Is This a Radical Idea for a House

[jackfaire]

If you *were* the type to have friends over, how many would you want to sit around talking together at the same time? Now, how many would you want to take to *bed* at the same time?

I lived in an apartment where I had friends over all the time. My living room was twice the size of my bedroom and I never filled up more than half of it with friends and furniture.

My bedroom however never quite had enough room for my bed, bookshelves, and my desk.

[Boozy]

Count me in as someone who would love a smaller bedroom in exchange for a larger living room! This will definitely be a factor when looking for our next place.

I originally loved this place when we first found it, because the entire second floor is a giant bedroom with an ensuite bath and massive walk-in closet. It looks beautiful, but its not practical. The closet we use, but the space in the bedroom is a complete waste. We could fit three king-sized beds up there and have room to spare. It's utterly pointless, because when we entertain, no one goes up there. How much space is required for two people to get dressed?

[Shangri-laschild]

When my roommate and I moved into the 3 bedroom, I had my choice between the small bedroom and the bedroom that was about the size as the master bedroom. My roommate looked at my like I was odd when I told him that I wanted the smaller one so that the bigger one could be used for projects I think he figured I'd end up changing my mind. I have a twin bed though and I don't keep my desk in my bedroom so it made more sense to use the smaller one and have more room for projects. Just depends on the person's needs.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Why does it matter what room your tv is in? Back when I lived in my old place, we watched tv in bed, in the back bedroom. Sometimes we slept back there, sometimes we didn't. We didn't have a tv in the living room. When we had guests, we gave them that room so they'd have the tv if they wanted it.

Frankly, I don't like seeing a tv first thing when you walk through the door (even though that is now my current situation). And I like to watch tv in bed.

Listen, one of my friends tore the wall between her bedroom and her living room out with a damn crowbar "so she could watch tv in bed." Okay? So if anyone needs to know what screwed up behavior is regarding how rooms in a home are used, I think my baseline pretty much starts and stops with the sight of bare wall studs, naked wiring, and broken-off drywall.

There is nothing weird about converting a bedroom into a lounge (or man cave).

[telecom_goddess]

Sigh...I have a ginormous tv that IS the first thing you see when walking into my apartment. I only have a living room, no den or family room. I do have a spare bedroom now that my daughter is moved out again....but I haven't done anything with it yet.

I also have a tv in my room...I like it everywhere

[jackfaire]

My thing is I rarely entertain by having people come over to watch TV. In my experience unless the point of the party was to watch movies then the TV being turned on is a good indicator is that the party is drawing to a close.

As such I don't usually keep a TV in my living room. It would be in my bedroom area where I could use it.

[guywithashovel]

Why does it matter what room your tv is in? Back when I lived in my old place, we watched tv in bed, in the back bedroom. Sometimes we slept back there, sometimes we didn't. We didn't have a tv in the living room. When we had guests, we gave them that room so they'd have the tv if they wanted it.

Listen, one of my friends tore the wall between her bedroom and her living room out with a damn crowbar "so she could watch tv in bed." Okay? So if anyone needs to know what screwed up behavior is regarding how rooms in a home are used, I think my baseline pretty much starts and stops with the sight of bare wall studs, naked wiring, and broken-off drywall.

That was a pretty wild thing your friend did. I wonder why she didn't just put a TV in the bedroom instead of ripping the wall out? Granted, a new TV isn't an inexpensive undertaking, but she could have just picked one up at a thrift store and put it in there, couldn't she? But if she's happy with the arrangement, then that's great.

I actually feel bad complaining about this, because after all, she is my mother, and she and Dad have helped out financially with this house. I just thought it was odd she'd think this was so strange, since my bedroom at her and Dad's house is now an exercise room.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

That was a pretty wild thing your friend did. I wonder why she didn't just put a TV in the bedroom instead of ripping the wall out? Granted, a new TV isn't an inexpensive undertaking, but she could have just picked one up at a thrift store and put it in there, couldn't she? But if she's happy with the arrangement, then that's great.

.

Right?

I mean, yeah, it's her house, but THAT, my friend, is what I consider worrying behavior. Why not put THE tv in the bedroom?

It's one thing to knock down a wall and build a header and combine the two rooms, but that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about a lady taking hold of a wrecking bar and ripping out drywall so she could see through the wall. And leaving it like that.

I guess she's happy with the arrangement. I GUESS. I'm not entirely sure she's happy with much of anything, which I guess is why I find the behavior disturbing. But that's another conversation entirely.

So, yeah. Turning the bedroom into a TV room? Entirely reasonable and non-worrying behavior.

[HYHYBT]

Perhaps she'd damaged the wall some other way, and decided it would be easier to enlarge the hole and make use of it than to repair it?

Not really related, but I'll tell the story anyway. My grandfather once knocked a hole in a wall to move a sofa. Grandma had gotten a new one for the living room, and the old one went in his office. Except it was a *long* sofa, at least seven feet, and he couldn't get it turned right in the narrow hallway. So he removed a section of drywall*. He did, though, put it back again and repaint afterwards. (And later, three of us were able to get it back out the usual way. But he put doing things himself at a high priority, and only had one hand.)

*and presumably studs, though I wouldn't have put it past him to have left them out of that section when building the house just for such an occurrence. He had an extra framed door in the basement, which matched the others in the house, so that if things went badly and they couldn't pay the heating bill they could install it at the beginning of the hall, close off half the house, and sleep in the living room.