# Door at bottom of basement stairs



## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

I am in the process of finishing my basement. Just started drywalling yesterday. Im getting to a point where I cant continue though because I cant make a decision on what to do about a door at the bottom of the stairs. The stairs run along a wall in the basement. When you get to the bottom of the stairs you have to take an immediate left. There is about 6' 6" once you get to the bottom of the stairs. I need to figure out the best set up that I can still get things in and out of the basement. We will need to get furniture in and out, but I am fine with getting a sectional or something to make it easier. We have an office, bedroom and bathroom down there, as well as the big "family room" which consists of a pool table, bar and there will be furniture and tv. The pool table is already in the basement but I am seriously concerned how I will get it out. It is a typical 7' barbox.

We have thrown around the idea of putting a 36" door directly at the bottom of the stairs, or building the wall from the stairwell straight across the 6' 6" to the exterior wall and placing a 36" door facing into the room, or building that same wall and installing french doors.

I know this is post is sloppy and kind of jumps around everywhere but I was just typing things as they came to me lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping to have this done and drywall ready for mud in the next 2-3 days

Thanks in advance


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Pictures would help, we can not see what your seeing.
Doors are almost never at the bottom of basement stairs.
There at the top of the stairs.


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

I'll snap a couple when I get back home and post them. I can't put one at the top. The stairs to the basement run along the back of our upstairs living room and there is only a half wall/ledge upstairs. Idk if that makes sense but I could post a pic while I'm at it


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Just as a "what it's worth" statement; a queen size box springs is the hardest thing to navigate.


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

Yeah, have in of those down there already as well. The bathroom, bedroom and office are already finished. 

I considered no door but with the pool table, bar and small home theater set up I'm trying to sound proof as much as possible. I have already insulated everything and installed resilient channel on the ceiling so no door would pretty much nullify all that


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## ryansdiydad (Aug 16, 2015)

You don't want to have to navigate that turn with any furniture... Do whatever you can to give yourself a straight path in to the basement..

I have


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

So I just snapped some pictures. One is standing at the top of the stairs by the living room looking down the stairs. As you can see there is just a half wall so no way to put a door at the top. Next would be picture halfway down the stairs just to give a little better look at what the landing at the bottom looks like. Its a typical width stairway about 42" and there is about 6' 6" like I said before when you get to the bottom. From there you have to turn right and its wide open into the basement. The third and fourth pictures are me standing in the big area of the basement looking back toward the stairs. 5th is me standing at the landing spot of the stairs where I will need to build either the wall straight across or put a door facing straight ahead when you get down the stairs.

Hope these pictures can help you help me!


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

joecaption said:


> Pictures would help, we can not see what your seeing.
> Doors are almost never at the bottom of basement stairs.
> There at the top of the stairs.


Joe is right! The reason you never see a door at the bottom is for safety. your stair way would be required to have a landing at the bottom that is at least as long as your stairs are wide with a min. of 36 in. and the door cannot open into this area.

Landing is required at top and bottom of stairs with the exception that a landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs provided a door does not swing over the stairs.

So you have a couple of options. 


frame the pony wall upstairs up to the ceiling and put a door on that opens away from the stairs.


frame in the wall in at the bottom parallel to the stairs amd put in a door there
frame wall at bottom in about 6" from stairs and back wall install barn door leaves you with about the size of a double 2^8 door.
These are the big new thing in all the parade homes we are building


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

joecaption said:


> Pictures would help, we can not see what your seeing.
> Doors are almost never at the bottom of basement stairs.
> There at the top of the stairs.


Joe is right! The reason you never see a door at the bottom is for safety. your stair way would be required to have a landing at the bottom that is at least as long as your stairs are wide with a min. of 36 in. and the door cannot open into this area.

Landing is required at top and bottom of stairs with the exception that a landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs provided a door does not swing over the stairs.

So you have a couple of options. 


frame the pony wall upstairs up to the ceiling and put a door on that opens away from the stairs.


frame in the wall in at the bottom parallel to the stairs amd put in a door there
frame wall at bottom in about 6" from stairs and back wall install barn door leaves you with about the size of a double 2^8 door.
These are the big new thing in all the parade homes we are building you can get them in almost any style or just plain ol panel door look


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

That is actually something I was considering. Only problem is that I am building a bar along the wall of the stairs, so I couldn't slide that door. I'm starting to think the French doors parallel with the stairs wall is my only option. I hope this doesn't look to weird


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Some things have to be stood on the long side and your drop ceiling may interfere. Only way to know for sure would be a cardboard sample and see how it moves through. The pool table would be a good example, although if necessary, it can be disassembled. Queen size mattress would be wider.

I guess you have a second egress but a bar or furniture on wheels is an option if you need the room.


