Saw a great house, BUT...

[Burk]

Date: 5/13/2009 1:28:21 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/13/2009 1:19:05 PM

Author: Burk

Tgal~according to our real estate agent, PP is right. NO closet=no bedroom. Not that it really matters in this situation because that doesn''t make closets magically appear.

What about doing the closet dance?

Hmm...you should try that! Let us know how it goes!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/13/2009 1:31:22 PM
Author: Steel
PP That is fascinating! Over here there is no such rule but perhaps it should be no closet = no bedroom!

TGal: I know you passed on the house but could you not have taken 600mm / 2ft of any wall to install a built in? Were the rooms already that bit tight?

Yup Steel, the master was already that tight. It had a huge bathroom put in. I love the house but can''t seem to figure out the closet thing.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Oh, I love a challange!

Find a company like California Closets (for example) to do a wall of built-ins that will serve as closet space. http://www.californiaclosets.com/products/

You''ll add instant resale value since you''re solving a huge design flaw and updating your home. You can do drawers, long hang, short hang...choose any finish and hardware you like! You can even leave a shelf open for a television (if you''re bedroom TV people). This will elimate the need for any other furniture in your room aside from your bed and nightstands.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/13/2009 1:54:26 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
Oh, I love a challange!

Find a company like California Closets (for example) to do a wall of built-ins that will serve as closet space. http://www.californiaclosets.com/products/

You''ll add instant resale value since you''re solving a huge design flaw and updating your home. You can do drawers, long hang, short hang...choose any finish and hardware you like! You can even leave a shelf open for a television (if you''re bedroom TV people). This will elimate the need for any other furniture in your room aside from your bed and nightstands.

Italia, I wish I could show you the room. Maybe I will go measure it. It is small. REALLY small. As in, I am not sure I can get in our queen size bed and two small nightstands!!!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

The thing with getting a built in closet system is that a professional design will come up with a way to make the room work. I know it sounds odd...like it would eat up a lot of space...but the thing is...it can be created to not do that.

As far as fitting furniture in...bed sizes are tough. But remember, if the room is empty that is always misleading. It''s hard to imagine how to fit things in. Even if you did wall mounted nightstands, which are hung with brackets and are little more than boards...you can make the space make sense.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/13/2009 2:06:14 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
The thing with getting a built in closet system is that a professional design will come up with a way to make the room work. I know it sounds odd...like it would eat up a lot of space...but the thing is...it can be created to not do that.

As far as fitting furniture in...bed sizes are tough. But remember, if the room is empty that is always misleading. It''s hard to imagine how to fit things in. Even if you did wall mounted nightstands, which are hung with brackets and are little more than boards...you can make the space make sense.

Well, for 300K I''d consider such arrangements, but for 620K asking? Ack.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 5/13/2009 2:25:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/13/2009 2:06:14 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
The thing with getting a built in closet system is that a professional design will come up with a way to make the room work. I know it sounds odd...like it would eat up a lot of space...but the thing is...it can be created to not do that.

As far as fitting furniture in...bed sizes are tough. But remember, if the room is empty that is always misleading. It''s hard to imagine how to fit things in. Even if you did wall mounted nightstands, which are hung with brackets and are little more than boards...you can make the space make sense.

Well, for 300K I''d consider such arrangements, but for 620K asking? Ack.

Asking and what you''ll get it for are two different things. I''d get messurements of the room, contact a closet company who''ll assist you in adding storage...and then approach the seller with the price and ask that they credit. I cannot imagine it would be more than 10k...I could be wrong of course.

In this market, sellers are wheelin'' and dealin''...make the deal work for you, esspecially if you can change real obvious flaws.

 

[Kismet]

te:[/b] 5/13/2009 11:49:57 AM
Author: MC

Didn''t people mostly also have smaller beds? When did King size become in vogue for couples?[/quote]

I remember touring one of the mansions in Newport RI and thinking that the bed in the master bedroom was *teeny*, no more than a double. Of course closet space didn''t matter because the bedroom was so huge you could have fit in 12 armoires.

