I'm thinking 12 x 12 or 11'6 x 12'6...11 x 12 at a minimum. We're moving some walls around.

DH can use autocad at work so it's not a big deal for us to move stuff. 

Thanks, you're all confirming what I was thinking - I was just starting to wonder after seeing plan after plan after plan with 10 x 10 rooms.

10x10.  We had 10x10s in our first house and they were great guest rooms.  We used one as an office and had plenty of space.  I've had master bedrooms that were 12x12, so I can't imagine giving that to a guest room in a 1600 sq ft home.

You have to decide in a 1600 sq ft home what's important to you.  I want a nice sized living room so I can entertain.  I don't give a darn really about whether people staying for the weekend or toddlers have 100 sq ft or 144 sq ft to occupy.

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

This is our upstairs floor plan, I wouldnt' call it a minimum though

TarHeels&Rebels:

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

See, that looks large enough to me in your photo. However, whenever I show houses, people complain that 10 x 10 isn't big enough. Our current bedrooms are all 12 x 12 (master included)...hmmmmmm.

sjh722:

TarHeels&Rebels:

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

See, that looks large enough to me in your photo. However, whenever I show houses, people complain that 10 x 10 isn't big enough. Our current bedrooms are all 12 x 12 (master included)...hmmmmmm.

Could it be because it's crammed full of other people's junk? lol 

Could you lay paper grocery bags or magazines on the floor in one of your guest rooms to visualize losing 2ft on 2 sides?

TarHeels&Rebels:

Could you lay paper grocery bags or magazines on the floor in one of your guest rooms to visualize losing 2ft on 2 sides?

Ooh, this is a good idea. Maybe I'll try doing that and dragging the furniture to the 10 x 10 space to see what it feels like. (Because my rooms certainly aren't full of junk! :P)

TarHeels&Rebels:

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

I completely agree. 10x10 for a guest or a small child is plenty of space. Our 10x10 room has a crib, a glider & ottoman, an armoire and a changing table, plus a small toy chest and a toddler sized chair that were added later on. It's all about space management.

To get 3 bedrooms in a house that small, the 2nd/3rd would have to be pretty small. A lot of the house plans we looked at had larger total square footage (closer to 2000 or 2500) but the 2nd/third bedrooms were more like 9x10 or 9x11.

FWIW, our house is 2500sf and the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms are roughly 12x12, which would be plenty big enough if our window and door placements were better. (sigh)

sjh722:

I'm thinking 12 x 12 or 11'6 x 12'6...11 x 12 at a minimum. We're moving some walls around.

DH can use autocad at work so it's not a big deal for us to move stuff. 

Thanks, you're all confirming what I was thinking - I was just starting to wonder after seeing plan after plan after plan with 10 x 10 rooms.

I was talking with our realtor about this (complaining, really), he said it's an absolute hallmark of new construction to have tiny little bedrooms and a huge master suite with room for a lounge room and gym. Maybe people just don't realise how small those 10x10 or 10x11 rooms are when they only see them empty? Or they think of a nursery or office and not a teenager living in them?

I would sacrifice size in one bedroom to get more in the other, or cut out bonus room or flex or dining space. When you're thinking of resale, a 1600 sq ft house is going to appeal to a couple or young family. They're more likely to use one bedroom as an office than a bedroom.

In the houses I've lived in fewer bigger rooms always felt more spacious than more smaller rooms.

TarHeels&Rebels:

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

That's fine if all you're doing is sleeping in it. Add a desk and a dollhouse and three preteen girls gossiping, though, and it gets tight.

emoflamingo:

TarHeels&Rebels:

Ok, I'm SO confused by all the other responses.  Here's our old 10x10 guest room.  There's a closet and a nightstand to the right out of the photo.  That's a queen size bed *with* a trunk at the end of it.

I don't understand how 10x10's not big enough.

I completely agree. 10x10 for a guest or a small child is plenty of space. Our 10x10 room has a crib, a glider & ottoman, an armoire and a changing table, plus a small toy chest and a toddler sized chair that were added later on. It's all about space management.

See my DD's first (and later second) nursery was 10x10 and we had less furniture and it looked packed.  I wish I had pics of it to show you guys (we lost them when our computer crashed).  We had a crib, changing table/dresser combo, a rocker, and a small toy chest and it seemed like too much.  I think a lot of it was the layout of the room.  Due to the window and closet the crib and dresser could only go on certain walls.  There was probably 6-7ft of room left between the two big pieces, but it just felt so cramped in there when we tried to play or anything.