Calling all appraisers

[OKRICHLAND]

OKRICHLAND here.
Hello everyone. hope that this year brings prosperity to all good people.

Can a back utility room (once a huge laundry roon) that has been converted into a bedroom
be called a bedroom if it is the only access to the back door of a house?

I will build a fair sized closet and that will leave the living space of
the bedroom approx 9' x 9 1/2' in addition to the closet space.

[Dan Auito]

OKRICHLAND here.
Hello everyone. hope that this year brings prosperity to all good people.

Can a back utility room (once a huge laundry roon) that has been converted into a bedroom
be called a bedroom if it is the only access to the back door of a house?

I will build a fair sized closet and that will leave the living space of
the bedroom approx 9' x 9 1/2' in addition to the closet space.

Hello Big Dave as you know I have an assistant appraisers license and went after it to only think like an appraiser not to actually be one.

Here is my opinion for what it's worth (free) Many bedrooms have an entrance door from the interior and then an exterior door or doors , say in the case of french doors.

So long as you don't have to go through a non continueous air conditioned space to get there and you have a "to code" egress window, minimum square footage req'rd by local codes and a built in closet you should probably conform.

I'm going to send Paul Amirto (our resident expert appraiser) the thread link and have him answer up with the absolute definitive answer.

I'm pretty sure I have it right! Stand by for more! :whistling

[Aldo]

I'm reading that you want to add a bedroom to a unit even though there is no access to that room from within the the unit itself. To wit: When it's time for bed, I must exit my apartment and lock it. Then proceed (probably outdoors) to my locked bedroom and pray to the Almighty that I don't need a potty-run in the middle of the night since I'd probably never make it. "Not the best idea" is one thought. Other thoughts would include getting this past your local code complaince people, which probably won't happen unless you can punch a door-sized hole in a wall to provide immediate access to the rental unit.

If this room is as remote as I suspect it might be, I'd be thrilled to have a secure place to store a bunch of my landlording stuff. My lack of such space requires me to keep lists of what materials are stored where.

[OKRICHLAND]

I'm reading that you want to add a bedroom to a unit even though there is no access to that room from within the the unit itself. To wit: When it's time for bed, I must exit my apartment and lock it. Then proceed (probably outdoors) to my locked bedroom and pray to the Almighty that I don't need a potty-run in the middle of the night since I'd probably never make it. "Not the best idea" is one thought. Other thoughts would include getting this past your local code complaince people, which probably won't happen unless you can punch a door-sized hole in a wall to provide immediate access to the rental unit.

If this room is as remote as I suspect it might be, I'd be thrilled to have a secure place to store a bunch of my landlording stuff. My lack of such space requires me to keep lists of what materials are stored where.
I thank you for your reply Aldo but, I believe that I must clarify myself.
It is a room just off of the kitchen just like the other bedroom.
the only difference is that it has the back door and a water heater
plus laundry hook-ups.
I will simply move all that to an area of the kitchen that is not really being used (dinning area), then I will build a closet in the bedroom.
This is all assuming that the people will eat in the living room.
The dinning space is something that I will have to weigh in the balance
seeing that that space will now be the new laundry area.
I would loose the dinning area but gain that third bedroom.
I would also build it to where you would think that the house was built that way in the first place. (seamless)
Do you guys think that thyis is a good idea?

[Dan Auito]

Dave if it becomes seemless than your on the right track, you want flow and functional utility, the biggest question is will it increase the rents or the sales price in the end to justify the work?

Sounds as though it will because of your economy of remodelling expertise, Paul will be chiming in soon to cement your thoughts but I feel your on the right track! Dan

[OKRICHLAND]

Thanks for your support guy's.

[Aldo]

Thanks for clarifying.

As Dan suggested, you really have to weigh the value of the 3rd bedroom. It will bring in more rent, but not a lot more. If there is substantial plumbing and electrical work, it could take a long time to pay for itself. A 3rd bedroom will clearly add resale value, but only if the rooms aren't too small and the floor plan is acceptable. That should include an eat-in kitchen or a dining room. People don't like eating dinner in the living room. If all of this works out for you, jump on it.

On the other hand, remember that in most areas a bedroom must be at least 70 square feet with no wall longer than ten feet. There are also window and/or egress requirements to consider. Another possibility might be dividing that extra room into a small laundry room and a small office. With many people working at home, that could be a huge plus.

[OKRICHLAND]

Thanks for clarifying.

As Dan suggested, you really have to weigh the value of the 3rd bedroom. It will bring in more rent, but not a lot more. If there is substantial plumbing and electrical work, it could take a long time to pay for itself. A 3rd bedroom will clearly add resale value, but only if the rooms aren't too small and the floor plan is acceptable. That should include an eat-in kitchen or a dining room. People don't like eating dinner in the living room. If all of this works out for you, jump on it.


On the other hand, remember that in most areas a bedroom must be at least 70 square feet with no wall longer than ten feet. There are also window and/or egress requirements to consider. Another possibility might be dividing that extra room into a small laundry room and a small office. With many people working at home, that could be a huge plus.
Thanks for the input Aldo; I will take it all into consideration.
I should be closing on the house in mid Jan.

