I guess the first question I have is can you post a drawing of the options? of the original plan?

Is this a bedroom for a child? a master bedroom? a guest room?

There would be different requirements for each in terms of closet space and bed size and amount of use. How big are your other bedrooms?

Lots of questions!

The home has a MBR (12x12) with a Mst. bath (6x12). The two other BR's are currently 10x10 and 9.5x10, with the later being the one under consideration for being altered. The main bath is 6.5x9 and is between the two smaller BR's.

I'm "photo posting" challenged currently, unfortunately.

Are there doors on the closet that need swing room to open? That takes away from the usable space.

Doors could made to any style, closet would be made from scratch. A thought was to actually make the closet 5' long (instead of 8') with a built-in desk and shelves or something using the other 3'. I'm starting to think the 8' wide solutionn is to wierd and could hurt resale.

It sounds as though you realy prefer the 10x10 cofiguration. I am basing this only on the tones of your post, but I think it is probably best to find a way to fork out the cash for the nicest floor plan if at all possible. Move the plumbing if you have to. I think you will be happier if your home improvement realy feels like it improved your whole home, not just changed things around and left you with other things you don't like.

After laying it out and walking around in it a 8x13 seems nicer than a 10x10. But other than a bed up-against and parralel to the long wall, a bed nearly cuts the room in half. Fine for a child...I think, but certainly not for someone wanting a queen size bed and being able make it easily. So Yes, I do think an 8' wide BR would be bad for resale, maybe even horribly bad.

I'm working on a different design that would involve foundation, wall and roofing work. Much larger expense to create a bump-out that ties in aesthetically, but as you point out the end result needs to be pleasing.

I'm determined to bring the laundry facilities inside and have them be functionally located/integrated into the floor plan.

Tough decisions. I think you really need to figure out if you plan to sell soon and how this will impact. As if this isn't already huge on your mind!! I do think that an 8 foot closet is too large for a room this size (8 x 13). But if you do built-ins, you further restrict placing furniture. Why not 4 1/2 closet like you mentioned and keep more open wall space.

When you say that the 8 x 13 room would be bad for a master bed, I think it is very unlikely that anyone would buy your house and plan for this room to be anything but a child's room. As a child's room or an office, 8 x 13 wouldn't be terrible. In my 11 x 11 room, I have always placed the twin bed against a wall, with the head of the bed in a corner. To place the bed in the middle of the room would swallow up my 11 x 11 space. There are three possible arrangement for my bed with the head in the corner. How many options would your 8 x 13 room offer?

Closet could have been any dimension up to 8', what ever dimension not used for closet would have simply been an alcove on the end of the closet. The 8' length recess was a transition created from a load bearing wall and the recent addition. Using that 8'long recess for the BR closet seemed natural (had a 30" depth). The rest of the rooms width (13'-8'closet/recess = 5'left), would have been 8' wide to match the same width of the room with the closet in that recess. So it ended being 8'x13' of open floor.

Agree on the hypthetical application of the room, though I wonder if the shear fact an add listing 8' as a width would keep people from checking it out. What size bed does your average teenager use today?

Were not going anywhere for 8-10 years. There is a substantial investment being made to the home currently that involves a complete gut and rebuild both inside and out. What started as 1050sq.ft. will be near 1700sq.ft. These things always involve comprimises when dealing with existing structure, landscape, setbacks, aesthetics etc. Just not going to give up easy!

Okay - hope I'm not getting hokey here, but could that 8 x 2.5 foot recess be part of the bedroom. And two closets surround the window at the far end? Of course I don't know the dimensions of where the window is on the 8 foot wall.

I myself wouldn't over worry about resale if redoing the dimensions totally throw off the remodel. You have 8 more years to enjoy your house. People do buy homes with 8 x 13 bedrooms as the third bedroom.

Thats a thought...Yes, the recess could be part of the room and the window(s) can be located anywhere on the 8' wall as it has not been framed yet (southern exposure).

Entry would be "E", exterior window wall would be made from connecting top to bottom on the right. Room would go from 8' wide on the left to 10.5' wide where the recess is.
////////________
////////

_E __________

Hmmm...

Hmmm... if the widest part is now by the window, then I don't know if I'd constrain that area with closets. How far is the Entry door from the left bottom corner. Can a closet be put in the narrow end on the left? Where is the door to the attached bathroom? I guess what I am thinking is an 8 x 2.5 nook almost completely houses a twin bed.

Entry door is only a few inches from the corner where it is hinged on the left. It would need to stay there as the Bathrm wall/entry is 90 deg. from the lower bedrm wall.

The floorplan goes;

bedroom
.....bath/
bedroom

The bath (7x9) is between the two bedrm's. The other bedrm is a mirror image with its entry, only it's closet is on the left side wall (schematic orientation). The lower bedroom is comprised of two exterior walls of which one is shared by all three rooms (right side).

The top wall (with recess) of the discussed bedrm, is a shared wall (wet) with the kitchen counter that protrudes into the upper corner of the room (where the BR is 8' wide for 5' before the recess).

Hope I'm being desrcrptive enough...

Okay, I'm trying to picture this, and not sure if this makes sense, but... If I understand, in the lower left corner are two doorways. The left hand wall is 8 feet with a doorway for the bathroom. If the doorway to the bathroom takes up 3 feet, that would leave 5 feet on the left wall. How about a 5 x 2 foot closet put on that wall. That would sort of make the door into the bedroom "tunnel" like, but you would end up with an 11 x 10.5 bedroom with a 3 x 2.5 part cut out of it for the kitchen stuff on the other side. You would end up with a lot of uninterrupted wall space which is ideal for furniture placement. This is still a smallish bedroom but it would have a pretty big closet, is more square than long, and has lots of different ways to fit the bed.

