Advice for widening my basement stairs?

Question

I just purchased an 80 year old home and it's absolutely gorgeous! The only problem I have is that the basement stairs are only 24" wide and I can't get my washer and dryer down! The stairs are closed in, they have walls on either side, and when going down on the right hand side, the main support beam for the house runs right along side the stairs. I wanted to move the beam a little, maybe 6" and reconstruct it, but I don't know if this is a good idea. I could always just move the wall on the left hand side, but that would take away from my rec room area, and it's slightly small to begin with. I need help with this asap, so if you have any experience with this please help!!!

Answer 1

First, your best option is to consult a structural engineer,  many cities and counties may require this before issuing a building permit.  However I think that if, as long as moving the wall on the right does not make the load on the left hand floor joists too great,  You can add a new support beam with teleposts on the right first, then cut out the old one

Answer 2

wow.... listen  this can be done , with care , firstly  you need to ,contact  an engineer,  vip , they wont tell not to do it, but supporting a load bearing wall, can be pricy,  as it suports the main  weight  to the house . take this wall down , without  the support can really make your house crashe down around your ears ...... but  at least you have the commen  sence to ask  first..... lol       you can make your stairs wider, i would suggest no more than 48 ins ,and make sure you suppot them as well every 12 inchs .

     if all else failes you can build on to the house ,to make  a wash room. to house this washer dryer....

   my price for do this would be around    $9,000

Answer 3

Do yourself a favor...call a couple of contractors and get some advice. Estimates are free and you will find out if it can be done. Then the choice is yours weather you do it or have it done!

Answer 4

Moving the beam is ill advised for the diyer!  It's there for structural integrity.  If you move it, you would compromise the upper level - that's not something you want to do.

A contractor could do it but that will cost some bucks.

Though you'll lose 6" of rec room by going with the left wall idea, that's much preferred to losing the top of your house to your basement!

Even at that, make certain that you won't be doing any other damage by moving the wall that houses the stairs.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Consider installing an outside entry. "Bilco" door. You could fit the washer and dryer, and anything else through there easily. Altering the interior will have major impact on floor plan.