This is something we've never ever done before and something we didn't even plan to do! But as we were talking through our hopes and dreams for the bunk room, Chris brought up removing the staircase entirely, and suddenly everything clicked!
The entrance into the bunk room/play room is through a breezeway from the bonus room, and as you can see, that staircase was front and center. I mentioned in this post that not only does removing the staircase give us extra square footage, but it also solves a couple of safety concerns! Having our kids do sleepovers in a room with a staircase that leads down to gym equipment (and an exterior entrance) isn't ideal at all. Also, the gym itself has an outside entrance, and I don't think I could sleep very soundly knowing that since it's a very separate part of the house (even with door sensors and alarms)!
Before
After
Our contractors are going to lay the wood flooring, but not until the new flooring has "acclimated." The wood planks are here in the room, adjusting to the climate since wood shrinks and expands with the weather. Once it's acclimated, they can lay the planks and stain them to match. (Here's the post about the color we stained our floors!)
Home Gym Before
Ceiling Fan | Yoga Mats | Weight Bench | Ergatta Rower | Dumbell Set | Peel & Stick Tile
The gym also increased in square footage! We just ordered more of our FloorPop tiles so we can fill in the gap.
Home Gym now
The electrical has all been moved, and now the drywall just needs to be patched and painted. Now the only way to access the home gym is through the exterior entrance. At first, I thought that would be a deterrent, but now I'm actually so excited to get in there and have some uninterrupted time to myself. We generally access the gym from the exterior anyway!
Here's a photo of the exterior for reference.
Within that archway straight ahead is an entrance to the guest house (on the left) and an entrance to the home gym (on the right). Make sense? That arched window up above is in the bunk room/playroom!
How much does it cost to remove a staircase?
This number can fluctuate depending on where you live and who you hire. We live in Raleigh, NC, and hired our contractor (Kennon Construction) to sub this job out. The cost for demo, prep/plastic, framing/material, and dump fee is...
$2954
Patching the drywall, painting, adding trim, patching the hardwood flooring in the bunk room and staining, AND electrical in the gym is an additional...
$3360
We decided to have them do all of it! So our total when the project is done will be
$6314!!
The playroom/bunk room is definitely on our project list for 2023, but I think the gym will be operational again before this year is over!!
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This makes sense. And gives the kids a much larger space to play. I think I missed an update about the room beside the laundry room. The one with the "hidden" door. I thought that was going to be the bunk room. Just curious what will be there now.
Crazyhow “safer” truly means something different to everyone, especially in different parts of the country! Being in Northern California, I’m afraid of fires and earthquakes, so I would look for a
home with as many exterior exits as possible from sleeping areas for safety and egress reasons. Goes to show, different parts of the country have different definitions of safety.
It’s going to look great, looking forward to seeing what you do!
I agree- would want MORE exits for safety, especially in case of fire. Also, I believe the CLJ said that all doors are alarmed for pool safety, so if if the alarm system is reasonably good that should stop the teenage sneaking in or out problem! :).
As a mom. i totally understand your fears about having an exterior entrance to the "bunk room" when your kids have sleep overs.... especially when they reach the teen years. Great idea to just remove staircase! brilliant! cant wait to see the finished space.
Can I purchase the old spindals from you since the stairs are gone? I LOVE them so much. 😍😆
Great idea, and the added space is a bonus for both rooms!
This makes perfect sense with added security and square footage increase.
It looks so good! I think not having the stairs in the main house is a bonus, but I always thought the rower in the gym looked a little cramped under the stairs. So I'm glad that freed up some space for the gym!
What a great idea! Looks like it makes both spaces bigger and more functional!
Smart idea!!