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My Green Home Loses One Set Of Stairs
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In this Stair Remodeling section, we talk about:
Dislike At First SightThe first thing you saw when you entered my house was this ugly staircase. Not a pretty traditional set of stairs with turned spindles and wooden steps, like you might expect in an old house: just this functional carpeted thing.The builder had taken advantage of the wasted space to build the stairway to the basement on the back of it. In addition to their repulsive appearance, the location of these stairs had the effect of breaking up the main floor in two, and the basement as well. And so my first thought when I saw that house was "Those stairs have to go!" Stair remodeling wasn't even an option. As long as that stairwell was there, it was impossible to go ahead with the design that I had in mind - turning the whole main floor into one big room. In addition, for the sake of energy efficiency and my desire to live in a small house, I had decided to seal off the second floor, that is, to turn it into an attic. I had no need for a stairway to the second floor. Moving Stairs Was The Only SolutionBut what to do with the basement stairs? There was only one solution: move them to an outside wall, that is to say, build some new ones.But Who Is Going To Do That Job?
After seeing Darrel's ad in the local newspaper, I decided to give him a call. Did he know how to build a staircase? Yes, he did. But I needed to be sure: I asked around about him. He had an excellent reputation. He happened to have a couple of free days and so he agreed to take on that job with his two workers. During his first visit, he carefully measured the length, width and height of the space where I was planning to have the new stairs. This is because in order to build stairs to code, the treads have to have a minimum depth and the risers a certain height and that takes a fixed amount of space. As it turned out, there wouldn't be enough room to turn comfortably between the last step and the wall, and so a platform would have to be created instead of the last step. Darrell asked me if it would be a problem to raise the stairwell ceiling over that part - by the same height as the platform - but as it turned out all I wanted above was a cupboard, so it was okay.
How Much Will It Cost?Darrel's stair remodeling estimate read: Work detail will be as follows: Method of Payment: $800 at start and $800 upon completion. That seemed reasonable to me, and so I signed the contract and we agreed on a date.
Step-By-Step Photo Account Of The Stair Project
However, the removal of those walls was causing a weakness in the structure. This possibility had been brought up before. Darrel said that I might have to put in a new beam all across the house. Meanwhile, I would have to put up with a column. Not only was that not a problem for me, I was glad to have a column there because I could use it to attach the curtains that I wanted to hang around my sleeping area. While the demolition was taking place, Darrell was preparing the site of the new basement stairs. This led to a pleasant surprise: contrary to what I believed, underneath the carpets and vinyl flooring there was an interesting spruce floor. I hadn't seen the original floors before because they had been covered with sub-floors.
The old stairs, the furnace, etc. are g-o-n-e at last! (The dampness will disappear once the land is re-graded and rain gutters are installed.) No Finishing TouchesThe new stairs had to be left without proper finishing touches because there still remained in the basement several objects to remove, among which: an oil furnace, a 1000-litre oil tank, a large refrigerator and a humongous freezer. (See them in all their glory in the Photo Album.) Therefore, a temporary arrangement of studs fastened with easily removable screws was put up for attaching a handrail. To make it easy to move those large objects out, we'd just have to unscrew the handrail and the necessary number of studs. In case you're wondering, the door to the new basement stairs is going to be inside the new bathroom. Not the most conventional place, but why not? You can see my ground floor "before" and "after" layouts on this page. I'm very happy with the location of the basement stairs and the fact that there's going to be a small window in the new stairwell. (It used to be the kitchen window.) Not having to turn on a light to go to the basement during the day is right in keeping with my energy efficiency goals and the permaculture principles that I'm applying. I can't wait to try my idea of installing a reflective board at an angle to amplify the window's light and redirect it towards the stairs, where it's most needed. Stay tuned... I was also very satisfied with Darrel's work. I wanted him to come back and do some more work on the house but he's booked up until the end of the year and beyond. I was back to square one. Dollar-By-Dollar AccountCheck out my Dollar By Dollar page for the complete details of my green home project's expenses so far. Photo AlbumsTo see more photos of this job, in more detail or as a slideshow, visit this Stairs Project Gallery. For a gallery of the different kinds of stairs – from the simplest to the fanciest – check out http://www.builderbill-diy-help.com/stairs.html.
Don't Be Afraid To Try Something DifferentI hope that this account shows that not only is everything possible, it's usually a lot simpler and cheaper than we amateurs think! When we think of remodeling stairs, moving a staircase is not something that usually occurs to us when we design a new floor layout, yet as you can see, there's no reason to put up with a cumbersome set of stairs or one whose location doesn't fit in with our plans. A perfect time for moving basement stairs, for instance, would be when contemplating a basement remodeling project. There's no reason why a basement remodel should include working around the existing floor plan, considering how easy and inexpensive it is to relocate stairs. Another reason to rebuild a set of basement stairs would be if the old ones are too narrow, generally unsafe or without risers. Yes, You Can Build Your Own StairsMy friend Larry, whose website is a treasure trove for self-building enthusiasts, says that "stair construction is kind of tricky, but with the right formula anybody can learn how to build stairs." He gives that formula in detail on his Stair Construction page. I highly recommend it! GREEN NOTESELIMINATING THE SECOND FLOOR. Hardly anything contributes to energy conservation and efficiency like containing the heat by preventing it from escaping to an upper floor and out through the roof. Additionally, if you live in an area where summer temperatures require air conditioning, you already know how hot that second floor can get while the main floor is a cool, comfortable place. If you don't need the additional space, don't hesitate to seal off that extra floor and turn it into an attic. I've never seen that suggested, yet as energy prices rise and rise, and reducing our ecological footprint becomes necessary if we're to avert the disasters caused by global warming, it's certainly an option worth considering. In my case, an additional factor was inevitable: I'm not getting any younger! I've even planned a ground floor place for my washer and dryer eventually, should it become necessary to get them out of the basement.
CONSTRUCTION WASTE. The demolition part of this project was definitely not a deconstruction job! Therefore, I was left with the inevitable pile of debris destined for the landfill. This pile grew considerably afterwards, and I'm afraid it hasn't finished growing.
Leave STAIR REMODELING | Go To Green Home HOMEPAGE
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As you may know if you've visited this site before, at that time I didn't have a regular contractor. The situation in my village is such that if you want anything done, you have to get on a waiting list. 
