Staircase ideas to space over garage
Max G
6 months ago
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bpath
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agoLyn Nielson
6 months agoRelated Discussions
Bonus room over the garage?
Comments (13)We designed for a bonus room over our 3-car garage as well. It will be finished only to the sheetrock and plywood flooring stage by our builder. Our house style (neo folk Victorian) needed a 12/12 roof pitch and I knew that putting a matching pitch on the semi-detached garage would result in there being a lot of use-able space in the garage attic. I was originally just thinking of it as convenient storage space but once it was all framed up, DH fell in love with the space and claimed it for a "man cave" for himself. We executed a few change orders at that point: extra electrical outlets and a TV cable, beefed up floor trusses, extra insulation, used fire resistant drywall on the garage ceiling, and vents for portable AC units. (We're in a hot climate so heating, even in the depths of winter is highly unlikely to ever be a problem.) Since our changes were initiated before anything had to be undone, the additional costs were pretty minimal. DH is thinking "pool table, big screen TV, comfy chairs and small fridge full of beer." I'm thinking that ALL HIS various collections and junk - like the baseball pennants and the chili cook-off posters and the "dogs playing poker" tapestry wall hanging somebody gave him before we were married - can now go in the man cave and I don't have to fight with him wanting to show the stuff off in the house. LOL! I think I'm looking forward to him using it almost as much as he is. Access to the bonus room is via an L-shaped staircase in the garage bay that will be used as a workshop area. The stairs still leave room for a small car to be parked in the bay. We will also have access to the bonus room via a deck built over the screened porch that connects the garage to the house. A door in our TV room opens to that deck. We did not run any plumbing lines and that is the one thing I'm now regretting about our design because it would have made the bonus space even more use-able....See MoreApartment over Garage vs Slab building?
Comments (11)Hi Pjcampo You have answered your own question in your question however there is no right or wrong answer to this. There is advantages and disadvantages to both with cost and practicality. If cost is the weighting factor then choose a local builder and get him to do a feasibility on it, (give you his best estimate to what is cheaper). If practicality and use of space, considering you storage issue, then going up is the obvious answer. Considering resale is a mute point. Your'e not building it to sell your building it for you. Of course you need to consider this but when you sell it the potential buyers will be asking themselves the same questions as you are now. Consider the classic of "we must have a bath in the bathroom for resale" but no one actually uses it Good luck :)...See Moreoutdoor stairs to new basement (ex garage) room
Comments (38)(Edited) Klara: Really nice terrace. Like your paver choice. You'll enjoy your new / newly enhanced outdoor living area more if it is both attractive and low maintenance. For decoration, you might consider short pillars made of the same stone as plant stands. Pillars could also be used for seating. If there is an area where you don't want people or pets to walk down the embankment either for safety sake or to protect the lawn from traffic that could cause erosion, you could create two (or more) pillars with treated boards between them as seating to "block" that path -- directing traffic to your new steps with a pillar on each side and, perhaps, a metal bird bath on one and a sun dial on the other. If the power goes out and the pump fails? If you're still putting outdoor steps in, you could have the steps/walkway fork at curb or knee wall height. A curb or knee wall to block that water would be a worthwhile investment to protect your new room -- or two new rooms. Another idea would be to enclose the area beneath that overhang and floor it a (waterproofed) step (or two) higher than the driveway to create a new downstairs entry -- large enough for a coat closet as well. You'd have a "sunken" living room downstairs -- step down from the new entry into the new family room. Another budget friendly idea or two: Consider making your new upstairs build (at least initially) a carport with a storage room on the far side of it and a covered breezeway between the parking space(s) and your home. You get the storage of the garage, shelter for your vehicle(s) -- at a lower cost so you may be able to shelter two vehicles) and shelter for you to walk from your vehicle(s) to your home -- without the expense of finishing the four side of a garage until your budget enables you to enclose it the way you want to do so As long as you have another living room upstairs: Since the downstairs has plumbing, the downstairs room could become an efficiency apartment you rent to seniors so you can increase your budget for other things quicker.....See MoreGarage Stairs Eating Up Garage Space, New Construction
Comments (18)Risers with no landing is code, as long as the door swings into the house. However, it's not a good plan because when you step out of the house then you step onto a stair. A landing as shown in your original plan safer. My second pic is the safest and also gives you the most room in the garage depth-wise. But doing without a landing is easier for him to build. I also question his 12" risers. This is the absolute maximum allowed by code. I've walked steps like that and it's not pleasant or safe-feeling. Remember that you will be carrying groceries etc into the house up these stairs. These are not stairs for occasional use. I would want them to be a comfortable rise and run, not the maximum allowed by code. Although it may save a step or even two to build them to the maximum allowed, I would not want it in my house. Who cares if the stairs go further along the top of the garage. And remember that for stairs, comfortable - safer. The stairs only need to be 3 feet wide. There is no code that requires 5 foot wide stairs. I don't know why he wants to build them so wide. Do not trust him on this. And he idea that he will build something that you need to change later is ridiculous. Why should you have this extra expense? You can easily have something to code that is comfortable. https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2016/08/04/2-rules-comfortable-stairs If it were my house I would want 8 risers that are 7.5 inches high, which gives you your 60" of total rise. There is no reason to have an uncomfortable and unsafe stairway....See MoreMark Bischak, Architect
6 months agoMax G
6 months agoJAN MOYER
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agoMax G
6 months agoOlychick
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
6 months agoMax G
6 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
6 months agoArchitectrunnerguy
6 months agoarcy_gw
6 months agoDesign Fan
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agoJAN MOYER
6 months agokelli_ga
6 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
6 months agoHU-574454193
6 months agoMax G
6 months agoArchitectrunnerguy
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agoMax G
6 months agoacm
6 months agoArchitectrunnerguy
6 months agoMax G
6 months agolast modified: 6 months agomillworkman
6 months agoJAN MOYER
6 months agoCharles Ross Homes
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6 months agotlynn1960
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