To think 2.4m x 2.2m bedroom could work for child?

[Dizzymisslizz]

Posting in AIBU for traffic. Looking at houses and there’s one I love BUT the third bedroom is pretty tiny (2.4m x 2.2m, or 7’10” x 7’3). My youngest is 4…thinking that could work as a bedroom with clever built in bed/ storage? Or am I kidding myself…? If not, do you think it would be okay until say 12/13?? Advice and first hand experience much appreciated!!

It's absolutely fine. My son has a 2m x 2m box room until he was 20. And he's 6ft2. He was quite happy in there.

Don’t do it! My poor daughter has had the box room since she was born. She’s now 13, it’s tiny (bed, no wardrobe) and she hates it. There’s fuck all I can do with it due to no money. If you have the money and you can make it work it might be ok but whatever you do, it will be far from ideal.

I had a bedroom about that size in my teens, I was incredibly grateful to get it as previously had been sharing with siblings. Too many kids in a too small house.
It was fine. I had a high sleeper bed and storage underneath. And not much stuff.
My mate next door in an identical room had a futon to sleep on and would fold it up into a sofa when I went round after school.
I think if you plan for that room to just be about sleep and a little bit of storage, and there's space elsewhere in the house for play and more storage then it's fine.

My 5 year old is in the box room of our 1930s terrace - it's 8'2 x 6'3. It fits his single bed (a full size single but a neat frame) which has three inbuilt drawers, a malm IKEA chest of drawers and a book shelf. He loves his room.

If a full size single is too big, you could consider a 'shorty' bed - they come in a variety of widths and lengths.

Ours shared a 2.4 by 3.8 room so individually had less than half the space of your room. Had high sleepers each with desk, wardrobe etc underneath. Also have friends with 4 kids who renovated house to give all kids own rooms and that worked only by making all rooms that size. Their teens were fine with it.

Thanks all, this is reassuring. @Trinity69 ig I went for this house (which is under budget) I’d have funds for built in furniture plus some sort of summer room / playroom at end of garden, if you think that makes a difference…?

I loved my little bedroom when I was growing up.

Another vote for it'll be fine! Another 6 foot son here in the box room pretty much same size, large single bed, under bed storage, small chest of drawers, side table and desk and chair plus a bookcase wall mounted ... No idea how it all fits in tbh but it does! The desk was made to measure to fit the corner, it's just cosy really!! His wardrobe is in my room though there's only so much you can fit in 😂

We have a small room like this which was used a bedroom but is now used as a gaming room for the two teens still living at home . Bit tight for a teen in our experience

There’s a 5 year gap between DD and her older sister, hence am thinking that it would only need to work til she’s about 13 and then she could switch to the bigger loft room once DD1 has left home (hopefully!!).

Did he sleep diagonally?

If that was your only option you could make it work but it's hardly ideal. You say the house is under budget so I would hold out for something bigger.

My bedroom isn't much bigger than this (live in a tiny cottage) and it's fine, if I were a teen and wanted to hang out in my room more it would be easily adaptable with some clever built in furniture and a loft bed. I think it being cosy and welcoming and nicely decorated is more important than being very spacious.

It’s with looking at the tiny house videos on YouTube.

Loads of really clever space saving furniture/layouts.

Nope. 6ft 2 is less than 2m.

This is mn where every child should have their own bedroom and double bed.. our last place a tiny 1930s cottage. DD bedroom was smaller than that. She had an IKEA set up,bed up top, wardrobe, desk,chest underneath

I have always found this odd. At university they squished 2 people in a room slightly bigger than that (8’x10’) in the dorms.

There’s plenty of room if you raise the bed.

I had a box room with a full staircase going up to the attic inside it when I was a teenager - there was so little floor space my dad had to build a custom bed to fit a mattress slightly smaller than a standard single. Had storage under the bed for my clothes and a bookcase, absolutely loved it and felt very cosy in there!

We now live in a townhouse with the big bedroom and house bathroom on the middle floor along with the lounge. DS(11) was initially in this room but begged to be moved to the box room on the same floor as the rest of us. We have done a similar thing, built a custom cabin bed frame over a few sets of IKEA drawers for his clothes, the only other furniture being a bookcase, shelves for his Lego models and some hooks behind the door for his school shirts. It doesn't feel cramped at all and he loves it.

My 6yo DD1 has our box room of about this size - a full sized single just fits along one wall and then wardrobe is built in over the stairs bulkhead with shelves for books and trinkets down one side. She has drawers under the bed for toys and dressing up clothes, hooks on the walls, and the room also fits her dolls house. Everything else like games, books, art supplies, is kept downstairs. It's a cosy, pretty room that works - bonus is that's it's really quick to tidy!
Like you, we have two girls 5.5 years apart. Soon we'll upgrade DD1 to what's currently the spare room - if DD2 starts sleeping through I'd like them to share for at least a few years but if it doesn't work out, I know the box room will work fine for her.

As a child/teenager me and my friends had bedrooms of all shapes and sizes. I can't remember us ever commenting on it and we would happily hang out in small bedrooms.

We've decorated my child's box room really nicely and it's probably my favourite room in the house. It has a lovely cosy feeling. He'll sometimes take a few toys into his room to play but usually plays in the living room. I think he could stay in that room when he's older as we have a spare larger room that has sofabed, desk and space he could play. (It makes sense for us to keep the larger room spare so family can stay, they wouldn't fit in small room).