Boardwalk Villas square feet (And sq feet of DVC resorts)

[deerh]

I have seen SO MANY different square feet measurements of the studios/1BR/2BR/3BR of Boardwalk
and other resorts.

From WDW "unofficial guide book" to Disboards, to Mousesavers/etc...

So my question- Which book/guide is correct? How many square feet in each resort is the absolute
"gospel" so to speak???????

OR, are they all using a different tape measure????

DeerH

 

[Denise W]

I have seen SO MANY different square feet measurements of the studios/1BR/2BR/3BR of Boardwalk
and other resorts.

From WDW "unofficial guide book" to Disboards, to Mousesavers/etc...

So my question- Which book/guide is correct? How many square feet in each resort is the absolute
"gospel" so to speak???????

OR, are they all using a different tape measure????

DeerH

All the room measurements are listed in the DVC Resource Center sticky at the top of this forum. They appear to be the most accurate based on people posting here.
Denise

 

[deerh]

Great!! Thank you! I just see SO many different articles/reviews of DVC resorts and did not know which is correct..

Thanks!!

 

[drusba]

Particularly with BWV, you will see some varying measurements if you search long enough online. What is stated in the DVC resource center is correct. What happened at BWV is that orignally there were drawings showing the potential room sizes that indicated the rooms would be larger than they are, e.g., about 400 sq ft for a studio. Those were not the actual sizes built but instead the smaller sizes shown in the DVC Resource Center. However, for many years, Disney itself published the room sizes on its site and actually published those larger sizes. About twelve years ago, Disney stopped publishing room sizes on its site but before doing so never corrected the errors it had previously made. As with many incorrect things that have been removed from a site on the internet, you can still sometimes find some references to the larger room sizes.

 

[crisi]

One thing to remember is that ten or twenty or a hundred extra square feet in a room that isn't well laid out isn't necessary a plus over a smaller room that is better laid out for your needs. For instance, the sleeper chairs take up a lot of space - and are great if you need the extra bed, but make the room seem smaller if you don't.

 

[deerh]

One thing to remember is that ten or twenty or a hundred extra square feet in a room that isn't well laid out isn't necessary a plus over a smaller room that is better laid out for your needs. For instance, the sleeper chairs take up a lot of space - and are great if you need the extra bed, but make the room seem smaller if you don't.

That is very true. However, the square feet make a difference in sleeping number of people. For instance, I can remember when BWV studios only
slept 4. Now, they can sleep 5, and the sq footage did not change. So, definitely see WHY people question/debate sleeping a certain number of
people and they begs the question---- What size sq footage can allow a 5th person? The 1BR at BWV are larger than most, but only sleep 4.
Now they can sleep 5, but no bedding is furnished.... I know back in 2000, 2001, it only slept 4... I have owned it since 1999...

So.... I guess my question is.. IF BWV 1BR is 814 sq feet, does 815 feet sleep 5 by law? What is the "break point" for occupancy? Or is this
a can of worms I should not open?? LOL!

 

[crisi]

It has more to do with room layout and the size of the sleeper chair than sq footage. It isn't a law thing, you just can't extend the sleeper chair in BWV with the couch pulled out, the table where it is, and where all the doors and the entrance are.

 

[DebbieB]

That is very true. However, the square feet make a difference in sleeping number of people. For instance, I can remember when BWV studios only
slept 4. Now, they can sleep 5, and the sq footage did not change. So, definitely see WHY people question/debate sleeping a certain number of
people and they begs the question---- What size sq footage can allow a 5th person? The 1BR at BWV are larger than most, but only sleep 4.
Now they can sleep 5, but no bedding is furnished.... I know back in 2000, 2001, it only slept 4... I have owned it since 1999...

So.... I guess my question is.. IF BWV 1BR is 814 sq feet, does 815 feet sleep 5 by law? What is the "break point" for occupancy? Or is this
a can of worms I should not open?? LOL!

Fire Code and Disney Occupancy are 2 different things. Disney can state a room occupancy less than fire code and probably do in most cases. That's why a studio can go from 4 to 5 or they can allow a 5th in a 1 bedroom. Or a tiny value room and an OKW studio are both an occupancy of 4. Disney occupancy is based on number of sleeping places and are good with that as long as it's less than fire code. Fire Code takes into consideration more than just square footage. Is the building sprinklered (all Disney resorts are), construction type, number of exits. They also have to consider if fire code allowed more in a standard room, what will that do the pools, restaurants, etc. And of course, they want larger groups/families to book larger rooms or multiple rooms.

 

[deerh]

It has more to do with room layout and the size of the sleeper chair than sq footage. It isn't a law thing, you just can't extend the sleeper chair in BWV with the couch pulled out, the table where it is, and where all the doors and the entrance are.

I still think they could (the 1BR at BWV that is) a sleeper chair somewhere in the 1BR. It is one of the largest 1BR on property (think OKW is
the biggest). After all, they DO say you can have 5 in a 1BR.. If there is room for 5 in a 1BR (no bedding provided), than there should/could
be a sleeper chair. At least the person sleeping on the floor takes up more space or as much as a sleeper chair extended......

