What Constitutes a Legal Bedroom?

When I am asked to list properties or am showing properties with small rooms, I often get the question, "Is this considered a bedroom?" The number of bedrooms in a house is important because sellers want to appear in the search results of as many buyers as possible; however, any bedroom listed needs to be legal size in order to get the nod, so I thought it would be useful to share the actual requirments for legal bedrooms...

According to the International Residential Code (IRC), a legal bedroom must be at least 70 square feet in area, with a width not less than 7 feet. The minimum required ceiling height is 7 feet 6 inches. If the ceiling is sloped, the required height applies to at least half of the ceiling. As for windows, bedrooms must have windows for light, ventilation, and emergency escape. If a basement room does not meet these requirements, it cannot be considered as a legal bedroom. The minimum size requirement for bedroom windows that provide natural light is at least 8% of the floor area of the room, and minimum size for openable windows is at least 4% of the floor area of the room.

For emergency escape, the openable window must have a sill height of no more than 44 inches above the floor. The size of the opening should be at least 5.7 square feet, measuring no less than 24 inches in height and no less than 20 inches in width. Windows should be able to open without the use of a key or tool. Screens and bars are permitted as long as they can be opened or removed from inside the dwelling, also without the use of a key or tool. The code makes no mention of bedroom closets because these can be provided by means of portable cabinets.

Happy hunting!

Virginia Claims 10 of America's Top 100 High Schools

Virginia has received great marks when it comes to public high schools placing 10 schools in Newsweek's list of the top 100 public high schools in the nation. Top Va schools were H-B Woodlawn in Arlington (13), Clarke County in Berryville (32), Washington-Lee of Arlington(33), and Yorktown in Arlington (59).

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors.

Click here for a complete list of all ranked schools

D.C. Ranked Fifth Best City for Young Professionals

Washington D.C. was ranked as the 5th best city for young professionals by Forbes in a recent article. The list was compiled by tracking where the graduates of top universities across the country ended up 10 years after commencement; where the best business opportunities exist; which cities had the most young and unmarried people; and which cities paid young professionals the best.

Read the full article.