re: Requirements to call a room a “bedroom”?

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My bedroom usually has your mom in it

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I feel sorry for you then.

Ha, well played sir

Closet not required, older homes didnt have closets.

Closed door closet is a modern thing.

If No closet it can still be a bedroom

If it has a closet it is considered a bedroom and must have an egress window.

quote:

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Requirements to call a room a “bedroom”?
"This bedroom has an oven in it."

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The only reason I clicked on this thread was to make sure this made it...RIP Mitch!

Closets are not required by any building code, HUD, or FHA regardless of the age of the house. However, there are other requirements not mentioned in this thread.

LINK


Per the International Residential Code of 2006, "Bedrooms have minimum dimensions, light, ventilation, heating and emergency requirements. No requirements for closets as furniture may substitute for such.

A bedroom shall have a floor area of not less then 70 square feet. (R304.2)

Bedrooms shall not be less then 7 feet in any horizontal direction. (R304.4)

Bedrooms shall have a ceiling height of not less then 7 feet. The required height shall be measured from the finish floor to the lowest projection from the ceiling. (R305.1)

For a room with sloped ceiling, at last 50% of the required floor area of the room must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet. And no portion of the required floor area may have a ceiling height of less then 5 feet. (R305.1)

All habitable rooms shall have an aggregate glazing area of not less then 8% of the floor area of the room. Natural ventilation shall be though windows, doors, louvers or other approved openings to the outdoor air. Such openings shall be provided with ready access or shall otherwise be readily controllable by the building occupants. The minimum are that can be opened to the outdoors shall be 4% of the floor area being ventilated. (R303.1)

Emergency escape and rescue openings must have a sill height of not more then 44 inches above the floor (R310.1). The size of the opening should be at least 5.7 square feet (R310.1.1), measuring no less then 24 inches in height (R310.1.2) and no less the 20 inches in width (R.310.1.3).

Bars grilles, covers, screen or similar devices are permitted provided the minimum net clear opening complies with R310.1.1 thru R310.1.3, and such devices shall be releasable or removable from the inside without the use of a key, tool, special knowledge or force greater then that which is required for normal operation of the escape and rescue opening.

Smoke detectors shall be located (in addition to other areas) in each sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms (R313.2). They should be connected in such a manner that the actuation of one alarm will activate all of the alarms in the individual unit.

When winter temperatures are below 60 degrees F every dwelling unit shall be provided with heating facilities capable of maintaining a minimum room temperature of 68 degree F at a point 3 ft above the floor and 2 feet form exterior walls in all habitable rooms at the design temperature. The installation of one or more portable space heaters shall not be used to achieve compliance with this section."

Of course not every property we encounter in the market place fits nice and cleanly into this definition and more critical to appraisers and real estate agents is how HUD and FNMA require these rooms to be defined. They are also interested in market acceptance so where the IBC may say that the presence of a closet is not required however the market may demonstrate limited acceptance of bedrooms without closets within a particular market segment or locale. In those cases an appraiser may approach the problem by still characterizing a room as a bedroom but adjust the value based upon a cost to cure, if curable, or a market derived adjustment to value.

Fannie Mae Guidelines state that "dwellings with unusual layouts, peculiar floor plans, or inadequate equipment or amenities generally have limited market appeal. A review of the room list and floor plan for the dwelling unit may indicate an unusual layout-such as bedrooms on a level with no bath, or a kitchen on a different level from the dining room. If the appraiser indicates that such inadequacies will result in market resistance to the subject property, he or she should make appropriate adjustments to reflect this in the overall analysis. On the other hand, if market acceptance can be demonstrated through the use of comparable sales with the same inadequacies, no adjustments are required

don't forget the closet..............