[pamirto]

Paul Amirto here. Hello Dan / Big Dave. Dan you are correct. Without seeing this room and the house, I would say it could not be counted as a bedroom. There are several issues at hand. What is typical in the area, septic will affect how many bedrooms you can count, etc.
Would this stop someone from using this, or any other room in the house as a bedroom, probably not. It is the appraisers job to determine market value of what is typical in the area. If other homes also utilized this area as a bedroom, and it could be proven there was a higher market value due to this, than it would be worth more. It is my experience, and all my experience is based on appraising in the Tampa Bay area, you will not find a difference.

Have a Happy New Year!!!
Paul Amirto



Hello Big Dave as you know I have an assistant appraisers license and went after it to only think like an appraiser not to actually be one.

Here is my opinion for what it's worth (free) Many bedrooms have an entrance door from the interior and then an exterior door or doors , say in the case of french doors.

So long as you don't have to go through a non continueous air conditioned space to get there and you have a "to code" egress window, minimum square footage req'rd by local codes and a built in closet you should probably conform.

I'm going to send Paul Amirto (our resident expert appraiser) the thread link and have him answer up with the absolute definitive answer.

I'm pretty sure I have it right! Stand by for more! :whistling

[OKRICHLAND]

Paul Amirto here. Hello Dan / Big Dave. Dan you are correct. Without seeing this room and the house, I would say it could not be counted as a bedroom. There are several issues at hand. What is typical in the area, septic will affect how many bedrooms you can count, etc.
Would this stop someone from using this, or any other room in the house as a bedroom, probably not. It is the appraisers job to determine market value of what is typical in the area. If other homes also utilized this area as a bedroom, and it could be proven there was a higher market value due to this, than it would be worth more. It is my experience, and all my experience is based on appraising in the Tampa Bay area, you will not find a difference.

Have a Happy New Year!!!
Paul Amirto
Great insight Paul,
I will take that into account.
I do have several appraisers that I know in my area and they
can give me an exact on the potential.
Whatever they say, I'm still going to do it anyway, just because it can be done. :SM039: :SM039: :smile:
Paul, again I want to thank you for your input.
I was reminded of the fact that we need to always take into account,
the sewer line issue.
Seeing that I am not adding any toilets or drain lines, I think that I will be pretty safe on this one.
My main concern will be the loss of the dinning space in the kitchen area.
I wanted to bring up the subject on this web site so that others
will have a chance to learn.
I never knew about the closet theory until I heard on this web site that
it is possible to call an extra room in the house a bedroom if you simply
build a closet (of course, we know that there are other factors
involved in the making of that decision).
The point is, This web site has hundreds of years experience right at our
fingertips.
When I first started in the remodeling business over 20 years ago, I
was able to watch and help contractors with 20, 30 even 40 years in
the field.
I would learn in 2 minutes, the tricks of the trade that it might have taken
a particular contractor 20 years to finally figure out.
I have always prided myself on being a master in my field, right from the
first day I started my business back in 1980, simply because
I learned from the best, (after they were through making there mistakes).
My motto; "A wise man steels with his eyes, not with his hands".
This web site has the same potential to give to a good hearted newbee or
a seasoned veteran of real estate.
This is a really good thing. Let's use the heck out of this free tool. :clap:

[Dan Auito]

I feel so used and cheap. :tongue:

[karlpie]

I'm not sure how this works here so please bear with me. In answer to your question, calling a utility room a bedroom can be done if and only if you have a closet within the room somewhere which it sounds like you're going to have. This is at least the case where I'm at in Illinois. Other states may have different rulings on this. You'll have to check your state's laws to see if this will hold true for your part of the country. Where I'm at, bedrooms that have been created in the basement (not a raised ranch or bi-level type home) can not be considered bedrooms regardless of the fact that they are bedrooms. Basements that have bedrooms can not count those bedrooms in their promotions and/or marketing. Hope this makes sense.

OKRICHLAND here.
Hello everyone. hope that this year brings prosperity to all good people.

Can a back utility room (once a huge laundry roon) that has been converted into a bedroom
be called a bedroom if it is the only access to the back door of a house?

I will build a fair sized closet and that will leave the living space of
the bedroom approx 9' x 9 1/2' in addition to the closet space.

[Dan Auito]

Thanks for answering up Karen and welcome to the forum, it takes a little bit of getting used to, but when you have the time just click around on everything to see what it does, there are a lot of functions. let us know if you need any instruction. Glad to have you! Dan

[OKRICHLAND]

I'm not sure how this works here so please bear with me. In answer to your question, calling a utility room a bedroom can be done if and only if you have a closet within the room somewhere which it sounds like you're going to have. This is at least the case where I'm at in Illinois. Other states may have different rulings on this. You'll have to check your state's laws to see if this will hold true for your part of the country. Where I'm at, bedrooms that have been created in the basement (not a raised ranch or bi-level type home) can not be considered bedrooms regardless of the fact that they are bedrooms. Basements that have bedrooms can not count those bedrooms in their promotions and/or marketing. Hope this makes sense.
Thanks for the confirmation Karen :smile: