Ultimately, I`m inclined to put this in the box of « things we believe in because our mentors taught us. » I realize that I have a different opinion than some reviewers on this issue, and I am open to corrections to anything. But if we are not careful, it is easy to perpetuate ideas without any real basis for the truth, and my humble opinion is that this is one of those situations. 🙂 Question, though. If you have a room with two doors and you cross this room to enter another room with 2 doors and cross this room to enter a room with 2 doors to reach another room with 2 doors. and they are all connected to go from page A to page B of a 2nd story. Each « room » has a closet and a window. Can you call it a room? Although to get to my room, I would have to go through 3 rooms? Here`s another tricky one, especially for historic owners. Most modern building codes require bedrooms to have a single entrance, meaning you don`t have to go through another bedroom to access the space. The 1st floor of this structure functioned as a combined games room (pool table), a storage room (freezer, cabinets) and had a lockable window/counter which they had set up as a combined alcohol/juice/ice cream store. There were also two generous half baths, which led to this area being oddly called « La Cabane » even though they didn`t have a swimming pool. The exit to the 1st floor included the window above and an exterior door to the terrace. Hi Isaac.
Thank you for contacting us. This is a very common scenario in Natomas or any newer subdivision. Once the work is complete, call the evaluator and follow their procedures. Or better yet, call them before labor begins to ask what they`re going to need. A homeowner recently asked me to inspect his home so that the appraiser could change the size of the house in the official records. The owner had added a bedroom and a bathroom (with permit), but the official documents were never changed. In this case, the owner wanted the records to show the addition and increase in the number of beds/baths to avoid confusion when he sells in a few years. The appraiser stated that a sketch of the house by a chartered appraiser would suffice for their records, so it worked in this case. I just measured the house and added a layout of what was there. I hope you don`t have to hire someone in your case, but know that it may be a possibility.
I could ask them if a sketch of a licensed contractor with photos would suffice. That way, you don`t need to hire someone, but you can turn off what you need when the job is done. I imagine you can get clear direction with just one phone call. If you don`t have it, the Sacramento County assessor`s number is (916) 875-0700?. Best wishes. Your potential buyers need to see a room for what it is, don`t try to force a square pin into a round hole. The house we want to rent and buy is listed with 4 bedrooms, but the 4. The bedroom is fitted out with tiles to match the living space (no carpets like the bedrooms), has no closet, has a built-in desk and shelf and French doors lead to the hallway. It meets all the requirements of the item, but certainly doesn`t seem to match the rest of the rooms. Someone could probably use it as a bedroom, but it should cover French doors with something for privacy. Is it really a bedroom or is it classified as an office? Thank you!! Before I explain the requirements of what you need to call a room and a bedroom, let me first explain the number of rooms and septic tanks. In Massachusetts and probably other states, you can`t say you have more rooms than your septic tank is designed.
There are indeed a number of details that make a room a « bedroom » – and buyers and sellers should be more familiar with them to avoid misunderstandings about size and square footage. Hi Mike. Thank you for contacting us. Honestly, it`s not easy to visualize exactly what you`re talking about. I have an idea, but I do not know if we see the same thing or not. You can always send me a drawing or photos by email if you want a more detailed answer. Most of the time you don`t have to walk through as many rooms to access a bathroom, although sometimes a bathroom is hidden in a corner of the house, so I can understand that happening. I wouldn`t rule out a bathroom as a bathroom because it`s hidden, but if the layout is strange, I would have to ask myself if there is functional obsolescence. Often a salesperson wants to count a basement room into a bedroom. However, if it does not meet the original requirements for a bedroom, it should not be considered a « legal room ». So what can you call a room or room that doesn`t meet those average 7-foot requirements? Depending on your condition, you could get away with calling it « office, » « nursery, » or « bonus room. » Whether it`s bedroom or not, almost any hint of extra space will make most buyers` eyes shine.
This can make an already complicated situation even more confusing. The legal definition of a bedroom may vary by city, county or state. How do you know what a bedroom is? Building codes contain specifications for the location of smoke alarms in relation to the bedroom. The new building requirements stipulate that smoke detectors must be placed in each room and outside each room. Hi Sarah. Thank you for the question. If you have a wall heater in the living room, it would be completely normal not to have your own heat source in each room. On the other hand, if you have central heating in every room of the house, except in one room you`re talking about, it`s probably not normal. I guess I would wonder if the extra space was an addition and if it was allowed. It is curious why this room would not have a heat source. Is that allowed? Local code would be the best answer, to be honest. I can`t say whether it`s legal or not because I don`t know your market.
However, if all the rooms next to yours have a heat extractor, I think this worries you. The next examiner did an excellent job. He said the cabinets were fine. He loaded my house with an extra 600 square feet and counted the rooms correctly. In the end, this valuation was $125,000 compared to the first. The bedroom is upstairs right next to two more bedrooms and a bathroom. In any case, directly accessible. As far as we know, the second floor is of original construction. The entire upper floor is without central heating or air. Sellers who add extra rooms — or even claim an existing room as an extra chamber — without upgrading the septic system can find themselves in a lawsuit. Some large homes may have 6, 7 or more bedrooms. But there is a diminishing return on the value of a room once you reach 4 or 5 rooms.
However, make sure that if you are doing a renovation and you have a septic tank, you are following the law on the right number of bedrooms. More and more real estate agents are making this mistake without a landlord even realizing that it could be a big problem. Thank you Patricia. 🙂 There are many factors to consider. We can`t just impose the « no closet = no bedroom » rule on every home in every market. We need to consider the local code AND look at the other points mentioned above. Thanks again. For example, the City of St. Paul seems to indicate that the only electrical requirement for a bedroom is a functional light fixture.
That said, the city`s codes and ordinances contain a lot of nuance – be sure to check with the city of St. Paul before building a bedroom there. In this article, we use the ordinances of the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as a general guide. Minneapolis and St. Paul both have a fairly simple definition of a bedroom that meets the national standard. Having a closet in a room has long been considered a sign that the room is a legal bedroom. However, the standards under this assumption have changed. Depending on the condition you are in, it may not be necessary to have a closet in a room for it to be considered a legal bedroom. Some states, such as Alabama, require a bedroom to have at least one window and closet. However, this is not the case across the country. In California, the housing code does not require a bedroom to have a closet.
Sorry for the late response here. I had some health problems and I wasn`t at my desk. I`m just starting to come back (not even completely). A bedroom does not need access to a bathroom. Think of a 3 bed/1 bathroom house. In this situation, it is likely that none of the bedrooms will have direct access to a bathroom. That doesn`t mean they aren`t bedrooms. It is hard to imagine exactly what you are talking about.
To me, it looks like there is only one bathroom in one bedroom (like a classic master bedroom situation). This is a bathroom. Well, if it`s the only bathroom in the house and there are multiple bedrooms, then it`s a functional problem. In most cases, there won`t be legal consequences if you misrepresent the number of bedrooms in your home – but there will likely be financial consequences.