unit, the appraiser is not really in a place to argue it is illegal or not proper somehow.

The key is the heat source is permanent though as a plug-in space heater will not suffice. Thank you for your reply. I am for sure pulling permits. The home is only 3 years old. So what your saying is the ac heat source needs to be permanent to the building?

My options were a portable fireplace unit for heat that I planned on leaving for the new home owners when i sold the home. Thanks for your wisdom. Yes, it should be permanent. It should also be something that is customary for your market. Your building department should be able to tell you what is technically acceptable as permanent. What a blessing to have had the builder pull those permits already.

I have a question about bedroom definition. It also has its own window too the outside. The sitting room as a switched wall lamp and an outlet as well. Do I need to add a closet? Or could a permanent wardrobe work? We are in the SF area and I want to get classified as a 4 bedroom for a higher appraisal and better LTV for refinance. Thanks for any insights. Hi Chuck. If you add a closet, it sounds like it could be a bedroom as long as the window to the exterior is an adequate size.

As I mentioned above, a bedroom window can be between 24 and 44 inches from the floor, it needs at least 5. I saw this recently in an older home in a city near Sacramento. There was a room that was converted to a bedroom by the owner, but it was tiny which I questioned whether the market would really accept the room as it was barely 70 sq ft , but most of all the egress was not adequate in size as there is no way anyone beyond a small child could exit the room in case of an emergency.

If the other bedrooms in your home have closets, this room should have one too. If the rest of your home does not have closets and the market accepts that, then it would be normative for this room to not have a closet either. I would say if your home has built-in closets, this room should also. Thanks for the follow-up here, Ryan. On closets, is there a minimum size that qualifies for appraisal purposes?

Thanks again, Chuck. My pleasure, Chuck. There is not a minimum size standard as far as I know. Thus I would recommend you consider making the closet about the same size as other rooms so there is uniformity.

If you really want to go the extra mile, you can put a quick call in to the building department and ask them if there is a minimum closet size the local building department is the definitive source for standards in your market. Otherwise assuming your home was built with permits and to code, I would say to trust the size of your other closets as a guide for what you do in this other space.

What a great blog you have! Learning a lot here. I have a tri-level condo rental property, which includes a storefront type of space on the first level. This storefront space features a front door partially made of glass and also a front window that cannot be opened. However there is another door entrance that connects indoors to the hallway by the stairs.

I know its not a normal type of home and the shared bathroom would be upstairs on the second floor. Any response would be appreciated. Hi Alex. Thanks for stopping by.

It sounds like you have a unique property with a mixture of commercial and residential. The best source would probably be your local market. You might want to check in with a reputable property manager or local authorities where relevant. I do wonder in the first place though if this was intended as a bedroom or if it was intended as a commercial storage space of some sort.

Thanks Ryan. I will check with the county about this. What happens if the lease states that the apartment contains two bedrooms, but their is no closet — is that legal? Hi Cynthia. I wish I could have helped. In other words, is it a legitimate bedroom if a person must travel through the dining room, kitchen and family room to access a bathroom?

Outhouses excluded Thanks. Hi Mike. You can always email me a drawing or photos if you wish for a more detailed response. Most of the time one does not have to travel through so many rooms to access a bathroom, though at times there is a bathroom tucked away in one corner of the house, so I can understand this happens. I would not exclude a bathroom as being a bathroom because it is tucked away, though if the layout is odd I would have to consider if there is any functional obsolescence.

We live in a 3 bed house. But due to the person i care for lives downstairs in the living room is that not classed as a bedroom.

When there are 3 of us in the property. How is that not classed as a 3rd bedroom? Hi Ray. Thank you so much for reaching out. I know when a property has three bedrooms or just two, but this sounds like there are some other issues going on.

Is there maybe a technicality where the person has to actually live in the bedroom instead of the Living Room? Or would they only count two rooms for patients since one room is for a caregiver? I would certainly ask the decision makers in your situation why things have happened as they have. Maybe they can provide some insight or direction as to how you can find a remedy.

