Does a bedroom need a cupboard?

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Niel

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#1350619 23-Jul-2015 17:06

In South Africa houses are built without wardrobes, then it is added similar to how kitchen cabinets are installed. This is partly because there are very few timber houses. However, here in NZ we did the same and it saved a few days of gib stopping and cutting architraves, and saved space as there is no 2" framing, and the wardrobe has more space for the same footprint as you don't have the stupid hidden corners of a door smaller than the wardrobe. If you want more space but still have storage, I'd rip it out and hang cabinets high on the wall so you can still e.g. get a bed under it without hitting your head. Or a desk.

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mattwnz

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#1350626 23-Jul-2015 17:24

Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Grrr, that's real estate agents for you. Just sell it yourself and put it on trademe, or use another agent. IMO you can call a room anything, as long as you can use it for that purpose, and it can be legally used for that purpose. I have seen agencies advertise the floor area of building larger than the real floor area, because they added on potential roofspace that can be converted to another room.

I had an agent apraise a house house, who would only list the floor area to be of what QV had on record. QV only lists the floor area of the main dwelling, and not other buildings on the property. We have separate garaging and an big annex on it, which adds on another 100sqm to the size, and that is the insured floor area on record. We said that if you didn't add that extra 100sqm, then they would be actually be misrepresenting the house as being smaller than it really was.

froob

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#1350718 23-Jul-2015 19:58

We're part way through a multi-step renovation aimed at increasing the storage space in our house, so you can probably guess that I am going to say it is important. Having said that, I think you could get away without it in a third bedroom, which would probably be a kids bedroom or office. It's nice to have, but by no means a deal breaker for someone buying the house, in my view.

Our house actually has a very similar bedroom layout to yours, by the looks of it. After many hours of staring at the plans, we decided we were going to have to build out in order to add storage, without cramping the relatively small house. We also wanted to add a second toilet, which put it across the line.

Our extension is relatively small - only 4m by 2m. We added a walk in wardrobe onto the bottom of where your bedroom 2 is, which has the added bonus of bringing the roof out further over the entranceway. As part of that renovation stage, we also closed up the existing cupboard in bedroom 2. When we come to renovate bedroom 1, we will open up that wall and make a full wall of cupboards.

Our bedroom 3 has the cupboard up against the far wall to the left. It’s an awkward little thing that’s not even deep enough to hang a coat hanger. When we get to it, the current plan is to pull out that cupboard and open it up to the room. Luckily, there is a decommissioned fireplace right next to it, that we hope to pull out and turn into a much larger cupboard. I don’t suppose there is anything behind the other end of your bedroom 3 you could get rid of?

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BinaryLimited

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#1350757 23-Jul-2015 20:42

Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

So for resale, id say no..leave it..
for long term....take it out...

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sidefx

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#1350762 23-Jul-2015 20:52

BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

Any links to the relevant legislation?

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BinaryLimited

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#1350785 23-Jul-2015 20:54

sidefx:
BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

Any links to the relevant legislation?

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bairdo

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#1350807 23-Jul-2015 21:09

my rooms ~2.5 x ~2.7 (double bed and desk) and i dont know what id do without the cupboard, helps to keep things organized, and out of sight. in fact id love more cupboards :)

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mattwnz

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#1350863 23-Jul-2015 22:54

sidefx:
BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

Any links to the relevant legislation?

I would be interested in seeing that too. There are rules with Laundering (G2) and Cooking etc, and what minimum requirements houses must have when they are sold. Also there is legislation on the minimum sizes and that bedrooms must have opening windows etc, and that bedroom can't contain cooking facilities in them. But I am not aware of any relating to bedrooms must having built in cupboards, to be legally advertised as bedrooms. Many houses have rooms with separate removable cupboards, but are still called bedrooms, when they are marketed for sale, especially older ones.
I did find this thread at property talk, http://www.propertytalk.com/forum/showthread.php?33847-Real-estate-agent-says-extra-2-rooms-can-t-be-called-bedrooms/page3 and it is discussing exactly the same thing, and there was no evidence about it being a legal requirement. Maybe it is a rule for real estate agents, but there is no requirement to sell a house using a real estate agent, so they are shooting themselves in the foot with some of their rules.

mcraenz

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#1350872 23-Jul-2015 23:46

BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

So for resale, id say no..leave it..
for long term....take it out...

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mcraenz

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#1350873 23-Jul-2015 23:50

BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

So for resale, id say no..leave it..
for long term....take it out...

I find that very hard to believe. We looked at an old house with large 'bedrooms' and just free standing cabinet style wardrobes. With that logic the house would have no bedrooms.

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mattwnz

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#1351179 24-Jul-2015 14:20

mcraenz:
BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

So for resale, id say no..leave it..
for long term....take it out...

I find that very hard to believe. We looked at an old house with large 'bedrooms' and just free standing cabinet style wardrobes. With that logic the house would have no bedrooms.

I am calling BS on it, as I went to a house today being marketed by an agent, and two of the bedrooms didn't have cupboards. Infact it was being marketed as a 4 bedroom plus house, which means that another room cold also have been a bedroom, but not sure where that would have been. So it doesn't appear agents know their own rules either.

BinaryLimited

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#1351194 24-Jul-2015 14:52

mattwnz:
mcraenz:
BinaryLimited:
Dingbatt: Friends were advised by a real estate agent that they couldn't advertise their house as 5 bedroom because the fifth room didn't have a wardrobe. That despite the fact that all 5 rooms are used as bedrooms at the moment.

Very true, legally a realestate agent cant advetise a room as a bedroom if it doesnt have a cupboard/wardrobe.

So for resale, id say no..leave it..
for long term....take it out...

I find that very hard to believe. We looked at an old house with large 'bedrooms' and just free standing cabinet style wardrobes. With that logic the house would have no bedrooms.

I am calling BS on it, as I went to a house today being marketed by an agent, and two of the bedrooms didn't have cupboards. Infact it was being marketed as a 4 bedroom plus house, which means that another room cold also have been a bedroom, but not sure where that would have been. So it doesn't appear agents know their own rules either.

Yeah depends on the agent i guess lol, i go to alot of open homes all the time and get told different crap from different agencies.

As for agents following rules, well thats another story....iv seen an agent sell the house next door by mistake....interesting.
best to call the REAAA and get it straight from them.

You will also notice that agents list properties that arent in the right area purely to get more money and interest for the vendor... eg. The address on gis viewer and nz postal finder says howick, yet theyve labelled it cockle bay on realestate.co.nz....
dam,i could go on and on about all the doggyness out there.

But again, rather phone the reaa (reaa.govt.nz) if you are in doubt.

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raytaylor

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#1351420 24-Jul-2015 23:58

GeoffisPure: Would you find it strange when buying a house if one of the rooms didn't have a cupboard?

Its one of the first things a potential buyer will look for in each of the bedrooms.

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richms

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#1351481 25-Jul-2015 10:33

I pulled them out of the smaller rooms to get more floor area. Can put a freestander in if you need, but I find that a metal shelving/clothes rail thing works great to hang the jeans up and let towels get stacked on. Unless its a full sized walkin on I would rather have nothing. Small dingey cupboards made out of propper wall take way too much space up compared to a freestanding one, and you have no choice of having it or not.

Richard rich.ms

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