Stairs remodel

We love our home in Millcreek and bought it knowing we'd fix it up slowly. The main floor has been redone and it's great just the way it is for now. But the basement is unfinished and we are starting to feel like we'd like to use some of that space! The main hurdle for us was the staircase, which wasn't safe or easy to use. It was walled off with a door so we just kept that door locked to keep the kids safe and rarely went in the basement. This winter, we decided to have our favorite handyman, John Mitchell, come and work on the stairs. It's the first step to being able to 1) use the basement and 2) remodel the basement. 

John standing on the previous landing- it was more than a little unstable (yikes) and a magnet for us to stash stuff. 

A shot of the stairs braced up on the concrete shelf- not very permanent or safe

The stairs themselves were uneven in depth and had no hand railing. They totally freaked me out, are you getting that vibe?

A cute picture of baby George by the back door, which shows the wall and door to the stairs in the background

The before picture of the stairway entry

Demolition day

We came up with a design with input from several people (including Jared Parker) and changed the layout of the stairs to use the concrete shelf in the basement as part of the landing. This made it much more sturdy and we also gained several feet of space. 

Looking down on the new stairs

The new stairwell- the door and wall have now changed positions. This orientation also gives us the added benefit of opening up the kitchen space visually. 

Coming together- sheetrock added

The finished product! We're waiting on carpet for now

We also changed a doorway into the office downstairs and put up some temporary sheet rock walls to create a safe play area downstairs. Even though it's an unfinished space, we have loved having it! It's cool in the summer, and gives us a place to store toys and play when we have friends over.