8x13 is tight. I'm guessing you're working with a builder's plan so that a wholesale change to the upstairs isn't feasible? If it's an option, I'd suggest changing things to balance the size of the 3 kids rooms.

If you're stuck with 8x13 you will need to plan it pretty efficiently. Think ahead about which way the doors swings, or whether a pocket door might work.

We just remodeled to turn 2 large bedrooms into 3 small-ish ones. The smallest is roughly 8 x 13 and there are parts where it is oddly shaped. It works just fine and the kids love having their own rooms.

OP here. An alternative (not an NDI home; it would be a custom build), would something like the following.





This allows for better-sized four bedrooms -- but it would likely be more expensive, since it's not a model of any local builder.

OP here. Thanks for the replies. I am just playing with the vague idea of perhaps, in the future, get a tear down in close in Bethesda or Chevy Chase and build a small house. Because of budget constraints, if I were to do that I would go for a builder like NDI. The only NDI model that I really like is a Victorian-looking relatively narrow home, pasted below. To keep costs down, if I were to do this, I would keep changes to the floor plan to a minimum. In the floor plan pasted below, I would use the "sitting room" as the master bedroom, and put a wall to their "master bedroom" to divide it into my 8x13 fourth bedroom and a corridor to reach the new master bedroom. I think it's feasible, but I am not sure if it's a good idea. In any event, it's just day dreaming at this point. But thanks to all anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Way too small especially for a new build. Our small room is 10.5 x 12 and is almost too small. A standard room should be st least 12 x 12. The ideal for non master I'd 14 x 12

+1 Is a very small room especially the 8' dimension. Can you make it more square at least?

8 is too small if a width, it will be a challenge to position the bed to not interfere with the door, window or closet. I would do at least 9.5.

I think it's too small for resale if you are designing and building a new house especially in the DC area. Sure, 8x13 is probably fine for most small kids but it's tight to get a twin bed in there and a desk. Sure, many old townhouses in DC always have that one small room that's the size of a large closet and is used as a nursery, but OP is building a brand new home that will be competing with other new builds out there for resale.

Having a 4th bedroom is great for resale but can't you find an additional foot or 2 since you are still designing on paper to make that room at least 9 feet or 10 feet wide? 8 feet x 13 feet is also a strange proportion. Think about it from an investment perspective.

My son was in a similar sized bedroom for years. It was small! But it worked.

It is fine. Go for it!

Nope that's fine. Smaller than8 foot is not feasible but your kid will manage fine.

Growing up, as the youngest, I had a bedroom that was about 10x12, so only slightly larger. To maximize space, I had one of those raised beds with drawers underneath which served as my dresser. The bed was high enough that the drawers actually gave me more storage space than a typical dresser and it saved the footprint of the dresser. I also had a small desk and chair. The desk went out perpendicular from the head of the bed. The closet was at the foot of the bed. The door of the room entered inside the L formed by desk and bed and was almost to the closet. The door did not hit any of the furniture and had more than 2' swing space, so this layout could also work for an 8x13. Is it small by today's standards? Yes. Is it doable? Absolutely.

When I was 12, my oldest sibling went to college and I got that bedroom. When I was young, I definitely preferred having a small private bedroom rather than having to share a bedroom.

That's slightly bigger than our fourth bedroom. My daughter's room is probably 8x12, and it is big enough for a double bed, nightstand and dresser w/ mirror. The closet is roomy, and she has storage drawers in the bed, which helps.

8x13 is definitely bigger than most nurseries. It would be big enough for a guest room - bed at one end with small end tables on each side, and a small dresser.

Have two kids of the same gender share the largest room. If you have three kids of the same gender, have the youngest two share the largest room (assuming they are reasonably close in age).

Frankly, I don't know why people are so averse to kids sharing rooms that they don't even contemplate the possibility.

No it is not. Do kids hang out in their bedroom to play or do they just use it to sleep and read? That is how I grew up and that is what my child does as well - and we live in a condo. She mostly plays in the living room and uses her bedroom only to sleep and read.

With a basement even more so.

One can argue that teens like to hang out in their bedrooms but IMHO, one more reason to keep it small so they can mostly hang out with their families instead of isolating themselves in a bedroom upstairs.

We are in a similar situation. Can I ask OP what builder or approx what budget and how many square feet? Thx!