 

[drusba]

^BWV is definitely not one of the largest 1BR's on the property. As I explained above you may see information on the internet that asserts incorrectly that the BWV rooms are larger than they actually are. The 1BRs are only about 712 sq ft, actually a tad smaller than the ones at BCV and VWL, and the living room area is not large enough to have both a pull-out sleeper chair and pull-out queen-sized couch. You also have the issue that most of the 1BRs are part of a 2BR lock-off and at BWV the door between the rooms is in the living room preventing any heavy chair from being placed in the area where the current light chair is, which chair can easily be moved to allow the door to be open. Moreover, based on where the couch pulls out to, just short of the cabinet below the TV, I doubt they could even put in the murphy bed arrangement in BWV like at VGF.

As to having 5 in a 1BR, that originally was not the rule as they allowed only four. It was about sometime in mid 2000's that members started hearing about Disney's allowing five in a 1BR with the caveat that no additional bedding would be provided. That change to allowing 5 was something Disney did without any announcement to the members, and a lot of members actually expressed to Disney their dissatisfaction with its allowance of 5, including that it just hid the fact of what it was doing generally from members for some time.

On the other hand, unlike the other resorts, the BWV dedicated (not lock-off) studios in the 1990's to about 2011 actually allowed five because they had a small daybed in them that could hold a young child (the bedroom area of the studio is larger than the living room of the 1BR). The problem members faced, however, is that having the dedicated studio was not a guaranteed request and thus you could not definitely count on getting one when reserving. Those daybeds eventually disappeared in one of the room rehabs done over the years.

 

[crisi]

Its also about more than square footage, its about where that square footage is and how its arranged and allocated. The closets at BWV in the master bedroom are huge, but that doesn't help with the space required for pulling out a sleeper chair in the living room. The table and chairs at BWV may take up more room than the installed bench and chairs at other resorts, or may end up blocking the space out differently. Any doors require clearance on both sides.

And the sleeper chairs are huge - they take up far more room than a person sleeping. That is a big piece of furniture.

 

[deerh]

^BWV is definitely not one of the largest 1BR's on the property. As I explained above you may see information on the internet that asserts incorrectly that the BWV rooms are larger than they actually are. The 1BRs are only about 712 sq ft, actually a tad smaller than the ones at BCV and VWL, and the living room area is not large enough to have both a pull-out sleeper chair and pull-out queen-sized couch.

Well, this exact website "Disboards" says the 1BR is 814 sq feet.. So, AGAIN, difference in sq feet as I said in my original post... You say 712 sq feet,
the "Disboards" say 814 sq feet.. I still could see a sleeper chair if the room was "rearranged" to accommodate it...

 

[Deb & Bill]

Well, this exact website "Disboards" says the 1BR is 814 sq feet.. So, AGAIN, difference in sq feet as I said in my original post... You say 712 sq feet,
the "Disboards" say 814 sq feet.. I still could see a sleeper chair if the room was "rearranged" to accommodate it...

AT BWV and BRV, the connecting door to a lockoff studio is in the living room. With the kitchen counter and the breakfast counter attached to it, plus the television, there isn't enough space to put in either the sleeper chair or the murphy bed. At BCV and SSR , the connecting door is at the entrance to the villa, but the kitchen counter, the kitchen table and television still take up too much room to add the sleeper chair.

 

[deerh]

AT BWV and BRV, the connecting door to a lockoff studio is in the living room. With the kitchen counter and the breakfast counter attached to it, plus the television, there isn't enough space to put in either the sleeper chair or the murphy bed. At BCV and SSR , the connecting door is at the entrance to the villa, but the kitchen counter, the kitchen table and television still take up too much room to add the sleeper chair.

I understand the logic. BUT, why couldn't BWV install a "drop down" bed like Poly studios have by/near/underneath the tv? Or, would there be no room due
to the fact the "couch bed" would take up too much room? Looking at the pictures above in the DVC section on the "Disboards", there is a chair
right at the door (connecting) to the studio.. Guess I am wishful thinking....

 

[drusba]

Well, this exact website "Disboards" says the 1BR is 814 sq feet.. So, AGAIN, difference in sq feet as I said in my original post... You say 712 sq feet,
https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-disney-vacation-club-resorts.3655410/#post-58627469
the "Disboards" say 814 sq feet.. I still could see a sleeper chair if the room was "rearranged" to accommodate it...

Not sure to where you are referring on Disboards, but you will find the accurate sq ft for BWV in the "DVC Resource Center" thread listed near the top of the thread pages for DVC on this site,
https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-disney-vacation-club-resorts.3655410/#post-58627469. It is that thread where Disboards puts an abundance of information for DVC and the DVC resorts. For BWV, Disboards provides in that thread the following accurate square footage for BWV rooms:

BoardWalk Villas - Villa Sizes
Studio: 359 sq. ft.
1 BR: 712 sq. ft.
2 BR: 1071 sq. ft.
GV: 2142 sq. ft.

