Kitchen floor trap door flush with hardwood floor?
#1
12-13-00, 01:21 PM
Hello, out there --
Boy do we need help! We were removing old linoleum in our kitchen and we uncovered a set of stairs leading down to a basement!!!
We are refinishing the floor except we need to cover this huge 5foot x 9foot "L" shaped hole at the end of our kitchen!
Your mission (should you decide to accept it) involves the following
)
1. The hole is an "L" shape, with the long side (stairs) running along the back wall and the short side (lowered concrete slab) right in front of the back door.
2. We considered leaving the hole uncovered and installing a rail or wall and vertical door access, but that lops off over 50 square feet off an already tiny room.
3. We should probably frame the short end (slab) and continue the floor evenly so we at least have even access out the back door, but that would make the first step about 18" down.
4. The BEST solution so far is to cover the slab with flooring and make an even path to the back door, then install a "trap door" over the stairs. It could hinge in half and fold up /\ and slide along a wheel-track and fold neatly against the wall. But where could we find hinges and wheels and railing, and make the door light enough so it wouldn't kill us by slamming shut? Also, how could we reinforce the closed door so we could walk on it?
Have you encountered this? Are there any building codes?
Please let us know -- Thank you!!!
Boy do we need help! We were removing old linoleum in our kitchen and we uncovered a set of stairs leading down to a basement!!!
We are refinishing the floor except we need to cover this huge 5foot x 9foot "L" shaped hole at the end of our kitchen!
Your mission (should you decide to accept it) involves the following
)1. The hole is an "L" shape, with the long side (stairs) running along the back wall and the short side (lowered concrete slab) right in front of the back door.
2. We considered leaving the hole uncovered and installing a rail or wall and vertical door access, but that lops off over 50 square feet off an already tiny room.
3. We should probably frame the short end (slab) and continue the floor evenly so we at least have even access out the back door, but that would make the first step about 18" down.
4. The BEST solution so far is to cover the slab with flooring and make an even path to the back door, then install a "trap door" over the stairs. It could hinge in half and fold up /\ and slide along a wheel-track and fold neatly against the wall. But where could we find hinges and wheels and railing, and make the door light enough so it wouldn't kill us by slamming shut? Also, how could we reinforce the closed door so we could walk on it?
Have you encountered this? Are there any building codes?
Please let us know -- Thank you!!!
#2
12-14-00, 01:29 PM
Interesting. Is this a root cellar of some type that you never knew you had and are now trying to maintain access for the extra space? A solution is not jumping out at me for your problem. I have never seen a fold up hatch like you describe, probably would have to be custom work. Perhaps someone else has some ideas.
#3
12-14-00, 03:41 PM
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Reply to schiejr
Thank you for your interest!! We just bought this house, and it's a really tricky problem.
Actually this "back half" of the kitchen was originally the back porch they enclosed many years ago. The "slab" is on the right wall, the back door is on the right side of the back wall, and the stairs run along the back wall from right to left down to a quarter size basement.
The way they handled it, they just framed in the whole thing, layed down cheezy plywood, and covered it over with linoleum. We thought we could do better, but now we're wondering (oh, yeah -- and access from the back yard through an old coal chute seemed WORSE!)
___________back door___
|....|....|....|....|...XXXXXXXX..|
|...<-.-.stairs.|...XXXXXXXX..|
|....|....|....|.....|....X.slab.X..|
|___________..XXXXXXXX..|
.....................|.XXXXXXXX..|
|.....................|...............|
|....... kitchen..|_________|
|...........floor....................|
|....................................|
|....................................|
Thanks again, any help is really appreciated!
Merry Christmas
[Edited by Mrinal on 12-14-00 at 06:47]
Actually this "back half" of the kitchen was originally the back porch they enclosed many years ago. The "slab" is on the right wall, the back door is on the right side of the back wall, and the stairs run along the back wall from right to left down to a quarter size basement.
The way they handled it, they just framed in the whole thing, layed down cheezy plywood, and covered it over with linoleum. We thought we could do better, but now we're wondering (oh, yeah -- and access from the back yard through an old coal chute seemed WORSE!)
___________back door___
|....|....|....|....|...XXXXXXXX..|
|...<-.-.stairs.|...XXXXXXXX..|
|....|....|....|.....|....X.slab.X..|
|___________..XXXXXXXX..|
.....................|.XXXXXXXX..|
|.....................|...............|
|....... kitchen..|_________|
|...........floor....................|
|....................................|
|....................................|
Thanks again, any help is really appreciated!
Merry Christmas
[Edited by Mrinal on 12-14-00 at 06:47]
