I love it when clients come to me with a sketch of what they want their post-renovated space to be. This helps us all get on the same page right away and gives me a great starting point for developing the full design. The only real issue that comes up is that sometimes clients don't account for enough space for things like stairs, bathrooms and bedrooms. In this post we'll take a look at the things you need to take into account when drawing up your new bedrooms.

So, what are the actual, official, really for real requirements of a legal bedroom? Let’s start with a quiz.

Which of the following are building code requirements for a bedroom?

A – Smoke detector is present
B – It needs an egress window
C – The ceiling is at least 7 feet high
D – It has to be at least 70 square feet
E – It has a closet
F – All of the above

And the answer is… A, B, C and D. If you answered E or F you’re probably a realtor, ha! I’m sorry realtors, I love you, please still recommend me.

So the real answers are everything above except the closet. Blog over. If you want a little more detail, keep reading.

What is the code?

First things first, we have to know where our requirements are coming from. Sometimes “The Code” seems like a mythical, ubiquitous entity that’s always ready to destroy all the hopes and dreams you had for your new house. Really the code most likely refers to the International Residential Code. This is a model code written by the International Code Council. Local jurisdictions, like Montgomery County or the District of Columbia, will adopt the model code into law, thus making it the legal building code you must follow. These jurisdictions may amend certain portions of the IRC for various reasons, but that doesn’t matter here. As of this writing, MoCo and DC have adopted the 2015 edition and Virginia is on the 2012. The most current version is the 2018.

What’s does building code do for us?

The second thing to keep in mind is that the IRC is strictly interested in providing for the health, safety and welfare of people living in the building. The code wants to make sure you have sufficient space in which to live and that said space provides sufficient air and light AND a way out. There are no code requirements for things like the quality of your kitchen island, the size of your TV or…whether or not your bedroom has closets.

You can read the code for free online. Most of what applies to this discussion can be found in Chapter 3: Building Planning.

Bedroom as Defined by Code

The last thing to know before we get into the details is that the term Bedroom is not actually used in the code. There is reference to Sleeping Rooms, but not bedrooms. The official term we need to know is Habitable Space. As Architects (and Homeowners) we are interested in creating beautiful (and code-compliant) habitable spaces. As defined in the IRC, a Habitable Space is a space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces and similar areas are not considered habitable spaces.

The Actual Code Requirements for Bedrooms

Now for the actual design requirements for a bedroom.

Minimum Room Size

The minimum floor area is 70 square feet and no horizontal dimension can be less than 7 feet. That means the absolute smallest room you can make is 7’ x 10’. You are allowed nooks, alcoves, entry areas, etc that are less than 7 ft wide, but these spaces would not count toward your 70 square foot minimum. See IRC Section R304.

Minimum Ceiling Height.

The minimum ceiling height is 7 feet, or 6 feet 8 inches if the bedroom is in a basement. You are allowed to have a bedroom with a sloping ceiling, like when the bedroom is on the highest floor and below the roof. In this case the ceiling can slope as low as is required for the roof design but some of that space likely will not count toward your 70 square foot requirement.

Any floor area where the ceiling is less than 5 feet does not count toward your minimum space requirement AND at least 50% of the required floor area must also meet the 7 foot ceiling requirement.

Egress Window and Window Size

Windows are required for three reasons: Light, ventilation and egress. The light requirement says that glazing must be equal to 8% of the room floor area. If you have a 150 sq ft room you only need a window that is at least 12 sq ft… 3ft x 4ft for example, easy. The ventilation requirement is usually superceded if you have mechanical heating and cooling, so this doesn’t come up much either. There are no exceptions for the egress window though.

An egress window must provide a net 5.7 square foot opening. That means for your typical single or double hung window only the bottom part that actually opens counts toward that 5.7. The opening must also be at least 20” wide and 24” tall and have a maximum sill height of 44”. Note that the minimum opening height and width do not result in a window that meets the 5.7 sq ft area requirement.

Electrical Requirements

Electrical and Fire Safety Requirements Bedrooms require two separate smoke detectors, one in the bedroom itself and one outside the bedroom in the vicinity of the bedrooms. If you have a few bedrooms on the second floor you need a smoke detector in each one, then another in the hall. You also need to install a Carbon Monoxide detector outside the bedroom in the vicinity of the bedroom(s).

When standing near a wall you must always be within 6 feet of an outlet. That means outlets need to be placed at a maximum of 12 feet from each other. If you are directly between two outlets you will only be 6 feet from either one.

The End

You can't design anything until you know what the constraints are. In this post we covered the code restraints that determine the requirements for a bedroom. Remember, these are the bare minimums and anything LESS than this would be illegal!

Want to talk to an architect about your own project? Contact me.