 

[D&T]

Date: 5/13/2009 1:09:37 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Ha, I tell ya ladies, we''ve sure gotten used to ''stuff'', haven''t we?

Date: 5/13/2009 12:16:17 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Technically in realtor-speak no closet = no bedroom.

A room without a closet cannot be termed a ''bedroom'' just as a room without a window cannot be termed a bedroom. You can call it a bonus room, den, library or whatever...but NOT a bedroom. Could make for a very tough resale sitch once the crisis is over.

PP, I''ll have to look into this. They are definitely calling it a 3bdrm house.

Either way, I''m still waiting...just looking casually in the meantime.

Realtors get more hits when searching for homes as traditionally 3 bedrooms is "standard" for family, but I see it all too often even though there is no closet, I''ve put listing that was actually a den/extra space as 4 bedroom, good size, you just need to add a portable closet/armoire or something.

hmm, closet or storage space is a must, can you buy a portable closet armoire per se? or not enough room for one?

 

[decodelighted]

Oy. I know about this all too well. Our house has exactly two closets -- one in the upstairs bathroom & one in the middle of our living room. We also have a couple of "built in storage areas" in and around the master bedroom -- but they are mostly waist high. It is a SUPER PAIN. DH''s clothes are in the downstairs closet & in a big freestanding cabinet we bought. Mine are on an open rolling rack & freestanding organizational drawer unit DH already owned in our bedroom. Our coats have to be on a coat rack in the mudroom. There is NO BROOM CLOSET or PANTRY. GAH!!!

The only saving grace is an enormous basement & roomy garage. Both larger than apartments I''ve lived in previously.

Closets are on my MUST HAVE LIST for House 2.0. *sigh*

 

[MommaBear]

Tgal
I bought a 1950''s house last year.
Fortunately, the orginial closets are quite roomy, considering the time period. The master
was an add-on that was put there a few years after the house was built. It has a wall of closets!
You know those typical closets with the sliding mirrored doors, well my master has 3 full closets along one wall... that means 6 sliding glass panels! there is overhead shelves as well!!
DH and I have our own ''wing'' and the middle closet, we share for coats and random things. We''re so lucky to have all that storage space, cuz beleive me, we''ve got STUFF! LOL but.. for some reason, there''s still not enough space

 

[TravelingGal]

Italia, in this case the seller is the bank. It is a REO. They will not make any repairs or give credit. Couldn''t hurt to ask, but REO''s a bit tougher I think.

My realtor called. There are offers on the house. I''m willing to bet some of these people are not aware of the closet problem. A realtor and her client were leaving yesterday when I made a comment about lack of closets and they were like, "really?" Went back to look and there were a lot of "oh my gods!"

TGuy may come home today in which case we are going to take a look see one more time with my realtor to measure the room.

 

[TravelingGal]

Whoops, hit submit too fast...

D&T, as far as I can tell, no room for anything in the master. The 3rd bedroom is the size of a shoebox. Bathrooms are roomy as is the main room (by L.A. standards for a house this size).

Deco, wow...and isn''t your house pretty big?

MommaBear, if I am not mistaken, I think you live near me? I''m in the South Bay.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 5/13/2009 11:49:57 AM
Author: MC

Date: 5/13/2009 10:49:52 AM
Author: movie zombie
people had furniture to hold clothing. armoirs anyone?!

people also didn''t have 1200 square feet to live in for the most part.......

mz

Didn''t people mostly also have smaller beds? When did King size become in vogue for couples?

Probably when people started getting bigger (and I mean larger in general, not fatter). People now are a lot bigger than they used to be.

