Dream Factories

Bedrooms Adapt to Offbeat Uses -- But Make Sure You Can Switch It Back

Jackson MacInnis uses one of the spare bedrooms as a state-of-the-art music room at his house in Alexandria, Va. (Kevin Clark - Twp)

Jackson and Julia MacInnis's house in Alexandria boasts six bedrooms.

Lots of kids? No, the couple has two boys. What the MacInnises do have, though, are several work projects going on at once.

Jackson MacInnis, performance studio manager for XM Radio, composes musical scores in his freelance time, many of which have accompanied documentaries on the Discovery Channel. Julia MacInnis is a photographer. Both spend large chunks of time working from home, and both need their own home offices.

Jackson's music room is especially impressive. Guitars, amplifiers, keyboards, samplers, mixers and computers fill its floor and hang from its walls. The 15-foot-by-17-foot space looks nothing like the bedroom it was once intended to be.

To the MacInnises, that's just fine.

"This room is a blessing," Jackson said. "If I had to rent recording space I'd be spending $100 an hour. And that's for a small studio. Here I have no overhead at all. It's been a big help in my business."

It's not surprising that owners are transforming bedrooms into customized spaces. Developers are building new houses with more bedrooms than ever. The National Association of Home Builders reports that the portion of homes built with four or more bedrooms has risen steadily from 21 percent in 1975 to 39 percent in 2005.

Large families may need four bedrooms for all their children. Smaller families, though, can turn these bedrooms into something . . . else.

Real estate agents say they have seen owners around the region transforming their extra bedrooms into home theaters, extensive offices and cluttered craft rooms. But they've also seen more offbeat uses: One couple turned a bedroom into a home for their iguanas and other lizards. Another filled a room with miniature trains.

Joe Estabrooks, a real estate agent with Century 21 New Millennium in Alexandria, recalled a home he sold in Fairfax County last year. The husband performed in shooting competitions, and filled one bedroom with his scopes, ammunition and firearms. The couple also had two large pet parrots. They devoted a second bedroom to these birds and their giant cages.

Estabrooks, like any savvy agent, recommended that his clients place the shooting memorabilia in storage and relocate the birds. It's fine for owners to have an unusual room when they're living in a home. It's not so good when it's time to sell.

"In this buyer's market, the condition of the home is more important than ever," Estabrooks said. "Something as minor as a bad paint color in one room can deter offers on a house. So you really have to be careful when you've done something unusual to a room."