uneven floor heights at doorways.
Hello All,
My SF bay area victorian cottage was raised in the past to make it a full two story. The bottom level was never finished and I am working on that now. I had to recently rebuild the interior back stairway. At the bottom of this stairway is a landing of course. One door on the right will open to a finished room and one door on the left into the unfinished shop area. The height of this landing is fixed with relation to the stairs. Here’s my problem (finally) the height of the floor in the finished room will be ~2″ lower than the landing. Also in the room is a ground floor bathroom which will also be ~2″ higher than the room. The finished room is cement slab as well as the bathroom. I could just make the finished height of the room higher but I would like to keep as much headheight as possible in this room. I want to use the Delta-FL + 3/4″ T&G flooring method in this room to maximize my ceiling height. I should say that the floor in this room is about 2′ below grade. I have an extensive drainage system outside the house and have made it thru two rainy seasons with no moisture in the room at all.
Is there a good way to make these ~2″ transisitions? I was thinking about some kind of gentle sloping ramp?
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Replies
Mad,
Im not sure if you have to duck when you are down there, but if you have to go up to enter the bathroom, and up to the landing, I think you will be happier if you make your finish floor the same height as the others.
So I would seriously think about furring out that floor, Andy Engel had a finishing the basement article in FHB a month or so back.
Its a crappy safety risk to trip up the stairs, or your tipsy friend tripping and hit their skull on the toilet during the bash on the lower deck you will be having soon.
-zen
You lost me a little, but it sounds like you go from the landing, step down into the room, then step up into the bath. Why not just raise it 2" so the whole room is the same height? Sounds awkward like it is now.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Zen, Ed,
Nope you got it right. The room floor will be roughly 2" lower than the landing and the bathroom. I know that furring out the floor to make it even is the obvious way to go but we would like to try to save every inch of ceiling height as practical. If its just not practical to do anything else then thats what we will do.
I did read the basement finishing art in FHB I think that the Delta-FL method is better. I like the idea of the air being able to circulate between the subfloor and the concrete.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I gotta side with the safety issue. get rid of the 2 inch tripping hazard.
I agree that I do not want the 2" tripping hazard. I am just looking for ideas besides raising the entire floor up. One, it will cost a lot more and two it will cut into the ceiling height-well mostly it will cost more than making some kind of gentle slope up to the doorways. Is the gentle slope up such a bad idea?
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
How big is the area in question?
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
The area is ~300 sq ft with a bathroom under the stairs.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Is the gentle slope up such a bad idea?
Yes it is. I think a slope that extends for anything less than 4 feet merely acts as a speed bump. That's why we don't trip on them, they make us slow down. And a 4 foot run for a 2" rise is not really gentle, anyway.
You would need a 10 foot run or more to make it truly gentle. My front walk as a 2" rise for a 20' run. At that distance, I can no longer feel the rise, but I can detect that it's easier walking away from the house than towards it.
-Don
Don,
Are you out of breath when you reach the front door?
-zen
Zen, thanks for the laugh. It was good for my heart. Now maybe I can climb those 20' without taking a break.
-Don
Mad,
>>would like to try to save every inch of ceiling height as practical.
Dumb Q. Why? And, can you define what "Practical" means to you?
SamT
Mad,
>>would like to try to save every inch of ceiling height as practical.
Dumb Q. Why? And, can you define what "Practical" means to you?
SamT
Sam, because the rest of the house has got 10'2" ceilings and this room on the ground floor will only have 8' ceilings (finished height) if we are lucky. In this case 'practical' means not more expensive or more work than raising the entire floor height.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
CHO,
Nobody will notice that they are going from 122" to 94" vice 122" to 96".
Everybody will notice and comment if 1 floor area was 2" different from the rest.
The cost of raising the floor should be much less than $1K.
Some of the design theories I have researched say that a hi ceilinged home needs a area with much lower heights, say on the order of 88". These elements are particularly appropriate in "Cozy" areas like conversation zones and Media rooms.
SamT
Don't do a slope You will trip on that. Just put in a door step. The basement stairs in my house go down to a landing and then a 4" step to the basement floor. No one has ever tripped.
We are creatures of habit. Subconsciencely we expect certain standards when we navigate stairs or steps. If a stair rise is off by a half inch from the rest of the stairs the body detects the difference.
If a step is any less than a 6 inch rise the body will navigate the anomoly albeit uncomfortably. It is not what we expect and we have to consciencely adjust, not a preferred scenario.
Add to that the prospect of navigating in the dark or someone who doesnt know the floor layout (like a fireman) or both and you have a safety issue.
We are creatures of habit. Subconsciencely we expect certain standards when we navigate stairs or steps. If a stair rise is off by a half inch from the rest of the stairs the body detects the difference.
My stairs run to a landing and then a 4" step from the landing to the basement works because of the landing. If the odd step were in line with the other steps I would agree that people would trip.
If a step is any less than a 6 inch rise the body will navigate the anomoly albeit uncomfortably. It is not what we expect and we have to consciencely adjust, not a preferred scenario.
This would be true if all the stairs were 6 " or less. Actually, I find any stair with a rise under 7" to be uncomfortable. Stepping off a landing is just taken in stride. My house, that was built in 1865, has a double set of front doors with a door step at each door way. Both under 6 inches.
Add to that the prospect of navigating in the dark or someone who doesnt know the floor layout (like a fireman) or both and you have a safety issue.
I'm going to guess that no one will be using the stairs in the dark. Including firemen. Everything and anything in a house is a hazard in the dark. That's why firemen have lanterns.
Dont have a heart attack, I sure yours are OK. My comments were only made in general in relation to the topic.
You know Mads,
We just have to know what the height of the finished room is?
be a detail
I want the finished height of the room to be at least 8'
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I understand the desire for maximizing your ceiling height. A desirable thing.
However, IMH Opinion, 2" off an 8ft ceiling height is a small price to pay for a secure flooring height, for both appearance and safety concerns.
I mean having an ~2" drop to the finished room then the same up to a bath is really inappropriate when it can be so easily remedied from the minor sacrificial ceiling height.
But in a Victorian minor can be a nasty word.
That's the real problem, aesthetics versus practical function. That's the point that really must be addressed.
But again, if you were considering ramps at one point it can't be that important. :o)
be minor or a sharp