 

[partgypsy]

Yeah in North Carolina a room is supposed to have a closet in order to be called a bedroom. Also to be consider a rooms has to have at least 1 window (weird). Our house is from the 1920''s and you could tell they had diffferent priorities for their storage space needs. The kitchen used to have a stairs going down into the basement for a place to store food in a cool environment, which was then floored over to make a walk in pantry in the kitchen. And there is a cedar lined walk-in closet in the attic, which I guess they used to store their "Sunday best". But other than that very little storage space. We walled off a corner of our bedroom to make a closet plus I have a small armoire for my clothes, and in my daugthers'' room there is only a small closet which we use just for storage so again an armoire and other pieces of furniture for clothes storage. My husband''s family seems to have a surplus of furniture so we haven''t had a big problem with it, and since I''m the last thing from a clothes horse (I think my daughter has more clothes than I do!) it hasn''t bothered me.

 

[icekid]

Tgal- geez, every time I read these California housing threads I realize how much I don''t envy life out there!

I have a few friends who are doctor couples who want to move back there eventually and I wonder how they will afford a house and paying back school loans as well. It sounds PAINFUL.

About the closets- I am not a STUFF person. But, especially with a kid around, some stuff is necessary. In such a small house, I don''t even see how you could ADD much storage space. Craziness! Does it have a basement at least?

 

[MommaBear]

Tgal
yes I do live in the South Bay!
For some reason I thought you lived in another state!
LOL

 

[TravelingGal]

No, no basement here in California.

We would have to build out. We went and looked at the house again (TGuy and I) and thought we would put in a lowball offer. There are already offers on the house and there is only a slim chance of getting it, but we don''t care. If we don''t, we don''t. There will be other houses for lower prices.

I actually don''t think the build out will cost that much. It''s an outer wall by itself and the roof looks to be right for building out. But we''ll see. All it needs is a few feet of extra space, a closet and the house would be great.

 

[Burk]

So you did end up putting in an offer?

 

[TravelingGal]

I told the realtor I wanted to, but haven''t heard back. Maybe I insulted HER with my lowball offer? lol

 

[Burk]

Date: 5/14/2009 2:35:00 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I told the realtor I wanted to, but haven''t heard back. Maybe I insulted HER with my lowball offer? lol

Na...whatever your lowball offer was, I''m sure she''s heard worse!

 

[TravelingGal]

So considering that the house has been on the market for only a few days and is in a multiple offer situation, she thinks it might be a waste to submit our lowball. She said she would go ahead if we wanted her to, but wanted us to be aware of what was going on so we wouldn''t be disappointed. I''m thinking I probably shouldn''t bother...

 

[Haven]

TGal--Sounds like you might not end up with this house, but I''d put the offer in, anyway. You never know what the other offers are, after all.

As for the closet situation--we don''t have much closet space in our house. It''s a ranch with a four foot crawlspace, but we don''t store anything down there in case of flooding. DH''s biggest concern about the house was storage, but we''ve found that less space to store stuff = less junk to keep. It''s really helped us cleanse. I know there''s a difference between having less storage and *no* storage, but I''m just saying . . .

This couple did a really cool thing with their master bedroom. In fact, they did cool things with their entire home, but the closets in the master are pretty great.
This Young House

 

[TravelingGal]

Wow Haven, those people were visionary! I don''t even want to know how much mula they put in!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

OK, TGuy and I discussed...we opted not to make the offer because it''s a long shot and we''d have to do work to expand it from the get go.

Another day in the LA home hunt, I guess!

 

[pavelover]

Waahhhh!!! Why can''t I be a visionary??? Wow that house looks so awesome!
Tgal- I Hope you guys find the house of your dreams soon- you are a very patient "gal". I couldn''t really see the ikea wardrobes in the master bedrrom. were they behind the billowy curtains I guess? where did they push the curtains to get into the wardrobe? what a cool idea!

 

[Rhea]

It''s not abnormal to not have closets in England, we just buy wardrobes and choose where to put them. It was a bit weird to me at first, but the freedom to rearrange the rooms is nice.