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Design Dilemma Lighting Home Decorating

suggestions to close wall cutout without blocking light

2 years ago

Hello all,

We are buying a new home and the wall has a cutout in the second floor. I am worried that it could be an hazard for the kids and would like to close it out. I don’t want to drywall it as the cutout brings in light. Is there anyway to still let light pass through but close the cutout ? I was thinking of installing custom window but that would be glass ..

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Comments (15)

Mamaham_NC_Zone7
2 years ago
What room is this in? What’s on the other side? How old are your kids?

all that said, assuming there isn’t a large dropoff or stairs etc on the other side... I’d wait until I got into the house before I did anything. See how the kids do with it. Some things that I would have thought would be hazardous, they don’t even notice. Other things I didn’t think about, they find and are dangerous......

plus it’s good to teach kids not to do something And not just proof everything. We have a couple areas like that around our home. It is not safe to xyz so don’t do it.
Rookie Mom
Original Author
2 years ago
This is in the loft and the other side is open to the first floor so a fall would be dangerous.. two kids , one 5 years and other 4 months old . I am also worried about other kids who would visit us. There is a built in desk close to the cutout which might make it easier to climb..
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PRO
Autonomous Inc.
2 years ago
I think glass would be a good option for you, it both saves the kids and still let the light go through.
PRO
JAN MOYER
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
For heavens sake. A sheet of plexiglass a third of the way up ( 18" x width the opening ) will safely deter the climb. That's approximately a height of 60 inches from the FLOOR So will a swat on the fanny. : ) Btw

I doubt you need a "forever" solution. Which would be a grid as open as possible, using ordinary 1 x 4's. Or a custom plantation shutter with a four inch blade, blades open fully, shutter , one piece and fixed. WIDE blade....

Or a call to a glass shop and treat it like a shower with tempered glass.

I vote the swat. Ask any ER doctor how many children are nearly killed with oh so fun/"harmless" jumping on beds..........and the head hits the corner of a dresser or end table. We don't negate beds.

https://homesteady.com/info-7770301-dangers-kid-jumping-bed.html
bpath
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
This is from Lowe's. There are plenty of metal sidings and grills.

Edit: hmm, image might but have posted from my phone. I'll check in with my other device later
tdemonti
2 years ago
Shutters, maybe. Or something pre-built like these
arcy_gw
2 years ago
Other than glass/plexi the light will be diminished. A system of wood/metal grating could also invite climbing. An attractive nuisance is a real thing and you can find Insurance companies that have codicils for them. Some kids are climbers--if you didn't have one you don't get it! It's good you are considering visitors in your concern.
stiley
2 years ago
I totally understand your concern; a fall from there would not be good! I think there is a difference between padding all the world's corners and eliminating a danger in your own home. No one judges parents for putting child-proof locks on their cleaning supplies, so why not eliminate this hole to a two-story fall? You're going to be very busy with young children for the next few years, and kids can into into trouble in a split second. Anyway, as you can tell, I have strong feelings about people judging parents...

I like the idea of either the gridded tempered glass or the vertical wood slats. The slats that @tdemonti shows are nice because they'd be difficult for kids to grab onto and pull on. Our kids are 8 and 11. We have a similar cutout but it's between the entry and the dining which is just a couple steps lower. But the kids love to scale the wall and lay down on that ledge. If they fell it would only be four feet. And since they're older now they don't do it as often. And I'm definitely learning that there are many different parenting styles. We had a party one time and my son's friend jumped out of our 2nd floor window! What in the world?? That would never even cross my kids' minds, but it did not phase the parents of the other kid. In today's litigious society, if someone else's kid fell out of your cutout onto the first floor, that could be so terrible.
Mamaham_NC_Zone7
2 years ago
Yikes. That would be a fall. I agree - you don’t know what a climber is like until you have one. i have 2/3. first was not a climber. I was shocked when second came and made baby gates look like just a bump in the road to where I'm going!!

turning it into a window is the only thing I can think would keep light without drywalling it in

any of the above except I don’t care for the prison bar looking one.
H202
2 years ago
The height of that is the same height as you’d have for any half wall - whether in a loft or going up stairs. Not sure why this is unsafe?
Maureen
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
It is the same as any half wall, but in this case the fall would be devastating.

It can take less than a minute if they pulled up a chair. If you can’t have done immediately, I‘d keep the door closed in the meantime.

https://childseniorsafety.com/

There are more decorative ideas as well.
3onthetree
2 years ago
The stair probably has a guardrail on top of a landing, that would be 36" high. The steps of the stairs has an angled guardrail, that is shorter at 34". This drywall opening is also a guardrail and should be 36" high. If you go to the commercial mall the upper floor has a guardrail at 42".

If they have the self-preservation instinct to not climb over the (open balluster) guardrails on the stair and landing, they will learn not to climb through this wall opening. So buy a nice looking baby gate at Tar-jhey until you feel comfortable with their instincts. Or a 6" high plexiglass to prevent toys set on top the wall from falling off. Or open up the kneewall below the window completely and add a 36" high balluster guardrail.
stiley
2 years ago
Sometimes kids know that what they're doing is risky, and they do it anyway because their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed and they don't always consider consequences. Toddlers to teenagers. I can imagine a teenager sitting on the ledge and accidentally falling over. It's one thing if the hole is open to an adjacent room, but this one is open to a 20ft? drop.

But danger aside, the cutout is just drywall, and I think you could use this opportunity to add architectural interest. The more I look at the 2x4 slats above, the more I like them. It's a more modern look and you could also stain them a gray like the other wood I see in that picture. Congratulations on your new house! That is an accomplishment especially in the current housing market.
PRO
LilDesignWorks
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Here is an idea...make a frame with shelves and screw in a couple of fake little plants...

I am saying screw in so they don't fall...
Rookie Mom
Original Author
2 years ago
Those are awesome suggestions! It seems like plexi glass is a great option since it’s not easily breakable too.. I also like the slate look! Very different.
Could the glass or slate be installed ourselves? Any inputs on the best way to get it done?

And yes thanks for all those who weren’t judgemental about a mom who is worried about safety of the kids..

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