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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   2975 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 5, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Many people think that a room cannot count as a bedroom if it does not have a closet. However, no such provision actually is contained in building codes.

According to the Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction, the typical closet is 8 ft × 2 ft (2.4 m × 0.6 m) for an adult or 5 ft × 2 ft (2.4 m × 0.6 m) for a child, with 14-inch (36-cm) shelves affixed to the rear wall.

Do you like closets? Or do you prefer movable storage solutions, such as wardrobes and shelving units?

Would you ever consider living in a house that has no closets?

Many people think that a room cannot count as a bedroom if it does not have a closet

Another instance of learning a small thing that surprises me about America (I assume).

Would you ever consider living in a house that has no closets?

A wardrobe serves the same function even if it takes up more space.

I like closets because I need a lot of storage (I have trouble throwing away things) and built-in storage means I don't have to pay for it separately. Of course, no house so far had enough built-in storage for everything, so I have some wardrobes and bookcases and so on. Would I consider a house that has no closets? If it's perfect otherwise, than probably yes, but discounting it by the price of the storage furniture I'd have to buy and install, and also the effort to find them (took me months to find decent bookcases that don't cost like I'm building a taxpayer-funded Presidential Library). And, alternatively, the house with ample built-in storage would get valued more for the same price.

Closets in bedrooms are not a thing here in Russia. The typical storage solutions in an apartment here are:

  • commieblocks have lowered ceiling in the corridor leading to the kitchen past the bathroom (if you've read Pavel Tsatsouline, he mentions it in the context of greasing the groove with pull-ups)
  • older houses (like, Stalin-era), often have broom closets in the hallways and corridors
  • newer houses might have a closet like this (my classmate used one as his bedroom), but they usually have a wall in a corridor that you cover with built-in furniture
  • then there's always the balcony
  • and the bedrooms usually have a freestanding wardrobe, mine does

If we're talking about actual single-family houses, then reach-in closets aren't a thing either. People either build walk-in pantries and wardrobes, or use freestanding storage.

I vastly prefer having closets. Shelves and Wardrobes "penetrate" into your living space in a uniquely explicit way. As the walls around the room go from predictable edges to a jagged collection of furniture, the percieved space is eliminated not just by the footprint of each item but also the area around it.

People own many ugly things that deserve to be hidden. My camping gear shouldn't be exhibited in my room or even really on a shelf. The closet is the best space for these things.

Pretty sure it's a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac thing, though. My first house was actually closet free so not only did I consider it, I did live that way, though doing so taught me that I really took closets and closet space for granted. Movable storage worked, but took up what was otherwise (seemingly) valuable storage space and although I got furniture to compensate, closets were a much more natural and better fit for me. And when the time came to sell the house, the Realtor straight up told me to pay someone for closets as otherwise the bedrooms could not be counted as such.

Pretty sure it's a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac thing, though.

A cursory search for "fannie mae closet" reveals no such requirement. (Having "limited closet or storage space" is mentioned in this document as one factor in appraising a house as "quality 6", the lowest possible rating. But it's only one of several factors.)

the Realtor straight up told me to pay someone for closets as otherwise the bedrooms could not be counted as such.

Obviously he failed to actually read the standards. Many such cases!

GUH, looks like you're absolutely right. I just did my own $Internets_Search and I'm seeing several sources that back you up on the FHA having no closet requirement. At the time, I had been impressed by my realtor and so I just assumed she knew what she was talking about but it just goes to show you how pervasive those sorts of common misconceptions can be. With as much crap and downright weird stuff I've dealt with when it comes to mortgage companies over the years, the whole closet thing seemed pretty tame in comparison!

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