What's a bedroom?

[Admiral Beez]

When I search condo listings I'll click 2 bdrms, but often the 2nd bedroom does not have a window to the outside, nor a proper closing door. Instead they'll be a sliding partition, and sometimes a "window" from inside the space into the common area of the condo. These Dens in all but name, often do not have a closet either. When did this become a design and architectural style in the GTA condos? I have friends with condos build in the 1980s, and their bedrooms are just that, rooms with an exterior window, solid doors and closets. The below article covers this issue, and how the “Alternative Solutions” permitted by the Ontario Building Code got us here.

Kate Kozikowski | What is a bedroom – condo edition.

A bedroom, as most of us would imagine, is a place where one would ordinarily sleep, will have a door which can be shut so one can sleep in peace and quiet, wil

kozirealty.com

 

[lenaitch]

No doubt the builder's lawyers and engineers have addressed it, but calling something a 'bedroom' invokes other Code considerations, such ventilation and smoke detector placement.

I agree that it is stupid.

 

[vidakral]

I’ve always assumed a bedroom needed a window for light and egress, but I’m also noticing that windowless rooms with sliding doors are becoming a bit of a trend. Personally I really don’t like this direction. It feels like a step backward in design and livability. It is also pretty misleading, especially for first-time buyers. I agree there should be a consistent standard that buyers can actually trust.

 

[lenaitch]

I’ve always assumed a bedroom needed a window for light and egress, but I’m also noticing that windowless rooms with sliding doors are becoming a bit of a trend. Personally I really don’t like this direction. It feels like a step backward in design and livability. It is also pretty misleading, especially for first-time buyers. I agree there should be a consistent standard that buyers can actually trust.

Part of the problem is buying from drawings or plans, which can be either misleading or folks don't know how to read them. Personally, I could never buy from a plan. My brain doesn't have the ability interpret them properly; i need to stand in the space, either a re-sale or model, which I guess they don't do anymore.

 

[vidakral]

Part of the problem is buying from drawings or plans, which can be either misleading or folks don't know how to read them. Personally, I could never buy from a plan. My brain doesn't have the ability interpret them properly; i need to stand in the space, either a re-sale or model, which I guess they don't do anymore.

Yeah I feel the same way. I’ve always found it hard to picture how a place will actually look and feel just from a plan. For me being there physically makes all the difference because otherwise it’s just guesswork.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Part of the problem is buying from drawings or plans, which can be either misleading or folks don't know how to read them. Personally, I could never buy from a plan. My brain doesn't have the ability interpret them properly; i need to stand in the space, either a re-sale or model, which I guess they don't do anymore.

Searching listings of existing condos is also tricky. For starters, Realtor.ca does not include the sqft of condo listings. Here are the filters Realtor.ca needs to add to its condo searches:

• Sq.ft. of total condo and of bedrooms
• Bedrooms with exterior windows, four solid walls and closing doors
• Exclude bedrooms with interior windows or sliding glass panels
• Exclude Dens from the Bedroom count (no more 1+1 Bdrm listings)

What else would we like to see MLS add for condo search filters?

 

[Towered]

My former partner rented a "2 bedroom" basement apartment for a couple of years, and neither of the bedrooms (and they were proper separate rooms) had any windows. The place felt like a dungeon and I hated spending time there. Depressing stuff, especially considering that 2 young kids had to live there...