Knowledge of standard size of rooms and their location in a residential

building is important for planning of residential construction project. The room

sizes and their location provides spaces for movement, sunlight and
natural air for residents

Standard Size of Rooms in Residential Building and their

Locations
1. Size of Drawing or Living Room:
Drawing room or living room is a common, comfortable and attractive place for
sitting of family members and to receive friends and guests. Sometime it is
used as reception room and dining room and special occasions.

Drawing room should be located in the middle of the building and should be
connected to the front verandah and dining place. It should be well-lighted and
ventilated.

Generally, drawing or living room is the biggest room of the building so that it
can be utilized for some ceremonial function in the house. Size of the drawing
room should be determined by type of furniture to be used.
Standard size of drawing room may range from: 4200mm (14ft) X 4800 mm
(16ft) to 5400mm (18ft) X 7200mm (24ft)
2. Size of Bedrooms:
Bedrooms should be so located that they are well ventilated and at the same
time provide privacy. Generally, they should be located on the sides of the
building so that at least one wall is exposed for good ventilation and lighting.

The bedroom should be located on the side of the direction of prevailing wind.
The location should be such that the bedroom receives sunlight during
morning hours. The minimum window area should be 1:10th of the floor area.
In bedrooms 9.5 cubic meter per adult and 5.5cubic meter per child space
should be available and suitable allowance should be made for furniture.

If good water supply and drainage system is available, a bedroom should

have an attached bathroom and water closet.

Standard size of bedrooms may range from: 3000mm (10ft) X 3600mm (12ft) to
4200mm (14ft) X 4800mm (16ft)
3. Size of Guest Room:
Guest room should be well lighted and ventilated. It should be located on one
side of the building, generally by the side of the drawing room.
Guest should be disconnected from inside of the house and should have
separated bathroom and water closet.

Standard size of guest rooms may be: 3000mm (10ft) X 3600mm (12ft)
4. Size of Verandah:
The best location for verandah is south and west. If the frontage of the
building is east then they are located in east also. The verandah also serves
the purpose of a waiting room. It segregates the private apartment from the
entrance area.

The veranda should shade the walls of the building during greater part of the
day. For this it is necessary that it must not have openings of a height greater
than 2:3rd of the floor width.
Each house should have one front and rear verandah. If space doesn’t permit,
the rear verandah can be omitted.

Verandah have width ranging from 1800mm (6ft) to 3000mm (10ft)

Verandah opening should always have a chajja projection for protection from
sunlight and rain water.

5. Size of Office Room:

Office rooms should be on one side of front verandah, disconnected from
other rooms. Sometimes an office room serves the purpose of guest room and
vice versa.
Standard size of office room may be: 3000mm (10ft) X 3600mm (12ft)
6. Size of Dining Room:
Generally, the dining room should be provided in rear of the drawing or living
room and near the kitchen. In modern houses drawing room and dining room
are combined to have a big room for special occasions. For orthodox families
dining room is kept separate.

Size of bedrooms may range from: 3600mm (12ft) X 4200mm (14ft) to

4200mm (14ft)X4800mm (16ft)
7. Size of Kitchen:
The kitchen should be provided in rear corner of the building but NE corner is
the best. It should be connected with dining room and should have one
approach from outside also.

If possible, the kitchen should be so located that sun light should come in the
morning hours, when it is used most.

It should have windows for good ventilation and chimney for smoke escape.
The window space should be min. of 15% of floor area.
Sink should be provided for washing and sufficient number of shelves should
also be provided. Sometimes storeroom and kitchen are combined together, if
less space is available.

Standard size of kitchen rooms may range from: 2500mm (8ft) X 3900mm (13ft)
to 3000mm (10ft) X 3600mm (12ft)
8. Store Room:
Store rooms should be located near the kitchen and should have sufficient
number of racks.

Standard size of store room may range from: 2500mm (8ft) X 2500mm (8ft) to
3000mm (10ft) X 3000mm (10ft)
9. Pantry:
Pantry is a small room adjacent to dining room for keeping cooked food. It
should have sufficient numbers of cup-boards and shelves. For ordinary
building, kitchen serves the purpose of pantry.

Size of pantry may range from: 2500mm (8ft) X 3000mm (10ft)

10. Size of Bathroom and WC:

Now-a-days it has become common practice to provide attached bathroom

and water closets with each bedroom. This is preferable only when good
drainage and water supply is available.

