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Opinions on a new Stairway?

paulwaterloo1 | Posted in Construction Techniques on April 6, 2007 08:49am

I live in an old front to back Bungalow in Chicago and won’t be moving anytime soon.

My house has single pipe steam radiators, and I recently put in warmboard radiant floor heat in my bathroom remodel that I will hook up some day soon.

The last owner put an addition on the house which had a hot tub in it, I have since changed it to my office, removing the hot tub (heck, I should of had a hot tub in my office!).

Problem is that there is no heat with exception of a non ventilating gas fireplace in the corner.

I would like to tear up the tile, put warmboard down, and go over the top with hardwood. That solves the heating problem, I also put a mini split AC unit in a few years ago for cooling, it works great.

My dilemma is: The stupid stair case he put in. I have a vaulted ceiling and he put the ridge of the addition right under the sofit of the main roof. So I can’t move the door, right now it’s just a storm door on a rough opening that I have changed to make it look nice.

If you could pull the staircase out and put something new in, what would you do? The ceiling height reduces at the hinge side of the door, so I can’t go that way.

Spiral stairs? Bueller? Anyone?

Here’s the office, it’s 14′ x 17′ and a lower elevation than the steam pipes in the basement, so no chance of steam radiator install:

 

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I will remove the fireplace.

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Here’s my living room entrance, it’s just a rough opening, I have since pimped it out a little with some maple trim and a “Q” door panel I made:

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Here is the outside of the addition so you can see how he hacked it….the back side, no it’s not that over grown any longer…

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The front side….

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Replies

  1. FastEddie | Apr 06, 2007 09:11pm | #1

    What a lovely tacky fireplace.

    So what's the question: you want to put a real door in the opening at the top of the steps?  Why not a slightly shorter door with a round top?

    "Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

    "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

    1. paulwaterloo1 | Apr 06, 2007 09:20pm | #2

      So what's the question: you want to put a real door in the opening at the top of the steps?  Why not a slightly shorter door with a round top?

      No, I want to get rid of the stupid wood stair case and landing (that doesn't even allow the door to swing all the way because it's 1/2" short on the width).....

      Any ideas? I guess you don't want a step down, you want to walk into a landing, then have a stair case.....but thought somebody here would have a good answer.

      Maybe a storage unit under the landing/stairs.....and I would probably do bamboo floors, so maybe bamboo stairs.....

      1. FastEddie | Apr 06, 2007 09:28pm | #3

        Well you didn't mention the 1/2" short.  Sounds like the previous owner was a winner."Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

        "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

        1. paulwaterloo1 | Apr 06, 2007 09:30pm | #4

          If you do push the door past the slight interference it has with the railing, it then opens up and contact the ceiling, denting the drywall.

          Nice....

  2. woodguy99 | Apr 06, 2007 09:46pm | #5

    I thought your living room windows looked familiar in your other thread.  My house is very similar.  My wife and I loved what you did with your living room.

    Curved stairs are a bit harder to navigate than straight stairs, so I'm not a big fan.  I can see two options for you:

    Keep the same basic arrangement.  Redo so the landing is wider, contemporary or traditional railings--open, not closed up like the one you have.  Where your top tread is, flush with the landing, should be one riser lower, saving you some space at the bottom.  Close in under the stairs with some deep drawers or doors with shelves behind.

    Option two would be to just have the stairs go straight down from the doorway.  You'd want to move your desk to the area where the bottom landing is now.  Enclose the whole underside, or make it more of a "floating" staircase with some fancy framing or metal work.

    Could you change the door swing so it opens back into the main house or would that interfere with traffic flow too much?

    Could you change the door to a barn-type slider (as opposed to a pocket door), mounted on the wall?

     

     

    1. paulwaterloo1 | Apr 06, 2007 10:21pm | #6

      If I could get the landing down one step, I think that would be nice, maybe it could be less than a full stair drop.

      I think I would just cover the T-111 siding inside my office with drywall, cover up the brick glass window to the basement and do what you said, something with a modern look to it.....and maybe bamboo treads.

      It is so retarded what the guy before me did.....can you see the light switch for an overhead light that is mounted on the wall? You can't get to it from the landing because the door blocks it.....so you have to walk down the stairs and reach up to about 7' to get it....amazing.

       

      View Image

       

      I like your idea, with a very nice storage and new trim, it would look great!

      1. Rebeccah | Apr 06, 2007 10:38pm | #7

        Can you hinge the door on the other side, and then have the stairs go down the other wall? I realize you will be opening your door to face a wall when you come in the room, but at least you won't be hitting hte soffit when you open it.Rebeccah

      2. FastEddie | Apr 06, 2007 10:42pm | #8

        The switch is only blocked by the door when the door is opened.  So step out onto the landing close the door behind you, then reach over the rail to flip the switch.  Simple.  And dontcha know the guy was so proud of his work.

        If you do a top step/landing that is shorter than normal, be careful.  It needs to be a landing that won't be confused as a step, because the steps are supposed to all be within 3/8" of the same height.  And if it's off by only 2" or so it will be awkward

         "Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

        "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

      3. woodguy99 | Apr 06, 2007 10:44pm | #9

        Isn't it crazy what owner-builders will do?

        Be careful to keep all risers the same height, even the one up onto the landing.  It's code and it's a safety issue.

        I've done bamboo floors but never treads.  Sounds good though!

        Here's a traditional/modern stair from Google Images:

        View Image 

         

      4. alwaysoverbudget | Apr 06, 2007 10:51pm | #10

        is the wall between the addition and house a double wall?it looks extra thick in the pics. if it is i would look at maybe a nice pocket door into the wall. then out to a landing and straight down with some nice railing and ballaisters.larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.

        1. paulwaterloo1 | Apr 07, 2007 01:11am | #11

          The wall is very thick, it's the original siding, clapboard, fiberglass tiles over that, and then T-111 siding. On the inside the guy built a frame over the plaster wall, insulated, and then put drywall on it.

          No way to get a pocket door in.

          What would I have done? Pulled the plaster down and put in insulation and put drywall up.

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