In-home tea room?

[gate_pourri]

I am seriously debating a move to the 'burbs and spent most of today looking at houses. I found a house I kind of like (cute neighborhood), but am a bit perplexed at what a 'tea room' is? It is a small room (maybe 6ft x 6ft) 3-walled, lots of windows, off of the dining room. I can't figure out what I would do with this little room. What is its origional purpose? What would a 21st century use for it be?

Also, this house had the master bedroom downstairs, with the other 2 bedrooms upstairs. Although I don't currently have kids, I plan on having some in the future. Do parents really sleep downstairs with their young children (babies/toddles) upstairs?

 

[Disney Doll]

I ahve no idea what to use the tea room for these days...maybe an office? But you'd probably have to put a door so it's not visible from the dining room.

As far as bedrooms...my parents BR was on the 1st floor while mine was on the 2nd. I'd rather that than the kids on the 1st floor and the master BR on the 2nd.

 

[lovetoscrap]

During my 3 house searches only thing on my ABSOLUTELY NOT list was master on the 1st and other bedrooms on the 2nd. I admit that I have a bit of a parinioa regarding fires, and there is no way I would have my young children on the 2nd floor and me on the first. In case of fire it could be impossible to get to the 2nd floor to get to them--heat and smoke rise, just trying to get up the stairs could be deadly. I want to be on the same floor so we can all get out together. I have fire ladders upstairs and we have an escape plan from every room.

And more practically, do you really want to be running up and down the stairs for midnight feedings or to answer the call of "Mommy, I just threw up"?

I refused to even look at any houses with this sort of set up. Now if there was a 2nd Master upstairs that would have been okay, because the Master down is good for guests.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

It could be used as a small reading area, with a chaise or 2 small chairs or an atrium for flowering plants & a small chair.
It could be really beautiful!

 

[MAKmom]

I am seriously debating a move to the 'burbs and spent most of today looking at houses. I found a house I kind of like (cute neighborhood), but am a bit perplexed at what a 'tea room' is? It is a small room (maybe 6ft x 6ft) 3-walled, lots of windows, off of the dining room. I can't figure out what I would do with this little room. What is its origional purpose? What would a 21st century use for it be?

Also, this house had the master bedroom downstairs, with the other 2 bedrooms upstairs. Although I don't currently have kids, I plan on having some in the future. Do parents really sleep downstairs with their young children (babies/toddles) upstairs?

How old is this house? I have never heard of a tea room & I googled it too

During my 3 house searches only thing on my ABSOLUTELY NOT list was master on the 1st and other bedrooms on the 2nd. I admit that I have a bit of a parinioa regarding fires, and there is no way I would have my young children on the 2nd floor and me on the first. In case of fire it could be impossible to get to the 2nd floor to get to them--heat and smoke rise, just trying to get up the stairs could be deadly. I want to be on the same floor so we can all get out together. I have fire ladders upstairs and we have an escape plan from every room.

And more practically, do you really want to be running up and down the stairs for midnight feedings or to answer the call of "Mommy, I just threw up"?


I refused to even look at any houses with this sort of set up. Now if the re was a 2nd Master upstairs that would have been okay, because the Master down is good for guests.

I hate that call

 

[kehouse]

could it be what some call a breakfast nook? just enough room for a small table and chairs.

 

[barkley]

the whole master on the first floor, additional b/r's on the second was HUGELY popular where we used to live. we would'nt even consider it.

my issue was what could happen if one of my little one's woke in the middle of the night and came looking for us-i did'nt want them tumbling down stairs and no-way i was going to have them up there crying from the other side of a toddler gate we ended up then and now with a home all on one floor that actualy ends up being as big if not bigger than the bulk of 2 story homes we initialy considered (and our heating costs and cooling costs are much lower).

the only way i'de do b/r's on separate floors would be like our neighbor's house-the master and an 'office' is on the ground floor. they plan to use the 'office' as a nursery/toddler room when they have kids. when the kids are older they will transition to the b/r's in the walk out basement. the basement steps are right near the master door so it would'nt take any longer to go down to their child's room than it would to go across the house if they were located on the same floor.

as for the 'tea room'-you might check with the assessor's site and your realtor as to what this room legal is. we've had neighbors with similar set ups that they had to call odd names because the room is technicaly and legaly an add on space (like what was an old porch that's been converted). for tax and permit purposes they could'nt call them 'dining nooks' or other standard terms in real estate-and they definatly could'nt call them that when they went to sold (similar to our situation with one room-we use it as a bedroom but legaly it's an 'office' b/c it has no closet and while 3 b/r rooms are legal in our neighborhood, 4 b/r's are not).

 

[shortbun]

Lots of homes in our neighborhood have tea rooms or what we call sun rooms. In most homes, they are loaded with plants and a really comfy chair or love seat. Great place for Sunday morning coffee and the newspaper or reading a really great book with a cup of tea with the windows open on a nice sunny day. They can add oodles of charm when used well.

!st floor masters are experiencing a boom in popularity again and although I'd have passed when my son was little, I admit to looking for one right now so I don't have to do all those steps in my old age. Perhaps you'll see the benefit later in life.

 

[englishteacha]

We don't have kids, so a first floor master would be fine with us! We have a small 2 br. house, and the bedrooms are upstairs with the only bath downstairs. As a grown up, I hate having to go downstairs in the middle of the night, and if one of us is sick, we end up camping on the couch. Is the master that much bigger than the upstairs bedrooms? If it's not, just claim an upstairs room for yourselves. As for the "tea room" it sounds like what we'd call a breakfast nook around here, though those are usually off the kitchen, not the dining room.

 

[ndelaware]

First floor master bedrooms are definately not for people with young children or infants.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Sounds like what we would call a breakfast nook or breakfast room around here, I like the idea but it depends on the set up really. I've seen some that are great for a small table for just a few people which would be nice for DH & I to eat without using the whole dining room. Others I have seen are too small or too far away to make good use of the rooms