Is a 6’6” by 8’ 3” a big enough to be considered a bedroom?

[Ringdoorbell2]

I think it’s a fairly good sized box room with enough room for a double bed and a small chest of drawers.

Thoughts?

The average bed is 6' 3" in length, so yes you can a fit a bed either way in the room.
why does it need to be a double bed ?

A double bed would swamp a room that size. You'd probably get one in and some drawers but there would be little floor space. Is it just going to be a guest room? If it's to be used as a proper bedroom for a child / teen I'd say too small to put a double bed in it.

There are guidelines on minimum sizes. This would be just above the minimum for a child under 10.

Though if it's just a room for the odd overnight visitor then provided the bed fits in, fine.

I think that’s about 2x2.5m. So a standard double bed (typically thought of as a large single these days but would suffice for guests of normal height) is 135 so you could have about half a metre or 50cm on each side of the bed assuming you put the head of the bed along the long wall.

your door might struggle to open depending on where it is positioned and you won’t have any real wardrobe space.

you could shove the bed into the corner and you may be able to put a small wardrobe and chest of drawers but it will be tight.

Would help to have a picture showing where windows and doors are.

who is it for? Teen? You? Guests?

You’d have less than half a meter to the side of a double bed
Then half a meter at the foot of the
bed
So no
There isn’t enough room for a chest of drawers aswell and the door would have to open out

There is very little room for it to be a single bedroom but you’d get a chest of drawers in.
As a general rule of thumb standards suggest 7m2 for a single and 12m2 for a double

We had a room this size and my DH built a bed up high with wardrobe and desk space underneath

In my 3 bedroom 1930s terrace the box room is 6.5ft square which is pretty tiny but fairly normal around here (outer london borough)

It's a box room. Nothing 'good sized' about it, but yes, you can squeeze a bed in so it can be considered a bedroom.

As a pp said, I'd only want to use it for a small child.

That’s interesting re the rule of thumb. I’ve just looked at the floor plans for some new builds near us. They’re c.£600k 4 beds and none have a bedroom that’s 12m2

it’s funny how expectations, using the above post about a double bed being considered more like a large single nowadays, are contrary to what you actually get in a new build.

even this house as an example, it is an 80s build. A shade under £800k and only one of the bedrooms is barely 12m2

It would be used as a guest room & it would need a double bed as the guests are a couple.
There are three bedroom houses for sale near us for £500k+ with a third bedroom that is 5’8” by 7’. The estate agent commented that she lived in a similar sized room until she was 19 when commented the room was too small to be used as a bedroom.

The National Standards are ignored by developers
They aren’t imposed

we use them as a guideline. I’ve never worked for housing developers so can decide on usuable space standards which are realistic

I spent 14 yrs as a child/teen in a room a little smaller than this.
It was totally normal. The box room it was called..and I was a very very tall kid..
My Dad built a high sleeper when they weren't even a thing..

I think you need to send a plan and mark the door, winndows and any radiator. I don’t think you can fit a double bed and chest of drawers in it.

Does it have a window?

Its about the size of both my DCs bedrooms. Double beds would be a squeeze but they are fine as singles, or would be for a guest room.

We have a similar size room which has been used with a double bed for short term guests , we could set it up with a single bed and built in wardrobe but currently use it as a gaming room . Previous owners had used as a child’s bedroom

As a guest double it is just about OK IMO.

A single really for full time occupancy and not a large one at that.

I have a 10sqm back room and consider that on the edge of what's viable for a double for full time occupancy.

It has a window. 😀

Guidelines? Is this for new builds?

They are guidelines
They are optional and up to local planners to determine whether they should be implemented

Where does one find these guidelines and who came up with them?

I think people get confused about the standards for council housing that used to exist and dont now.

An 8x6 is a perfectly adequate small bedroom, you could fit a small double in there, as long as its the right way round you'd have some room around the bed and to each side. You might have the layout that allows for a pocket door and that would make it easier

The vast majority of bog standard semis, 30s style, have box room 3rd bedrooms, some are around 5x7 Ive seen. Fine for a single bed. Ours is 9x7.

I'd say it's a bedroom if you can fit a bed in it and close the door, AND it has a window. I do know of some terraced houses locally where the small room is called a boxroom rather than a bedroom because there are no windows, so it couldn't be used safely as a bedroom.

Our third bedroom is about 9' X 8' and was lovely as a nursery for dcs when they were little. When dc1 went into a bed we had to make a choice between small wardrobe or chest of drawers. I can't imagine that it would ever have worked as a guest room for a double bed, thought would have been acceptable for a single bed and drawers. Now that both dcs have left home, it is my sewing/craft room.

If it's for occasional guests you could put a double sofa bed in there so that it wouldn't look so cramped all the time with an an actual double bed.