I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without wall: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:06:22 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without wall: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

Of course not. Small is the new big.

I don't have much taste, but I note that in my 22? foot wide
townhouse, the stairway upstairs uses a wrought iron railing, and
upstairs the same thing, which I've always thought was to make the
rooms look a little bigger.

The house I lived my first 10 years had a big mirror over the sofa,
the width of the sofa (windows on both side of the sofa and the mirror
went from one set of curtains to the other iirc) from the top of the
sofa maybe to the ceiling, to make the room look bigger my mother
said, even though it wasn't small to begin with.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

The only other thing I have to say is that for some of the
measurements, like from bookcase to dishwasher, it's hard for me to
tell what distance is being measured. In the dimension next to the
toilet, I don't know if it has something to do with the yellow line or
not. Plainly it's the software, and maybe it's well known to people
not me.

On Jul 28, 9:06*pm, Michael wrote:
I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. *I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. *Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? *Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? *For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. *Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

I'd say go for it. Might have the bed room door open out against the
cabinet? I know bedroom doors typically open in but this bedroom is
pretty tight & the door swing takes up standing room...just a thought.

Also I would suggest getting the software decimal places under
control.......I doubt the dimensions are good to the nearest .1" but
38.0818" really? Nearest inch would improve readability, the rest is
noise.

Rather than having to switch back & forth between "wall" & "no wall"
plans....would it be possible to just make the new wall a different
color? Colored items = new.........everything else is existing?

cheers
Bob

On Jul 29, 3:42*am, BobK207 wrote:
On Jul 28, 9:06*pm, Michael wrote:

I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. *I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. *Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? *Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? *For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. *Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

I'd say go for it. * Might have the bed room door open out against the
cabinet? *I know bedroom doors typically open in but this bedroom is
pretty tight & the door swing takes up standing room...just a thought.

Also I would suggest getting the software decimal places under
control.......I doubt the dimensions are good to the nearest .1" *but
38.0818" really? *Nearest inch would improve readability, the rest is
noise.

Rather than having to switch back & forth between "wall" & "no wall"
plans....would it be possible to just make the new wall a different
color? *Colored items = new.........everything else is existing?

cheers
Bob


What's along the outer wall that spans the bedroom/living room?
Looks like it;s a window? Is it openable in the area which would
become the bedroom? There is a code requirement in most places that
a bedroom has to have a means of egress to the outside and usually
that's a window, which has to be openable and of a certain min size.
If that is a window and is continuous, doesn't have an opening in the
bedroom area, etc, it would require some $$$ to make it comply.

I'd check all that out with local code officials, or else you may be
in for a surprise when you go to get a CO.

BobK207 wrote:
On Jul 28, 9:06 pm, Michael wrote:
I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

I'd say go for it. Might have the bed room door open out against the
cabinet? I know bedroom doors typically open in but this bedroom is
pretty tight & the door swing takes up standing room...just a thought.

Suggestion: sliding door.

Harlan Messinger wrote:
BobK207 wrote:
On Jul 28, 9:06 pm, Michael wrote:
I own a 500 sq ft apartment in downtown DC. I’m trying to decide if
it would be worthwhile to put up a wall that splits the kitchen and
living room from the bedroom. Would the apartment be more valuable if
it’s sold as a one bedroom instead of a junior one bedroom? Here are
pictures of the "before" and "after":
current layout - without
wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NuYxFJ
with wall:http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...92434605NUopsG
Is the bedroom going to be way too small? For all of you that do not
live in a city, please do not blast me on this question because your
SUV is probably bigger than my apartment.

The cost of the wall should be about $1000. Last year I renovated the
apartment and put the kitchen in a different spot, so the apartment
now has a new layout that lends itself nicely to a division of the
apartment's bedroom and main living area.

I'd say go for it. Might have the bed room door open out against the
cabinet? I know bedroom doors typically open in but this bedroom is
pretty tight & the door swing takes up standing room...just a thought.

Suggestion: sliding door.
Which is what OP was asking for info on in the first place....

Good cautions about the egress window. If it were my place and I wanted
to go low-buck, I'd just make a jam-fit frame, maybe pinned in place
with a few screws in select places, and hang 2-3 full height sliding
panels from it, like an oversize bypass closet door. Maybe even have a
clear space above to allow air and light to pass. If an eventual buyer
prefers a big studio-style apt, less than an hour to remove without a
trace. Think traditional Japanese-style divider wall, except not made
out of paper. (Unless he likes that sort of thing.) A BOQ I stayed in at
Pearl Harbor many years ago had a setup like that between the back room
with the bed, and the front sitting area with the fold-out couch, and it
looked classy and worked well. (Frosted glass instead of paper.) I guess
the foldout was for overflow situations where they had to double-bunk
people.

--
aem sends...