You cannot add a sleeper chair to the living room area at BWV both because of lack of room and because the 1BR in the lock-offs has its interior door right in the living room where you would need to put any sleeper chair even if one could fit. Adding the murphy bed sytem like at VGF or in the BWV studios would also have issues because the width of the BWV living room is smaller than VGF's or the BWV studios and you would also have a length issue because that desk with murphy bed system would need to fit between the inner door to the studio and the outer part of the kitchen counter and that would be difficult to do without blocking either the door or access to part of the counter, see this YouTube walk through of the !BR
youtube.com/watch?v=gneX3jZV2Ow&feature=youtu.be
That dresser that you will see in the video below the TV that is between the inner door and kitchen counter is less than four feet long, and thus shows that you cannot put a lengthy murphy bed system there. The chair in the corner is a small, light chair that can be easily moved to open the inner door for making it a 2BR. A sleeper chair weighs a large amount and is more than twice as wide as the chair you see in the video.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I understand the logic. BUT, why couldn't BWV install a "drop down" bed like Poly studios have by/near/underneath the tv? Or, would there be no room due
to the fact the "couch bed" would take up too much room? Looking at the pictures above in the DVC section on the "Disboards", there is a chair
right at the door (connecting) to the studio.. Guess I am wishful thinking....

That chair is much narrower than the sleeper chair. Not wide enough for a bed.

 

[deerh]

• Deluxe Studio (approx. 412 sq. ft.) - 1 queen-size bed, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, kitchenette, small refrigerator, wet bar, and private patio or balcony
• One-Bedroom Villa (approx. 814 sq. ft.) - 1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and oven, washer and dryer, whirlpool tub, and private porch or balcony
• Two-Bedroom Villa (approx. 1226 sq. ft.) - 1 king-size bed, 2 queen-size beds, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and oven, washer and dryer, whirlpool tub, and private porch or balcony
• Three-Bedroom Grand Villa (approx. 2142 sq. ft.) - 1 king-size bed with a private bathroom, 4 queen-size beds, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and oven, laundry room with washer and dryer, flat panel TV in living room and each bedroom, with Blu-ray player in living room, dining room with dining table and chairs, private porch or balcony

I got this from wdwinfo.com which is at the "blue banner" above the Disboards logo. This is for BWV...
Do see what you all say about the "sleeper chair". I guess it is a lot more wide than I thought... Just wishful thinking.. STILL unsure of Square footage
however.... dvc.info says 712 sq feet for a 1 BR!..... Go figure!!

 

[IrishEye]

Fire Code and Disney Occupancy are 2 different things. Disney can state a room occupancy less than fire code and probably do in most cases. That's why a studio can go from 4 to 5 or they can allow a 5th in a 1 bedroom. Or a tiny value room and an OKW studio are both an occupancy of 4. Disney occupancy is based on number of sleeping places and are good with that as long as it's less than fire code. Fire Code takes into consideration more than just square footage. Is the building sprinklered (all Disney resorts are), construction type, number of exits. They also have to consider if fire code allowed more in a standard room, what will that do the pools, restaurants, etc. And of course, they want larger groups/families to book larger rooms or multiple rooms.

Its actually the life safety code that dictates occupancy of a residential bedroom. The Fire code sets standards for commercial occupancies based on sq footage and exit widths (total lineal feet).

 

[BEASLYBOO]

BWV-Truthfully they built/designed them too small. In the 1BR whether the sleeper sofa is open or not, the villa is significantly devoid of living/sitting space, the addition of the 2nd br door and the slider make it impossible (see pic prior to reno). In the living room, there's not enough space to add a sleeper chair, a single blow up mattress, or even a sleeping bag for that matter IMO, not if you want to use the sofa bed! Short of putting in a pillow and blanket in the jacuzzi tub, thus why we never stay at this resort though we like the resort/area. Unless of course you want to put that extra body in the master suite with you but, me, I provide and pay for the villa, so that's where I draw the line... I found the 2 bedroom at BWV which is suppose to accomodate 9, still tight, you have to sit and eat in shifts.

FYI-The OKW sleeper chair, my 6'4 son sleeps comfortable in it!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Its actually the life safety code that dictates occupancy of a residential bedroom. The Fire code sets standards for commercial occupancies based on sq footage and exit widths (total lineal feet).

The Life Safety Code is a series of codes for different types of occupancies and doesn't dictate the size of a room in a space. It sets space required for egress, thus, the width of corridors and the number of exit doors. It gives numerous code requirements for many types of occupancies like nursing homes, hospitals, hotels, public gathering spaces like arenas and shopping malls, schools. So it doesn't limit the number of people in a room, but the maximum number of people that can be in a building based on the egress from the building.

If a building is fire sprinkled and uses certain construction methods, the occupancy of a building can be increased.

So that is why it doesn't matter that an OKW one bedroom is so big compared to a BWV one bedroom and you can't put six in a one bedroom at OKW versus three in a BWV. What matters is the number of exit doors on each floor and the width of the exit egress corridor on each floor. Plus the materials in the corridor and whether or not there are fire sprinklers. It's why you don't want to put combustible (stuff that burns) upon the door surface like paper and plastic. All those decorations create smoke when the burn.