A St. Peters, MO woman bought a fixer-upper ranch house that needed some repairs and updates, but she liked its open plan and could see the potential.
While she could take care of many of the projects herself, there was one item that she called “the elephant in the room.” As shown above, in the area between the kitchen and family room was a stairwell down to the basement with three thick half walls that created an awkward barrier separating the spaces. She knew there would be important structural issues related to relocating a staircase that is best handled by professionals, so she invited a Mosby Consultant to her home.
The Mosby Consultant came up with a plan to move the stairwell to run beside the front exterior wall, between the front door and family room wall. This would free up space in the middle of the room, remove the visual barrier, and create a more private entrance to the basement.
While leaving the original stairwell open for business, we mapped out the opening for the new stairway by removing the flooring and cutting the sheathing, as shown above.
To support the floor load while modifying its structure, a temporary wall was erected in the basement before cutting the floor joists to create a clear opening. The photo above shows that process. Concurrently, we took care of two HVAC vents by shortening one and moving the other closer to the front door.
The next step (shown above) was installing new structural members to spread the floor load back to the foundation wall and the central load-bearing beam. With new double and triple floor beams and joists in place the temporary wall was removed, and the new opening was framed, drywalled, and the new set of stairs were installed.
There are two important sidebars to the story. First, building a new wall gave us the opportunity to add insulation along the exterior wall, which can be seen in the above photo between the drywall and the window. The second item is the windows, which by IRC building code now need to be tempered glass for the safety of those using the stairwell. We installed a protective film over the lower window sash that mimics the response of tempered glass if it were to be broken. This is a legal and cost-effective solution for keeping a perfectly good window.
Once the new stairwell was functional, the old one was removed and the opening in the floor filled in with short floor joists and covered with plywood subflooring. The space is secure and ready for the new flooring. With the “elephant in the room” gone, our client was very happy because her vision of an open floor plan was actualized.
Finally, the new stairway was finished (above) with trim, railings and a door at the bottom of the stairs to close off the unfinished basement. All that’s left to be done is new flooring that sweeps across the entire open space, and staining and painting the new stairwell.
If you’d like help with relocating a stairwell in your home, Mosby designers and builders are here to help. To get started, call the Mosby office at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.
Why Work with Mosby Building Arts?
If efficiency, knowledge and quality craftsmanship are of the utmost importance, then Mosby is the partner for you. We are a design build firm that handles every aspect of your remodeling project from beginning to end. All team members needed to complete your project (designers, architects and production crews) are under one roof to provide time and monetary efficiencies, quality control, and seamless communication throughout.
Exterior Remodeling
Whether you are considering a new roof, replacement windows, or increasing curb appeal with a front door, understanding the return on investment is important. Homeowners often ask us if a project makes financial sense, or if it will increase the resale value of their home.
Learn more about exterior home remodeling here.
Custom Bathroom Remodeling
Start your bathroom remodeling project with Mosby’s certified designers and architects. They begin the design process by learning about your exact needs and desires. Be it a hall bathroom, a master bathroom or an accessible bathroom, our designers will make sure it looks the way you desire and performs above and beyond your expectations.
Learn more about custom bathroom remodeling here.
Home Additions
Do you want to stay in your home, but you need more room? Mosby helps you explore all options for gaining extra space in your St. Louis, Missouri home. Our certified designers and registered, in-house architects create additions to meet your needs, plus our skilled craftsmen build them to last a lifetime.
Learn more about home additions here.
Home Remodeling Peace of Mind
There’s no need to deal with multiple companies, or the frustration of the left hand unaware of what the right hand is doing. Mosby takes the guesswork out of home remodeling by planning the work and working the plan. You will know the scope of work and price before the first hammer swings. And the work will be done with a commitment to excellence and your happiness. All of Mosby’s remodeling work is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty.
You can trust you’re in good hands with Mosby:
- 10-Year Workmanship Warranty
- 70+ Years Experience