Back staircase transformation- who wo...

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Author Message   Charlie Citizen Username: Cking27 Post Number: 22 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 8:16 am:        We have a back staircase (goes 1/2 way up from kitchen and meets main staircase.) There is a door at the top of the back staircase and a place for a door at the bottom of it. It is a waste of space for us. We are low on closets/storage and would love to have a pantry for our kitchen. We cannot just knock out the staircase b/c the basement stairs are underneath and can't be re-oriented under the main staircase b/c of the central air unit. So, we'd like to see about making a pantry out of the bottom part of it and a storage closet out of the top part. The work would involve drywalling and putting in some shelving. Maybe a little design in helping us figure out how it would work. Also, to really use the full space, there may need to be a ceiling/floor that can be walked on. There is already a light in the halway so I don't think there is electric work unless the current light fixture needs to be moved a bit. Who would I hire to do something like this? Do I need a general contractor or could a handy-man type person do this work? Also, would I need to get a permit to do the work? Thanks!   Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 12363 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 8:39 am:        From the way you describe the layout you will end up with a sloping back wall to the kitchen pantry because the basement stairs need head room. This would probably limit the utility of the pantry considerably. Otherwise it doesn't sound that tough and any decent carpenter/home improvement contractor could do the work. We had a similar situation in our old house, sans the stairs for the basement. We made the area into a laundry closet.   J L Bryant Citizen Username: Jeffbryant Post Number: 61 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 8:52 am:        Since you're musing over a potential rearrangement of spaces & function, consult w/ an architect. If you already knew exactly what you wanted to accomplish, but just couldn't construct yourself (for whatever reason), that's when a carpenter or handyman would fit. You stated design assistance; that's architecture. See the very recent threads below for MOL recommendations.