Creating additional bedrooms

[Charles E. Bruckman]

Hello All,

I am curious about the process to turn a 3 bedroom house into a 4 bedroom house by converting an office or other room into a livable space. The goal here is to increase the number of bedrooms to be able to house hack and increase cash flow. I would want to make the conversion as cheap as possible while still making it legal. My questions include:

1. What are the criteria necessary to call a room a "bedroom" in order to rent it out?

2. Is a permit required to make this conversion?

Any information you can share with me about this subject would be a big help to me.

Thank you in advance!

Chaz

[Joe Splitrock]

Originally posted by @Charles E. Bruckman:

Hello All,

I am curious about the process to turn a 3 bedroom house into a 4 bedroom house by converting an office or other room into a livable space. The goal here is to increase the number of bedrooms to be able to house hack and increase cash flow. I would want to make the conversion as cheap as possible while still making it legal. My questions include:

1. What are the criteria necessary to call a room a "bedroom" in order to rent it out?

2. Is a permit required to make this conversion?

Any information you can share with me about this subject would be a big help to me.

Thank you in advance!

Chaz

 Generally speaking a bedroom needs fire egress, which is a window to escape in a fire. Generally there is also a closet and door that separates the room from the rest of the house. There should not be a door that leads to the outside in the room. Odds are good if you are converting, that it involves some type of construction. Contact your city for permitting requirements. Odds are good they need to inspect the work being done. Also be aware of occupancy limits in your city. Some cities limit the number of unrelated adult occupants to 3 per property.