I hope things work out well for you. Your article was very informative- thank you. I live in Placer County and just bought my first house about a year ago. The owner before me used it as a dining room but the main room off the kitchen can be used as the main dining room as we are now. It is definitely a separate room- a den at the very least. I have two questions: 1 Do you know if in Placer County a bedroom has to have a closet and 2 Would listing the house as having a den or a 5th bedroom raise the value?

We are looking into refinancing. Hi Jenny. Being that it is located next to the kitchen, it sounds like a Den or Dining Room just be the nature of the location. Keep in mind other homes with a similar square footage to yours probably have mostly 4 or 5 bedrooms total, and buyers will probably weigh layout, conditions, upgrades, etc… just as they would bedroom count.

Many families can absolutely make due with a 4-bed home with the right layout rather than something that has technically five bedrooms but with a bad layout. We are currently renovating our home in Michigan. We have baseboard heaters that were at one time run by propane. We no longer use them and heat our home with a pellet stove. It does well to heat the home 1 floor , including the bedrooms provided doors are left open.

In renovating we have come across many things — including several layers of walls in one room. The baseboard heaters are making this VERY difficult as they run the full length of walls, and even into closets.

My question s — should we leave them in place and fix them? This would seem very costly and not something we have budgeted in. We do not intend to use them again, but have been told if we even intend to sell the home, we might want to keep them.

They take up a great deal of space and are quite unsightly. We do have another heat source, however that source does not vent into other rooms. Hi Carla. I appreciate you sharing your story. There are two factors as far as I see: 1 Heat: You want to be sure your house is adequately heated.

However, that same pellet stove in the foothills an hour or so away in my area would be just fine. I have a question about an upcoming insurance inspection,… We built the house with the maximum number of bedrooms allowed.

In the master bedroom there is a door that opens up into another big room seperated with a full wall no door just an entry way into two smaller rooms. There is no closet, no dresser, basically just a bed in each room and a couple organizer stations. I would appreciate your thoughts on this situation. Hi Carly. They may or may not follow IRC definitions for a bedroom. You might consider drawing their attention to the layout and such to build your case these are not bedrooms if that is what you are trying to do.

If your city or county does not consider them bedrooms either, that may help. Though if your city or county considers them permitted bedrooms, that may be the answer you get. I live in South Carolina, and we purchased a home with a garage that was converted into a bedroom with a closet and a full bath with a shower. It is heated with electric base board heat that is separate from the rest of the house and cooled by a window unit. At the time of purchase, the appraisal counted the converted room as a 4th bedroom and counted the bath as the 3rd bath.

This month we applied for a home equity line of credit and the appraisal just came in and we have lost over sq ft. This to me is crazy and is resulting in a loss of thousands of dollars. What can I do? It also has a separate entrance to the backyard deck and two windows.

Hi SC Appraisal Woes. Was the garage conversion permitted? Does the conversion feel like high quality work where it is similar to the rest of the house? If there is no permit, I can understand why an appraiser would be hesitant to call this a legitimate bedroom. But if there is a permit and the area simply still feels like a glorified garage instead of like the rest of the house I can also understand why an appraiser would treat the area separately from the original footprint of the house.

You might have a situation where the value was butchered far too low , but at the same time there are situations where we might not agree with the methodology but the value is more or less reasonable. Thanks again for reaching out. I have a year-old split foyer. Up the stairs takes you to the typical living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway to bedrooms and two full baths. Shortly after we bought this house, my husband took out the wall between the two front bedrooms to make one large room.

At one end, he carved out a 3 x 6 closet that opens into the hallway for a laundry room. Going down the stairs, to the right after about a 4 ft hallway is the family room and to the left of the staircase is a 2 car garage. When he moved the laundry upstairs, he moved the furnace and hot water heater to the garage and built a 10 x 10 Jacuzzi full bathroom shares walls with the family room and the garage.

Do you think changing out the windows would solve the egress problem? Your thoughts? I appreciate your description, but I think this is something someone would have to see. If you are considering selling you might consider talking with a local reputable real estate agent as well as an appraiser.