Let's try this...Bath is between bedrm's. Asterik's (****) are representing the hall into the bath (short wide foyer style, not long or narrow). At that junction you can enter either bedroom going through the double asterik's (**) representing bedrm entry doors, they oppose each other (left or right off hall), or go straight into the bathrm. The # sign's and "wall" designation represent the exterior walls to the outside. So the lower bedrm has two exterior wall's (corner of home). The hyphen's ('''''''''''''''''''') are the wide part of the upper bedroom (10.5ft), where the 5ft section to the left is 8' wide. I tried to represent a sense of scale.

Does this help?

///////'''''''''''''''''''#
/////////////////////#
/////////////////////#
**/////////////////W
****/////////////A
****/////////////#
****/////////////L
**/////////////////L
/////////////////////#
/////////////////////#
/////////////////////#
###WALL###

LOL - I'm not sure what you are representing there. I think everything gets squashed up when you try to represent area.

All I'm thinking about is the bedroom in question and the doorways.

How about this.

There is a rectangle which is roughly 13 feet by 10.5 feet.
The Top wall is a 5 foot portion and an 8 foot portion of the nook.
The Left wall is 8 feet and has a bathroom entry at the bottom.
The Bottom wall is 13 feet and has the doorway at the far left side.
The Right wall is 10.5 feet and has a window on it.

At this point where do you put the closet? Let's say the closet is 5' x 2' - which is a nice size.
-- If you put it on the Left wall it makes the doorways somewhat tunnel like.
-- If you put it on the 5 foot portion of the Top wall it narrows one part of the room further to 6 feet but doesn't create a tunnel. Maybe this is better in that it creates a 5 x 6 nook with closet and two doorways, and then an 8 x 10.5 area.

If you draw this out, does it make sense? And is this better than either the 8 x 13 room? or the 10 x 10 and move plumbing room? which you first wrote about.

Rachel

Boy, I do not feel to sharp...LOL

The rectangle you describe (roughly 10.5'x13') is correct with the exception there is no bathrm door on the left hand 8' wall. The left hand 8' wall is clear.

If you were standing on the left side of the bad schematic where the three rows of four asteriks (****) are, and facing the right side of your monitor, you would be able to go into the bedroom by going left through two (**) asterik's. If you went straight, you would be in the bathroom, if you went right through the two (**) asterik's you would be in the other bedrm which is not under discussion. I was using the forward slashes (////) to indicate the "inside" area of the rooms. I more than likely made no sense...and Thank you for your patience :)

I do understand what you are indicating and would agree with putting the closet on the 8' wall opposite the window wall. It does give a nearly 10x10 clear room.

Is my little schematic still completely greek?

er.. This?
{{!gwi}}

thanks bmore!!!!

hi mlo1 - I didn't understand your code at all. And still don't. How about we both refer to the drawing that bmorepanic was nice enough to come over and do.

We both agree that the only window will be somewhere on the 10.5 wall. Right? And the 8 x 2.5 area could be open or could have the closet and a built in desk. Right.

Where is the bathroom door on the existing plan?

Wow! you are telepathic bmore, you have helped bail me out before when celticmoon and others including yourself, were brain-storming a new floorplan for this addition. Actually that floorplan was made here over 8 months ago, was engineered, and is being built now.

Bmore's drawing is 100% accurate :) thank you thank you bmore!

Sorry for my very bad drawing Rachel. I'm having big time IT issues currently. There is no bathroom door directly a part of any of the BR walls. The bathroom is actually between this bedroom and another.

The only wall in the bedroom that faces outside is the 10.5 ft. wall. I can put the window(s) anywhere as long as they meet egress code. Using a casement window (or combo) like the rest of the home, the minimum sill heigth is 44" and minimum rough opening would be 29"x40". I'm open for whatever would seem to allow the most flexibility. Currently this room is for our DD.

How about this as an alternative?

I think whatever you do, this will still be a smaller bedroom. The benefit of this plan is that there is more wallspace to allow different furniture arrangements. The benefit of your first 8x13 plan is that it would include a built in desk (and possible bookshelf above desk?)

Here is a link that might be useful: Different Layout

I tend to be leaning toward the larger "square" footprint, still debating...

Do you think most would be comfortable with locating the head of the bed under a window?

I have always been of the impression that given the option most people would prefer the headboard be against an inside wall. In this case, I can put the windows where ever, maybe two windows 5ft. apart...

I don't know how old DD is, but you might appreciate the extra closet space or a built in dresser more than a built in desk. My kids have desks in their rooms and they NEVER sit at them. They'd much rather do their homework at the dining room table. When they end up doing it in their rooms, I often find them on the bed. The desks end up being a reservoir for junk. My kids have small closets--maybe 4x2.5, and it isn't enough. We aren't fashion hounds, but between the seasons I feel like I am constantly changing out clothes. As they get older they need more closet space.

Also, the head of my bed is located under a window, and it is not comfortable. I have no other choice. Perhaps if the window is sited very high, and is wider than it is long, like in the CA tract houses, it would be just fine (mine is a 1928 colonial with tall skinny windows).