Additional or Second Bedrooms

How many other bedrooms or rooms do you need in your house?

How many children do you have or are you planning?  Will they each have their own room or will they share rooms?  At what age do you want them to have their own rooms?

Do you need a room to use as a Home Office, or a room for crafts or hobbies?

Will you have guests that stay overnight often so that you need a separate bedroom always ready for guests?

Many people are turning an extra bedroom into a Home Theatre or Media room for computers, games, stereo's, etc.

And again - what can you afford?

If the house has a formal living room and a family room, you may not need as many bedrooms.

The "standard" home is 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms.

Remember that when you resell your home only a room with a closet counts as a "conforming" bedroom.  Our current home has a room that is termed an office, den or study and it does not have a closet - so it does not count toward the number of bedrooms.

When we visit homes in California and most of the West I find that the standard home is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath.  But in the South East we are finding more "standard" homes have 4 Bedrooms and 2 baths.  You will also find differences based on whether the community is designed for growing families versus an area that may have more retirees.  For retirees a home with 3 bedrooms is usually plenty of space when you have downsized.  There is a master bedroom, a guest room and a room to use as an office or library.

Other design aspects to consider in the other bedrooms are:

How large are they?  Many model homes show only one twin bed in a second or third bedroom.  This makes the room look larger than it really is.  Some bedrooms are too small to hold a queen sized bed with two night stands and a dresser.

Dimensions -

A small second bedroom measures about 11x12 feet

And a large additional bedroom may be 13x16 or larger.

It can be difficult to determine how big a space will feel just from looking at the dimensions on a floorplan.  Measure the width of your bed and nightstands, then add a foot or two on each side to allow for additonal space to move around.

Furniture
Do you need to fit in one dresser or several chests
- or an entertainment center for the televison ? 
What about space for a desk in children's rooms? 
Do you want children to have room to play on the floor in their bedrooms?

What about windows & the amount of light coming in?  Is it adequate for what you will be doing in the room?

Wiring
Is it wired for enough electrical outlets or a ceiling fan in the ceiling?

Does it have a phone and cable TV outlet? 
If not, consider the cost of having the extra wiring added by the builder or a contractor.

The additional square footage of the bedrooms you need and want in your home can add up quickly and will make for higher expenses overall, but also contribute to a higher resale value.