For converting back though, you may need to actually consult a licensed contractor. I suppose with all the information you get you can weigh whether it makes financial sense to stay, sell, convert back to a 3-bedroom, etc… I wish I was able to provide something more definitive. Blessings to you. What About an apt like a suite style.

Hi Victor. I am concerned about the lack of windows though, so that sounds like a tell that this is not a bedroom. On a practical level, could this be rented out to three single people? Or would it be an awkward situation because one of these areas is really just a master retreat instead of a functional bedroom? Could it possibly lower my property taxes if my rooms did not have closets? If the rooms did not have closets does that mean that the appraisal district would compare my home to other one bedroom homes?

Hi Dick. I think it depends on the situation. Hello, after reading all of your comments, I have yet to find my answer.. Two years ago i bought an older cape cod home with 3 bedrooms, 1 full and 2 half bath in West Virginia.

However, after the home was assessed, due to fha loan, it only assessed at 2 bedrooms because the only full bath is in my master bedroom.

I am already going to refinance my loan to a 15yr morgage and have to getc the house inspected and assessed as again, so I want to make sure my home is a 3 bedroom to get the most value. Any advice for me? If I was appraising a property like this I would very likely consider it a 2-bedroom unit with a Den because of the bathroom access issue functional obsolescence.

Remember, it is not just a 2-bedroom because there is an extra Den. Yet it is not quite a 3-bedroom either at least a traditional 3-bedroom. I suppose if someone wanted to consider it a 3-bedroom with functional obsolescence, we could probably end up with the same value, but the key is this is definitely not a regular 3-bedroom home, which is likely why I would defer to saying two bedrooms in most cases. If it is possible to make access from another area of the house too, that would be great preferably a hallway.

Keep in mind Fannie Mae collects data from appraisal reports, so if an appraiser previously listed your house as two bedrooms, Fannie Mae knows it already. Even if a new appraiser comes in and says 3 bedrooms, this may raise a red flag in the system so the lender at least asks the new appraiser what the deal is with the bedroom count discrepancy. The house we are renting and thinking of buying is listed as having 4 bedrooms, but that 4th room is floored with tile to match the living space not carpet like the bedrooms , has no closet, has a built in desk and bookshelf, and French doors leading to the hall.

Is this really a bedroom or will it appraise as an office? Hi Rachel. It sounds like this is a potential bedroom, but the lack of closet and french doors make it more of an office not to mention the built-ins. The flooring being the same as the living room is not relevant for considering whether this is a bedroom or not. I had an egress window that used to open to outside wall. Then I added a screened porch to the outside wall encompassing that window.

And now I am replacing the screens with glass panes. You can always call up the building department and ask them questions without giving them your name or address. It might be helpful to at least know what they say before moving forward with the work. This reply is a breath of fresh air to counteract all the insanity of some real estate agents and house TV shows repeating the misconception that a room needs to have a closet in order to be called a bedroom.

Egress and dimensions in every direction are the guiding factors. Thanks so much Patricia. We have to consider local code AND look at other items mentioned above. Thank you so much for this thread.

I am a realtor in Georgia and I am currently working with a client on this issue. He has a bonus room up stairs that he wants to turn into a bedroom. It does have a window and a lockable door. It does not have a closet however.

Is that all that he needs to do? Hi Tim. I would hope this room would meet all the requirements as listed above. Beyond these things though there is a perception issue where we have to ask what the appraiser, real estate community, and market is going to say about this space. If closets are customary in your market, you might want to add one if you really think a buyer is going to use it as a bedroom. The bonus room is the only upstairs area to the house so it does make the location a little off.

But it does meet the size requirements that you listed above so its going to pretty much be a hit or miss depending on the appraiser and buyers. Your help is much appreciated. It is different to have just one room upstairs. Assuming there is a closet you might consider this a bedroom, but the key is what buyers think about the set-up.

I imagine some buyers might not like it because it is less traditional, but maybe others would. Honestly though sometimes there is little difference in value between a 3 and 4-bedroom house.

