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Designing Bedroom for an addition Dn 626 sq. ft.

hinking of adding a early in the design process. At second to your the same time, I check to see T ? If so, you’re how the stairwell will fit into probably wondering where the the upstairs arrangement. stairs will go and what shape I try to avoid a stair location they will take. I’ve found that that creates a long, meandering Bedroom Bedroom location is everything. Ill-placed upstairs. Although at Don’t do this stairs can lead to an inefficient times you have no other choice, floor plan, an awkward facade, stairs at the end of a second- or a noisy house. Getting the floor layout require more stair right is critical. hallway to serve the . Dn Centrally positioned stairs Stairs aren’t an are space savers; , 676 sq. ft. T o p - d o w n d e s i g n afterthought , game rooms, and Don’t get trapped into pinning media rooms all can pinwheel Obsessing over the ideal stair location from a first-floor point of view down that “perfect” ground- off a landing or a short (top can lead to a clumsy upstairs floor plan. Instead, start by looking floor stair location without see- drawing, right). for a location near the center of the proposed upstairs plan. Then choose a stair shape that lands in a good spot downstairs. ing if it will yield good results It’s important to look at the In the bottom drawing, the stair location was driven by the location upstairs. I like to start from the rooms a stairway will connect of the first-floor landing and the mistaken assumption that shunting top down when pondering the and to consider lifestyle as the stairwell off to the side would maximize the usable space stair location for an addition. you weigh possible locations. upstairs. The result is a long, narrow, dark hallway and a stairwell Because an upstairs addition Think twice about stairs that that fails to create a connection between the two . has to look good from the street link a quiet zone on one level In the top illustration, the new rooms pinwheel off a centrally and because the stair location with a noisy room on another; located stair, and light pours into the landing, into the rooms, and into the first floor. The bedrooms and are the same square offers an opportunity to play the stairs will be a direct con- footage as in the bottom drawing, yet the overall footprint is 50 sq. ft. with exterior forms, I tackle it duit for unwanted sound. You less, meaning fewer materials and less space to heat and cool.

3 ft. 6 in. 3 ft. 6 in.

F o u r s ta i r s 47 sq. ft. 59 sq. ft. 68 sq. ft. 68 sq. ft. a n d t h e i r s i z e s 9 ft. 4 in. Choose a stair 8 ft. 4 in. 3 ft. 4 in. 3 ft. 4 in. shape based on 5 ft. the space available 5 ft. 7 ft. 11 ft. 10 in. and your design 13 ft. 4 in. 6 ft. 10 in. 6 ft. 10 in. goal. Although code allows narrower 12 ft. 10 ft. 2 in. stairs, the 3-ft. 6-in. 8 ft. 6 in. A switchback stair fits in a width shown is a A straight stair is space Use an L-shaped stair when A U-shaped stair makes compact rectangular area only comfortable size. efficient and as simple as it you want the top or bottom a bright, impressive slightly longer than a square gets, the solution for linear run to open to an adjoining stairwell that brings lots and requires less length than a and skinny spaces. room, hallway, or entry foyer. of daylight downstairs. straight run of stairs.

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Venturi effect helps should avoid stairs close to the heat gain from stair to draw out downstairs master bedroom if facing east or west; they make a Light Hot air hot air. your new second floor will be hot, stuffy stairwell. Glass block monitor Rising hot floods air draws used for guests, noisy teens, or and frosted glass are good op- stairs in cool air. billiards. If youngsters will be tions when you have no choice with Cool light. air Shelves playing and sleeping upstairs, but to have a or two you might want the stair near facing the rising or setting sun. the downstairs to let If you can’t get the stair on an Cool Area under air upper stair you better hear what’s going on. outside , then consider a run could be conventional or tubular sky- Desk storage or a Stairs need daylight light in the . Another powder room. A dark stair is unsafe and feels option is a half-wall or balus- cramped. When possible, I pick trade between a light-filled C o o l i n g s ta i r s a spot that gives the stairwell room and the top of the stair. A stairwell isn’t just a conduit for people; hot air also rises up the at least one exterior wall and With a centrally located stair, flight of stairs. Adding a light monitor with operable windows above windows. Everyone appreciates either of these alternatives can the stairwell takes advantage of the stack effect, drawing cool air in daylight that fills the space and draw daylight down into a dark through the lower windows and expelling hot air through the awning spills out downstairs. North- area on the lower level. windows above. facing windows are perfect in With planning, you can use In addition to drawing up hot air, sunlight spills through the stairwell and hallways from the monitor even though the stairwell warm climates. In colder cli- your new stairwell as a thermal isn’t on an exterior wall. mates, windows oriented to the to lighten the air- It’s important to consider the location of the stairs when the shape south pull in warm sunlight. Be conditioning load. In many of the addition is being planned because the light monitor will be a mindful of glare and excessive regions of the country, even in dominant part of the roofline.

