Closets

[John Harrison]

The only indication of a closet area in the room was a access door about 3.5 feet high that opens into a partialy finished section of the attic. Can this be ok for a bedroom closet?

[John Harrison]

[Jae Williams]

That is not so much a closet door as it is an access to the crawlspace. Very common to find that here (SW Ohio) in houses that have added living space to the attic.

[Jae Williams]

P.S. I have seen storage in such areas and I disdain that practice. The joists were not intended to support much weight.

[John Harrison]

I know that they would use this as storage space and the seller is calling these rooms bedrooms, however not actually a bedroom without a closet correct?
Definition of a closet is a space for privacy.
Is there a definition of a closet as relates to defining a bedroom.

Would any of you call these rooms bedrooms, or some form of bonus room due to the fact there is no "closet"?

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

A bedroom is a habitable room used for the purposes of sleeping......therefore what is important is egress.....not weather there is a closet. I have seen 2 bedroom mill homes that do not have closets....yet they are bedrooms.

It is not our job to define a room......I will let appraisers and zoning take care of that.............I am looking for safety issues and items that do not function as intended.

regards

Jeff

[Mark Nahrgang]

Originally Posted by jhaynes

A bedroom is a habitable room used for the purposes of sleeping......therefore what is important is egress.....not weather there is a closet. I have seen 2 bedroom mill homes that do not have closets....yet they are bedrooms.

It is not our job to define a room......I will let appraisers and zoning take care of that.............I am looking for safety issues and items that do not function as intended.

regards

Jeff

exactly...you'll find that many very old historical homes did not have any bedrooms. They used wardrobe furniture instead. Apparently, back in the day, the tax man counted a closet as a room. And the tax was based on the number of rooms. So they just used furniture instead.

[John Harrison]

Originally Posted by mnahrgang

exactly...you'll find that many very old historical homes did not have any bedrooms. They used wardrobe furniture instead. Apparently, back in the day, the tax man counted a closet as a room. And the tax was based on the number of rooms. So they just used furniture instead.

Wow did not know that was a reasoning behind wardrobes.

You do learn something new every day.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jharrison

The only indication of a closet area in the room was a access door about 3.5 feet high that opens into a partialy finished section of the attic. Can this be ok for a bedroom closet?

Some shelves would be nice.

No, not IMHO.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Storage, yes... closet, no.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Pantry???? Perhaps????

[Richard A. Hetzel]

P.S. I have seen storage in such areas and I disdain that practice. The joists were not intended to support much weight.

Think about it. The joists are the same as the ones under the floor. Code-required design live loads are 30 PSF for a bedroom, but only 20 PSF for an attic, so the joists can certainly support that weight. "Storage" is a different matter. In commercial work, live loads for storage can be up to and beyond 120 PSF, but a residential attic rarely sees anything near such loads.

[Wayne B. Wilson]

Originally Posted by mnahrgang

exactly...you'll find that many very old historical homes did not have any bedrooms. They used wardrobe furniture instead. Apparently, back in the day, the tax man counted a closet as a room. And the tax was based on the number of rooms. So they just used furniture instead.

Mark you ust showed your age lolol Wow your old

[Mark Nahrgang]

Originally Posted by wwilson3

Mark you ust showed your age lolol Wow your old

Well, I am old (45 in a few days), but I'm more a student of history. The area I live in is ripe with fascinating historical events. You can't help but learn a few things just by paying attention.

[Rick Maday]

Originally Posted by jhaynes

It is not our job to define a room......I will let appraisers and zoning take care of that.............I am looking for safety issues and items that do not function as intended.

regards

Jeff

I agree.

Bedroom/study/bonus room Whatever you decide to call it, generally has no bearng on an inspection. Specifc "bedroom" requirements (AFCI, smokes, etc) may be a consideration, but if they are not there, I would still call it out. IMO it is indeed a bedroom, closet or not.


My grandmother had that type of "attic" we called it a cubby hole. Great place for hide and seek.

Until the mice came.