The basic problem we faced is we don't have enough space to fit in a "made to scale" stairway. Literally the only place in the living room we could possibly put the stairway just doesn't allow a long enough run for the standard measurements. The room we're working with is a smidge over 15 x 15' but in that space there are four doors and one whole wall of windows. Put in the stairway (somewhere, somehow) and we have a room 15 x 11-1/2'. Not large, but lots bigger than we had before!
Papa Pea and I tried but couldn't figure out a satisfactory way of building the stairs. Okay, call in the big guns. B measured and figured and erased and measured again and finally told us we had two choices.
We could build the stairway with treads this size and risers this size or treads that size and risers that size. Those two options were the very best we had. We made the decision and the work started.
Above are Papa Pea and B taking down the old (temporary) stairway.
This is a view of a stairway you don't usually see. I'm taking the picture from the bottom where the stairs will start going up to the second floor.
The inside of the stairway will be finished with bead board. When I took this shot I was standing in the living room looking through the outer stud wall of the stairway with the wall of bead board we got up today on the opposite wall.
Here's the way we're getting upstairs tonight. After this, any stairway will be an improvement.We did also get the three stringers for the stairs cut today so with luck, by tomorrow night we'll have easier access!
10 comments:
We went several weeks with no stairs--but we didn't have to LIVE there at the time. I'm glad you only have to do a ladder one day. And, you're doing Thanksgiving with all this going on????
It is going to be beautiful! I have bead board in my dining and bathroom and love it! Kept it white for several years and just now started painting. Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and don't have to use your ladder too much. LOL
little known secret of mine,I used to watch "This Old House" and the episodes thought most boring ,thrilled me ,even when they tore apart old pluming in a old house,have funnnnnnnnnn--jk can't wait to see these new stairwell going up
One word- elevator! Problem solved. All you will need is a little attendant to run it. Perhaps a selection of boring music to play in the background.
Rope ladder? Spiral staircase? Dumb waiter? There are other ways to get upstairs besides a long staircase!
:)
Hope it all gets worked out sooner than later because I KNOW YOU ARE READY TO BE FINISHED!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sue - From your lips . . . that we only have to do the ladder for one day!
Nope, I'm not doing Thanksgiving this year. Because of circumstances, I wheedled out of it (much to some peoples' chagrin). We don't even really want to go out and may just spend the day r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g. I'll head for my quilt studio . . . if I can remember where it is.
Peggy - We chose the bead board for the ceiling in the living room, too, and I am really liking it on the stairway already.
judy - When we first bought this place 16 years ago (it was a DUMP!), we started watching "This Old House" because we knew we had a monumental task ahead of us. We even taped and kept some of the episodes.
Jane - Elevator, yup. We (jokingly) kicked that one around for a while. I even know how to run one . . . old-fashioned kind, that is. When I was 16-17 I worked in a department store and all of us had to take turns running the elevator when the regular operator was sick, on vacation or just on break. (It was terrifying!)
Jen - We considered a brass pole, too. (Rough going up though.) If we can just keep our sense of humor to the end of this, we may make it!
It's a good thing I'm not there measuring! You'd end up with a fire pole and have to shinny up and slide down! I keep saying - and I stand behind it - it's going to be totally amazing when you're done!
Susan - At this point, I just have to keep looking at the kitchen and being amazed at how well it turned out. The living room should be easier . . . so there's definitely still hope!
Nice planning job having work to do INSIDE this time of year, everything looks like it's going well!
Erin - Except for the fact that we're making a horrible mess in the garage because of cutting in there rather than outside! Oh well, can't have everything!
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