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

Yeah I should cut a peice of cardboard and test it out. I won't have to worry about the ceiling beings that I drywalled it (I know some people think I'm crazy) but we just hilt the house 3 years ago. All the water lines are pex and I'm confident they won't leak. Other than that there is really nothing that is getting covered up


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## windowguy (Jan 27, 2009)

I totally get what your concerns are about not wanting to lose the left hand turn space at the bottom. If you MUST have a door for sound reasons I would use the bottom as a landing, construct the "door" to be parallel to the hand rail (reach bottom of stairs, turn left, open door) and either 1) use a closet door situation, double doors so they can still open very wide. or 2) you seem very handy, use a standard door but have the framing/wall around the door be very easily removable, or taken down, so if you want to move large items up/down the stairs you are not knocking down a wall, you would just be unbolting/unscrewing the PORTION of the wall that contains your door. You have your permanent wall (the bar i assume) and the "temp wall".


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## Msradell (Sep 1, 2011)

I think a couple of great ideas I've been proposed but I personally wouldn't put a door down there at this time. I just decide where I wanted it and not prevent that from happening in the future if needed. You may find that after everything is finished noise coming up through the stairwell is going to be as big of an issue as you think. If it is you can always in the door at a future time.


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

carpdad said:


> Some things have to be stood on the long side and your drop ceiling may interfere. Only way to know for sure would be a cardboard sample and see how it moves through. The pool table would be a good example, although if necessary, it can be disassembled. Queen size mattress would be wider.
> 
> I guess you have a second egress but a bar or furniture on wheels is an option if you need the room.


I dont really like pocket doors but they are another option. Carpdad's post gave me this idea. the shelves are optional you could put a mirror or art there as well. Same with the door you could do a plain panel door or mirrors glass or a mural that connects with a mural on the wall.
https://www.woodmeister.com/pocket-doors-woodmeister


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

Decided on going with the French door option. Wanted to go with 6' but unfortunately my bulkhead is 79" high and sits 31" from where the door will be. So had to cut down to 5'. Even with that it's going to be uncomfortably close beings the doors will be 30" not including the extra for the hinges. I'm in a time crunch to go along with it and the doors will take 2 weeks to get here and the finish guys for the drywall are coming within the next week (I framed it all and hung all the rock but I don't trust myself with the finish work on the drywall). So I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the doors will work. I'm gonna be so PISSED if I end up with doors that open up and smack the bulkhead!


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## windowguy (Jan 27, 2009)

is the bottom of your bulkhead 2X4s? pull those down and use 1Xs.. or even half inch.. its just a nailing surface right? make it as thin as possible.


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

It's almost comical the way everything is working out. My bar will run under a portion of the bulkhead and I installed 4" can lights in the bulkhead above that portion. I had to drop down the bulkhead 3" because of this. If it weren't for that I would have had plenty of room. I considered raising the bulkhead back up in the portion that does not contain the cans but it would look terrible aesthetically.


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

JReuter21 said:


> Decided on going with the French door option. Wanted to go with 6' but unfortunately my bulkhead is 79" high and sits 31" from where the door will be. So had to cut down to 5'. Even with that it's going to be uncomfortably close beings the doors will be 30" not including the extra for the hinges. I'm in a time crunch to go along with it and the doors will take 2 weeks to get here and the finish guys for the drywall are coming within the next week (I framed it all and hung all the rock but I don't trust myself with the finish work on the drywall). So I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the doors will work. I'm gonna be so PISSED if I end up with doors that open up and smack the bulkhead!


:vs_bulbrotip: always double check your rough framing size for your door before you rock.


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

63-1/2 x 83" is what the manufacturer says and that's what it is. Better be right cuz the rock is up


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## JReuter21 (Feb 11, 2014)

So this off the subject but quick question... We had some people over tonight to watch the rose bowl and when we were downstairs the echoing was unbearable. I only have the drywall hung with a pool table down there, no floors installed, drywall isn't even muddled yet. Will the echo decrease when I put floors in (I'm not doing carpet) and get the drywall finished with some furniture or is it necessary to get some type of acoustical panels on the walls. I've never had a finished basement so idk what to expect, but that echo was seriously bad.


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

Hard floors will not help reduce the echo significantly. Wood might help marginally. Soft furniture might help break the standing waves contributing to the echo, but the best way would likely be some acoustical ceiling treatment. Look up acoustical ceiling tile. You might want an acoustical expert to look at it and make recommendations before you go much further and spend money where you don't need to and before you have to redo anything.


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

jimn01 said:


> Hard floors will not help reduce the echo significantly. Wood might help marginally. Soft furniture might help break the standing waves contributing to the echo, but the best way would likely be some acoustical ceiling treatment. Look up acoustical ceiling tile. You might want an acoustical expert to look at it and make recommendations before you go much further and spend money where you don't need to and before you have to redo anything.


Acoustic ceiling tile will make a huge differents. In the picture below they use open cell foam but this is for studio recording so i think replacing the foam pads with accoustic ceiling tiles would work well for a basement hangout.


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## NoHoliday (Jan 2, 2016)

*Another Option*

It may be the pictures don't will the whole story but have you considered a rolling door in the opening instead of at the bottom of the stairs? This will leave you with whatever size opening you want and will not interfere with your schedule of hanging the drywall. It looks like you have a wall in front of which a rolling door could nest when not in use.


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