I find comps all the time that are similar in size but sold at the same level. The temptation is to automatically impose a value adjustment or price premium on a 4-bedroom when that may not exist. The proof is in the market thankfully. Hi Cheryl. The egress really needs to be to the exterior of the house. In my county a bedroom is not allowed to open up directly to the garage also. Any room that does so is not considered a bedroom. I wonder what your area says in that regard for code?

How can we easily find this definition for a local County? Is it in building code? Or are there common sections in building codes that you can point me to? I might recommend giving your county a call and asking them.

Hopefully they have something that is spelled out clearly. I would talk with the building department. I would imagine they would have something written in code, but at the same time they might not get that specific. This blog is very helpful! My master bedroom has a door to a retreat room which has both big windows and a good sized closet, but does not have a separated entry door.

Recently I want to open a door to the hallway, so that it can be accessed directly and considered as a bedroom. My question is: do I have to close out the door between the master bedroom and this new bedroom in order for it to be considered as a bedroom? In other words, if one bedroom has an optional access door to another bedroom, can it still be considered as a bedroom, although the door can be locked from both sides?

However, it would be odd for most markets, so we would consider it functional obsolescence. Moreover, what about the master bedroom having a closet? I just wanted to mention that for the sake of conversation and any onlookers. Thank you so much for the quick response! The Master is already a huge suite with everything. My house in Las Vegas is under city sewer and no bedroom limits. Another question is: 1.

In the real estate world, a space can be considered a bedroom if it has a door that can be closed, a window, and a closet. The closet requirement is not covered in the IRC and is instead a bedroom feature more related to comfort and livability than safety.

This lack of a national standard leaves some grey areas on a number of matters, like older homes built before bedrooms routinely included closets or a bedroom that has had its door removed. How an agent addresses these nebulous details might vary from agent to agent, or state to state. One thing is certain: Homebuyers are willing to pay more for a home with another bedroom, and this fact is a motivating factor for the home seller and real estate agent to stage as many rooms as bedrooms for showing.

Fittingly, property assessors will follow the same bedroom definition when determining the number of bedrooms in a given home—that is, it must have a door, a closet, and an egress window.

Disclosure: BobVila. You agree that BobVila. All rights reserved. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Homebuyers, sellers, and owners should know the minimum requirements that comprise a bedroom, mainly for home value and safety.

More From Bob Vila. Under the Eaves: 21 Arresting Attic Rooms. They are completely open to customization and homeowners can have a lot of fun with them too. A walk-in is the ideal private spot that you can use for getting dressed in minimum time. You can install a mirror, a hairdryer, and other stuff and change the space into a chic dressing room. You can safely store all your valuables in here and simply lock the door.

At least, within the home, this space can be attributed as the safest of all. Since generally, a walk-in closet is spacious in area, organizing and retrieving stuff becomes a breeze. Reach-in Closets A reach-in closet is another widely used closet. Benefits of Reach-in Closets Reach-in closets are perfect for combining various storage options aided by clever positioning.

This opens up the storage space and also helps with the organization. These closets come with storage elements, like long bars for hanging the clothes, and shelves and drawers for tucking away pants and shirts.

Basically, the storage components are combined in a way that lets you store the content neatly without occupying much space. The drawers can be utilized to store jewelry, accessories, lingerie and important documents.

They are also good enough to hang door organizers that will store your shoes or even cosmetics in a perfect organized fashion; highlighting the beauty of the arrangement. Armoires or Wardrobes An armoire is essentially a decorative, free-standing large cupboard which functions as a wardrobe. Benefits of an Armoire An armoire is ideal for adding an elegant touch to your bedroom with its vintage flavor. The piece of furniture especially complements the look of bedrooms that have large beds.

However, smaller versions of armoires have also made a mark lately. If you have a lot of clothes and want to keep them tidy and well-organized, this product is for you.

An armoire can even be placed in the living room for keeping the TV and other stuff. Use an armoire in the dining space to store your cutlery, crockery, and other tableware. You can even place a few artifacts in the armoire to give an ambient touch to your home. An armoire is portable and can be moved around to any part of your home as desired.