Art Zwoman
07-31-2011, 12:49 AM
I am in the midst of a remodeling plan and I have questions about it regarding putting in a sunken closet.
I would like to turn a previously unused area in a master bedroom into a closet. However, the roof above that unused area is lower than the bedroom ceiling (the trusses are right there and there is no attic space). I would like to get around the limitations of the lower ceiling by sinking the floor and putting in two steps going down to the closet floor. There is plenty of room in the basement below.
My questions are:
1) Is there any reason I cannot put in a sunken closet (design-wise, code-wise or other-wise)?
2) What is the minimum distance for headroom from stairs to the top of the door frame and how is it determined? I don't want anyone hitting their head as they enter the sunken closet.
3) I believe I need a minimum width for the stairs of 36". However, the door I'm planning on putting in is 32". Is this correct, or do you foresee any problem with this?
4) Is a handrail required for the two steps going down into the sunken closet?
5) The plan is to put a short wall next to the stairs to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping into the stairs from the side. Are there any requirements for that wall placement (distance from stairs, how far out into the room it should project, etc)?
6) Is there anything else to consider that I may not have mentioned?
Thank you for your time and anticipated responses.
Art Z
P.S. My antiquated remodeling software does not allow me to save different views of the plan in an allowable format for posting pics on this forum. The only format is Adobe Reader format. I can email the pics to anyone that is interested in seeing them.
I would like to turn a previously unused area in a master bedroom into a closet. However, the roof above that unused area is lower than the bedroom ceiling (the trusses are right there and there is no attic space). I would like to get around the limitations of the lower ceiling by sinking the floor and putting in two steps going down to the closet floor. There is plenty of room in the basement below.
My questions are:
1) Is there any reason I cannot put in a sunken closet (design-wise, code-wise or other-wise)?
2) What is the minimum distance for headroom from stairs to the top of the door frame and how is it determined? I don't want anyone hitting their head as they enter the sunken closet.
3) I believe I need a minimum width for the stairs of 36". However, the door I'm planning on putting in is 32". Is this correct, or do you foresee any problem with this?
4) Is a handrail required for the two steps going down into the sunken closet?
5) The plan is to put a short wall next to the stairs to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping into the stairs from the side. Are there any requirements for that wall placement (distance from stairs, how far out into the room it should project, etc)?
6) Is there anything else to consider that I may not have mentioned?
Thank you for your time and anticipated responses.
Art Z
P.S. My antiquated remodeling software does not allow me to save different views of the plan in an allowable format for posting pics on this forum. The only format is Adobe Reader format. I can email the pics to anyone that is interested in seeing them.