Help me, Im slowly destroying my home.

allen levine

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new york city burbs
I got caught up in my wifes hype, telling me ofcourse I can do it.
What I should have done is worked harder, made more dough, and hired a contractor to do all the work.
I spent this week ripping down molding and today ripped down part of a wall.
I went too far, it was mad fun using a sawzall destroying walls, problem is, its my wall, and I went too far.
Before I call in a contractor, Im going to see if anyone here can offer me any advice how to repair the nonsense I did.
The wall had bars(wooden bars, from the 70s, and my wife wanted them down, and the wall opened)The floors are all being ripped out, carpet is being ripped, were leaving it all now while we were going to paint so we didnt have to worry about drop clothes and mess. Besides, Ive stained the floors the past 2 weeks, leaving the wrong stuff piled there.
So, heres the staircase going up to the attic bedrooms.
My idea at this point is to put a short handrail from the one mounted up on the wall, Im sure it can be seen in one picture, and put a post near the bottom of the stairs and put in a couple of ballisters, but now the stairs are exposed on the bottom, I think I need to put up a wall all the stairs and match it to the existing wall. I dont know, I dont know anything about this stuff. Take a look, take a laugh, and take advice, if you live in a 60 year old house, dont take anything down off the walls to the first layer, its very scary.:(:(:(:(:(

I want to be upfront here. I can afford to hire a contractor and do the work, but my entire life Ive never done much with any place Ive lived at. My wife and kids think because I can make a box I can add an extension to my home,(they love me, I dont know why), so I really want to build something in my own home besides a table that I can say and feel good about. Even if I try to sheetrock and put up a home made handrail and ballisters, if itsa disaster, I can rip it out and call in the pros.
Alan, you around, take a look, tod?(thats a closet under the stairs, accessable in the hallway)
 

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Here's a suggestion.

Use your woodworking skils and make up a trim piece to cover the exposed wall on the 2 sides and perhaps a simple raised panel for the underside of the stringer. Add a newel post, short rail, some ballusters and tart up the stringer and you're done. I'd do it all in paint grade material.
 
Hey Allen you can do it. Its not just the wife and kids that believe in you, there are many here and i am one that has watched your journey.

Go for it. Just like Jonathan said make the post even if its square, if you dont want to make one go to the dreaded HD and buy a nice Oak one. You can get rail and balusters there too if you dont want to make it all.

To me the enjoyable challenge would be to match the rail going down the stairs using your own wood and then turn some balusters and corner post to your own liking.
Given the rail down the stairs is painted you might want to think about that first cause to go painted to pure wood wont look good. On the other hand if you pulled the rail down and put one long piece up you could have a nice wood rail all the way up and mount it on some new brass rail holders.

I would panel the side of the stairs just as Patrick has said. Put a frame around the edge that you could do from moulding you make yourself or buy and then make a frame and panel front.

In fact what would be even nicer is to maybe make a small bookshelf for the display of nick naks etc. You have the width to put it in and could make the top slant to match the stairs.

Go for it. :thumb: No one is laughing at least i am not. :)

Hey you could even get a small cupboard like an umbrella cupboard into that space.
 
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Heck, that's not scary at all, should see a 100+ year old house's bones. :)

I'd do as Jonathan said, put in a knewl post, then you might use some of the studs you removed to frame back in between the risers on the stairs and the floor. Drywall it and the end of the wall, put corner bead on the corners of wall and mud it all a few times and paint, then Trim out and install your spindles and railing.
 
You're getting AWFULLY SHORT on support for that exposed stringer at its bottom end. I'd frame up to the top of the stringer, angled to follow it, and 'rock that up to the end of the existing wall. Cap that with hardwood, trim (cove, maybe?) under it.

THEN you could put a knewel post in & turn the corner with your rail.

When you put in the balusters, space 'em with no more than 4" gap at any point - a toddler's head won't fit between 'em that way.
 
thanks for the advice, Im just not sure if I have to take that entire walls sheetrock down to match it all up nicely. Ive never done sheetrock before, nor tape, just a little spackle compound here and there when I painted.Maybe feathered a piece of sheetrock into a hole or two.

Maybe I could put the ballisters just far enough apart that I could get my head caught in between them.

After I posted before, I sat down and stared at it all, and then did what I do best, made myself a big sandwich and ate, but kept staring at it.

I believe IM going to attempt to resheet rock the bottom up to the top of the stringer, put in one post, and make a rail to go up to where the wall begins, and put in a matching handrail on brass arms going up the rest of the way, my intentions were to change that handrail anyway and put a longer one on the other side of the wall once I took the wall down.
I know its hard to explain construction to me, since Im challenged like that,I do appreciate it though, Ill sleep on it tonight, tomorrow is my 31 st anniversary, but I will begin that wall.
 
You should have 1/2" drywall Allen, should just have to butt to the old drywall, tape, and mud over. I'd feather it out about 12" on each side. I've drawn some pics of the framing I'd suggest. Nail the jack wall studs to your stair stringer to sturdy it up.
 

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Allen why don't you just insatll a post at the bottom of the stringert then re frame the wall following the slope of the stairs. sheet the small section in drywall again with only one joint to deal with. Cap the top of the wall and the continuing vertical space it with a nice chunk of oak or maple. Then install and handrail with bottom rail off the cap and build or buy ballastars to fill in the opening. Just a suggestion and it will look great when you are done. It is a simple job and will look great when you are done and the wife and kids will love you for it. Unfortunatly this is similar to the slippery slope that is involved with turning and one honey do project leads to another. Keep us posted of how it goes. Opps I see that Darren has beat me to it. Same idea.
 
...Ive never done sheetrock before, nor tape, just a little spackle compound here and there when I painted...

I think you're gonna be pleasantly surprised when you see how (relatively) easy it is to work with sheetrock. Adding a new piece next to the existing stuff won't be all that hard. :thumb:
 
Allen,
I don't see much of a dilemma. It looks great compared to our place after the demo of our upstairs!:rolleyes::D
I too would agree with the frame and drywall route. I think it would look like it was always that way. As far as mudding goes, if it doesn't look good at first, you have two ways to go - add more compound, or sand some away.:thumb: Honestly, I don't think you can do any worse that a lot of the professional jobs I've seen.:eek:

Keep us posted on your progress!
Wes
 
Hey Allen what if you were to case the opening like a door, finish the bottom part of the stairs to make it look like panels and finish it off with a turned newel post and ballisters. This will let you finish the project yourself and give you shop time at the same time. :thumb:
 
A Newel post. Ballisters and Some panels is the final prioduct.

Panels and Rails and Stiles to fill the space created when the wall was removed. Capped off with a crown holding the Ballisters connecting to
the handrail connected to the Newel post.
 
Newel post = The thing at the end of a staircase railing that keeps you from sliding down the staircase railing when you are a kid.
 
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