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the height of summer, tempera- ure a stair shape that includes A 7-ft. 6-in. to 8-ft. ceiling tures cool down nicely in the a landing so that the stairway makes a evening. Turn off your AC, and can do double duty. The inter- comfortable open the windows, especially mediate landings of L-shaped, 17 in. to 18 in. space. at the top of the stairs. Convec- switchback, and U-shaped tive air currents will rise up the stairs provide an opportunity 24 in. to 30 in. stairwell, cooling the house by for , built-ins, artwork, drawing in fresh air from out- and windows. side and exhausting warm, stale If there’s a nice view from a air out of the open windows, midlevel landing, then enlarge Drawers vents, or skylights upstairs. the landing a bit to accom- (The higher up, the better, so modate a comfortable reading you might need remotely oper- nook or a custom window seat Landing must be at least ated windows.) The prominent (drawing right). When you as deep as stair width. high windows and of a want to create some visual pri- Stairs feel more open with light monitor over the stairwell vacy or when the views are a wider bottom run. can be the defining design fea- undesirable, bump out the land- D o u b l e - d u t y l a n d i n g s ture of the addition (drawing ing an extra 12 in. or more for p. 110). built-in bookshelves with high A stair landing must be at least as deep as the stair is wide, but if it’s slightly deeper, it can transform the landing into a welcoming windows above them. Extend- nook or productive workspace. When there’s a view worth Rethink the landing ing the depth of a large land- capturing, there should be a window at the landing even if it’s a To make the stairway space ing by 3 ft. or more turns it standard depth. A 24-in. to 30-in. bump-out makes space for a more useful, I usually config- into a convenient location window seat, an inviting place for reading and for extra storage.

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for a built-in desk or a com- storage, such as a common coat puter workstation. or a storage “cave” that The top and bottom landings inevitably becomes a cluttered are also excellent opportunities catchall. With some thought, it’s Code doesn’t for creative use of space. It’s possible to create room for require a handrail unless easy to incorporate low book- other purposes. As you’re creat- there are more shelves, bench seats, and stor- ing stairs for the new addition, than four age cubbies at the head or foot look at the first-floor rooms risers. 30-in.-tall of the stairs. A built-in bench adjacent to the stairs, and see table Splayed steps incorporated into the base of a if the space underneath the for versatile foyer or mudroom stair can be high side of the stairs can be approach a functional, welcoming feature incorporated into a bathroom, (drawing right). a powder room, or a kitchen On the top floor, it takes . I’ve seen this space cre- Display nook only a few extra inches to gain atively used as wine storage, a enough room for a low stor- small “pocket” office, a laundry W e l c o m i n g l a n d i n g s age , a display case, or room, a kids’ backpack center, Although they require more space, expanded landings at the top a bookshelf in place of a plain and even a sleeping nook for or bottom of the stairs integrate the stairs with the areas they pony wall or guardrail over- the family pooch. connect. Locating the stairs along an outside wall helps to bring in lots of light. In this case, turning the L-shaped stairs away from the looking the stairwell. exterior wall allows for stacked windows that brighten both levels. Don’t forget to maximize the Paul DeGroot is an architect The splayed steps at the bottom open the stairs to the room. The area under the stairs and land- in Austin, . Drawings by built-ins and the solid wall in place of a balustrade create display ings. You can always use it for the author. space for artwork.

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