what do we have?

How high are the ceilings?

4 rooms.

Hunters, the ceilings are 9 feet.

You have 4 rooms: 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen. I think a junior 4 typically would have 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen and 1 living room/dining room space. The living room/dining room could be partitioned to create a separate bedroom space, office space or nursery depending on your needs. Is your living room large enough for a two seat dining table? If so, you might consider adding that for resale as an alternative to the counter space currently being used.

Jr 4 is 4 rooms. That's why it has a 4 in it.

Full 2 br is 4 1/2 rms.

Full 2 br with 2 bths..... 5 rms

It's not customary in NYC to count bathrooms as rooms or half rooms. In Long Island, I've been told, that's how counting works. So full 2BR with 2baths, LR and kitchen is 4 rooms. Add dining room for 5 rooms.

Similarly, NYC doesn't count pantries, foyers, entrance galleries, walk-in closets, ramadas, etc. as a room or fraction thereof.

I agree with lobster: palomalou has 4 rooms. Except my read isn't that palomalou's kitchen counter is a breakfast bar type of arrangement.

The old NYC tradition of room counting has finally fallen mostly to the wayside, except for public housing.

Three rooms.

You do NOT have a kitchen. You have kitchen appliances in the living room.

It depends who's counting. HUD, the city, and REBNY count differently. In http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/9210-jr-4-classic-8-explain-old-skool-apartment-types manhattanfox lists the REBNY standard.

I don't know how a fully-open kitchen is counted. (Other than "squalid.")

Also, the half in 3.5/4.5/5.5 can also be a foyer of a certain size, as they were often intended as dining areas.

But a post-war two-bedroom with both dining-ell and foyer is not a five.

Well...in that case, a lot of people - myself included - must adore squalor (or at least learned to embrace it!)

Seriously, unless you're joking, I never heard of an open kitchen so villified.

Did you perhaps experience something traumatizing in an open kitchen? Like this, perhaps?

http://touch.dailymotion.com/video/x7tnc9_the-french-chef_fun

If so, now I understand. Bon Appetit!!!

Just half-joking. Cooking and living in one room just doesn't appeal to me. It does to lots of people, judging by what sells.

Got it!

a 5 rm is 2 bdrms, 2 baths, living rm, dining rm, kitchen

a 6 rm is same with maid's rm and bath

4 rm is same (as 5) less the DR

.5 is keysherpaspeak

Like lobster, I would call that a 4/2/2 even if there's no wall there.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

In some parts of the West, where they never state total rooms, they'll list "4 bedrooms, 1.75 baths". Three-quarters bath means stall shower instead of shower/tub combo.

Oddly, they don't count a bathroom with separate tub and shower as 1.25 baths. What part of "sleazy" don't their borkers understand?

Thankfully there aren't any "open bathrooms" (not yet, anyway!)

Can you just imagine the marketing angles & ad descriptions?!? OY!

Thankfully there aren't any "open bathrooms" (not yet, anyway!)

... there are in hotels, certainly, and I've seen lofts that just have a privacy wall sort of "floating" in front of the bathroom.

Interesting! I'll have to see one if those one day.

But I was thinking along the lines of an open kitchen equivalent - you know, where you can talk to your guests gathered in the living area through a cutout from the bathroom you're taking care of business... a real convenience, right? No? Oh well...

P.S: And equipped with a VERY heavy duty exhaust fan...

"Like lobster, I would call that a 4/2/2 even if there's no wall there."

Of course you would. You're a realtor. You're used to -- at the very least -- operating on the fringes of the truth.

I suppose you'd call a giant 80' x 35' open loft an "eight room" because it has a "kitchen", "dining room", "living room", "den", and four "bedrooms" ... even if there are no walls there.

"But I was thinking along the lines of an open kitchen equivalent - you know, where you can talk to your guests gathered in the living area through a cutout from the bathroom you're taking care of business... a real convenience, right? No? Oh well..."

Why can't these people who rudely insist on cooking while their guests are waiting for their food learn to budget their time properly so that the food is actually ready when they arrive?

Because guests demand a minimum of one hour of sidecars before dinner is served.

Because, dear Matt, it depends on what you're serving and what kind of party it is. In addition to cocktails first, it might be a constant stream of hors d'ouevres.

NWT: I know that open kitchens should be shibboleths to prewar lovers, and I tried to resist an encroaching kitchen, but I'm beginning to feel that you can never have a big enough kitchen/party gathering area. A living room to watch TV feels almost obsolete as we all retreat to bed to watch our own shows on laptops/ipads.

"Because, dear Matt, it depends on what you're serving and what kind of party it is. In addition to cocktails first, it might be a constant stream of hors d'ouevres."

This is why God created caterers.

***

"A living room to watch TV feels almost obsolete as we all retreat to bed to watch our own shows on laptops/ipads."

Are you that antisocial that you cannot even watch television with the people with whom you share your living space?

"This is why God created caterers." ... but what if you live in a neighborhood that has no Gays but you still want to host a dinner party? Or if it's Halloween and there are no Gays available? Although every day is Halloween for The Gays, so frankly it's surprising anyone can get caterers ever.

And what is "television"? Is that some sort of magical power that lets you see long distances? Is it the same as "typewriter"?

I live with an open kitchen which shares walls with my living room.
"squalid" pretty much covers it.
alan, what if you live in a hood with no gays...where is that? In the modern age of technology Gays have never been more readily available. It's an app called "Grinder". I'm not sure if you can find caterers but you can find sausage aplenty.
Science and technology...this is what's in it for you.

Matt: I have happily cohabited with a romantic partner for almost 15 years, and before that, in shorter intervals. A large part of that success, is being able to pursue our interests in the same space without annoying each other. I don't like much TV or music. Prior to ITunes and wifi, my partner and I would be in different rooms. Now we are able to be in the same room and chat while one watches TV and the other does something else. Hard for me to tune out TV sight and sound on a larger display and louder volume.

As for caterers, I know you must be joking. Don't feeling like paying wait staff $$$ just to have friends over.

It's probably all the garlic I cook with. Smells great when cooking, not so much afterwards. If I had to see the kitchen it'd be always nagging me to clean up right away, instead of out of sight out of mind.

Anyway, I'm sure I'd get used to it if I liked the place otherwise.

NWT, your ventilation system is letting you down.

Perfection is not one of my goals. Regardless of what you do unless you have a formal catered sit-down dinner there will be mess involved. I recently had a party where I totally lowered my standards to FreshDirect platters, which is very unlike me as I enjoy cooking, used to routinely host parties where I did everything for 10-60 people, and even catered a few events back in the day. I had a wonderful time, and didn't miss the stress, and didn't need the expense of a catered party (and I've had catered events where the food was in no way superior and far more expensive).

I love my open kitchen, my teens spend hours at the counter talking to me. It was one of my primary requirements when buying (although I added the island), and it has proven to be far more valuable in terms of family time than I possibly could have anticipated. But this really is an issue that is personal, unlike what Matt preaches there is no right or wrong to the open kitchen concept. To each their own.

now this goes back a few posts, but walpurgis has a great idea--a "pass-thru" bathroom--allows one to continue conversation with guests while sitting on the can--even be shown an hors d'oeuvres tray or passed a drink--ahhh...contemporary living

Lobster, I just processed your comment: the peninsula is not a "bar", and has no overhang. We certainly will have a table--but who knows what people may want in 30 years?