It is not attached to the bedrooms, bath and WC should be provided in rear of

the building separately so that the two can be used at a time. Good ventilation
should be provided for bath and WC.

There should be two windows in a bathroom. One for ventilation at a height of

2000mm above outside ground level and another at usual low level with
frosted glass shutters for admitting light and maintaining privacy.

Sometimes ceiling height is kept low (2100mm or 7ft) and upper space is used
for storage purpose
 Common sizes of bathroom and water closet may be:
Bath and WC (combined): 1800mm X 1800mm to 1800mm X 2500mm

Bathroom (separate): 1200mm X 1800mm

WC (separate): 1200mm X 1200mm

Minimum heights and size standards for rooms ensures that there is good
ventilation, lights and comfortable living inside the room. Height and size
standards for rooms varies from one country to another and is mostly based
on the preference of clients to meet their demand.

Height Regulation for Rooms

1. Habitable Rooms
o The minimum height from the surface of the floor to the ceiling or bottom of slab should be
not less than 2.75m.

o For air-conditioned rooms, a height of not less than 2.4 m measured from the top of the floor
to the lowest point of the air-conditioning duct or the false ceiling should be provided.

o According to Ontario Building Code (OBC), 2.3 m over at least 75% of the required floor
area with a clear height of at least 2.1 m at any point over the required area

2. Bedroom Height Restrictions

o As per OBC, the bedroom height should be 2.3 m over at least 50% of the required floor area.

o Alternatively, 2.1 m over 100% of the required floor area

o Any part of the floor area having a height of less than 1.4 m shall not count when calculating
required floor area

3. Bathrooms, water closets and stores

o The height of all such rooms measured from the floor in the ceiling should not be less than
2.4m.

o In the case of a passage under the landing, the minimum headway may be kept as 2.2m.

o According to OBC, bathroom minimum height of 2.1 m in any area where a person would be
in a standing position

4. Kitchen
o The height of the kitchen measured from the floor to the lowest point in the ceiling should not
be less than 2.75m except for the portion to accommodate floor trap of the floor.

o However, according to OBC, kitchen height should be 2.3 m over at least 75% of the required
floor area with a clear height of at least 2.1 m at any point over the required area.

5. Ledge
It shall have a minimum head room of 2.2m.

6. Hallways
Minimum height should be 2.1 m

Minimum Standard Sizes of Rooms

1. Habitable Rooms
o The area of habitable rooms should not be less than 9.5m2 where there is only one room.
However, such rooms shall have at least 13.5m2 of floor area and no dimension less than 3.0
m as per Ontario Building Code (OBC).
o Where there are two rooms, one of these should not be less than 9.5 m2 and other be not less
than 7.5 m2 with a minimum width of 2.4m.
o Natural ventilation shall be provided.

2. Dining room
o It should have a floor area not less than 9.5m2 with a minimum width of 2.4m.
o According to OBC, dining room shall have at least 3.25 m2 of floor space when combined
with other rooms, and at least 7.0m2 of area when not combined.
o minimum dimension of 2.3 m.
o Dining rooms vary greatly in size. It should be ensured that furniture is accommodated.

o Natural ventilation shall be provided.

3. Primary Bedrooms
o One bedroom shall have at least 9.8m2 of floor area
o Minimum dimension should be 2.7 m

o Natural ventilation must be provided

4. Secondary Bedrooms
o It shall have at least 7m2 of floor area
o Minimum dimension is 2.0 m

5. Kitchen
o Minimum floor area required is not less than 5.5 m2. But OBC specify that kitchen room
shall have at least 4.2m2 of floor area
o It should not be less than 1.8min width at any part. With a separate storeroom, the area may
be reduced to 4.5m2.
o Mechanical ventilation must be provided (exhaust fan).

o Ensure that appliances can all open without interfering with one another, and that standing
space is provided.

6. Bathrooms and water closets

1. The size of bathroom should not be less than 1.5m x 1.2m or 1.8 m2.
2. If it is combined with water closet, its floor area should not be less than 2.8 m2.
3. the minimum floor area of a water closet should be 1.1 m2.
7. Ledge
1. A ledge in a habitable room shall not cover more than 25% of the floor area of the floor on
which it is constructed

2. It should not interfere with the ventilation of the room under any circumstances.

8. Hallways
Hallways shall have a width of at least 860 mm except where the overall width
of the building is less than 4.3 m, and this may be reduced to 710 mm

9. Mezzanine floor
The minimum size of a mezzanine floor, if it is used as a living room, should
not be less than 9.5m2.