Design question - dining room or 3rd BR in rental

[Greg Todrank]

I’m closing on a huge duplex (2/1 up; 2/1 down) built in 1885. Would you convert a dining room into a 3rd bedroom? It already has a closet, so new wall and done.

My only hesitation is having somewhere for a table. The kitchen is going to be tight.

[Dave Spooner]

Congrats on closing on the duplex, and great question. Like @Rochelle Moulton said, the answer to your question is really going to depend on who you'll be renting to, and what people are typically looking for in your market. i.e. If it's college students who want to split up the cost of a rental between more people, and probably don't care about all sitting down to eat in a dining room together, then adding an extra bedroom could be a great choice. If it's a young urban professional, they may not need 3 bedrooms, but they might want to have a dining room to entertain guests. If you don't think there will be room in the kitchen for a table that seats more than a couple people, I'd lean toward keeping the dining room, unless you think your target renter really won't care about a dining room.