access to new bedroom

[Johnap]

hi new to the forum and this is my first post! really happy i discovered as I'm embarking on a project to build a new addition and I'm more handy with a hammer than the law. First I live in NJ. heres the question -- the addition will be to an old house -- oldest section goes back to 1850 or so, with a mudroom, laundry room and full bath downstairs connecting to the kitchen. upstairs I'm planning a bedroom. total footprint is about 18X18 which is roughly what the bedroom will be. the only way to really connect the upstairs bedroom is through a small upstairs den/craftroom using an existing window that I'll open up. the den is literally at the top of the stairs and the door is just inside the den entry. in other words the new bedroom door will be about four feet form the stairs and den entry. i understand that bedrooms are not supposed to be accessed through another room but I'm extremely limited based on the old house floor plan. theres just no way to connect to the hall directly. are there any options? what about removing the door to the den? or not calling the new space a "bedroom"? we have no attic so I could call it storage! Seriously I'm wide open and at the drawing stage but there is really no flexibility in the plan that i can see. thanks again john p

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

You can call a bedroom anything you want, but according to the code it will still be a "sleeping room". As the saying goes: "A rose by any other name ... " is still a "sleeping room".

I can envision the possibility that you could convert the den/craft room into a 'loft/hallway' where 'den' stuff (entertainment center equipment?) is on one side of the hall up against one wall, and the 'craft' stuff up against the opposite wall, leaving a hallway between the two. Granted, this would take some additional work, but you would then be accessing the bedroom by that stairs and then through the 'loft/hallway'.

Keep in mind, though, that removing a window and replacing it with a doorway that is now an interior doorway could cause the loss of required natural light and natural ventilation.

Sounds to me that you really need to talk to an architect or someone similar who will be able to properly design and layout what you want within what you are working with so that all the pieces will not only work together but also be code compliant.