Making 2 room studio into legal one bedroom

[Kerry B.]

I was wondering how one would turn a 2 room studio into a legal one bedroom in Philadelphia? Just moving the bedroom to a different location with windows, a door and a fourth wall? Would this require a permit? If I move the kitchen to where the bedroom is, is it mandatory for the kitchen to have a window?

[Steve Babiak]

Originally posted by @Kerry B.:

Originally posted by @Kevin M.:

Yes this would require a permit and drawings in Philly. The architect submitting your drawings would know the code but a bedroom requires a window, closet, and certain square footage. A kitchen requires a window close to the range or a ventilation system.

Can I ask why it’s so important for it to be a ‘legal’ 1BR? I really haven’t heard of people undertaking this kind of work just to change from a studio to 1BR on paper. Unless it will significantly improve the layout and rentability...

I want to abide by the law. Our contractor and our agent both said they have a lot of experience with it and they said it's not hard to do. Just gut checking bc we've never done it before.

I think you missed the point Kevin was trying to make. No question that it has to be legal. But why do you want to convert from studio to 1BR in the first place? What benefit are you expecting to get?