# Removed basement stairs - put in floor for washer and dryer



## capslock (Mar 4, 2008)

Hello,

Background:
Moving into a house. The old owner took out the interior stairs to the basement as there is a door to the basement that leads to the outside. They did this to put the washer and dryer in its place - so essentially making what used to be a stairwell into a closet. 

He patched up the whole with I guess plywood. some 2x4s and a metal beam to hold up one of the corners in the basement. He then put stackable washer and dryers on the new floor he put in himself.

Well the inspector went through and said that floor needed to be replaced or fixed to make sure it will not have problems down the road. I could see what he was saying.

Well while we are getting it fixed up I thought instead to just remove what he put there and instead create a floor that is 'recessed'. 

Here is the point, I would like to put a new washer and dryer in the spot of the old ones. They will be those washer and dryers with the front access doors. So I would like to make the floor so that the washer and dryer and sitting lower than the floor on the first floor.

Two reasons: 1 because my g/f is short and getting the knobs on the top of the stacked dryer my prove a bit tricky
and 2: If the washer ever flood - the recessed floor would give a better chance from the 1st floor from water damage.

Ok - so if that made sense to anybody - is this something I can do myself or do you think I should hire someone? You not knowing my abilities I can say I envision what would need to be put together, I am decent with my hands. All I need is a bit of help to plan out the details of the design.

I am also concerned about how the washer and dryer would bang around a bit and the floor would never have a consistant weight while the washer and dry is in motion. I guess the washer and dryer we are looking at can have cement or something put in it to weigh it down and prevent shaking but i understand that this is not 100% fool proof. So - with that said, I do not know if my decent but not professional skills can create something to withstand the pressure of a washer and dryer shaking.

Thoughts?


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## handyguys (Mar 4, 2008)

OK - Lots of things...

First off - Consider resale. I would think that what you have now, and even more so, what you are proposing, would turn off potential buyers.

Front load washers are VERY touchy. The should not shake at all but the usually do due to un-level situations or manufacturing defects. They also need a sturdy floor. It would take a bit of work to make your hole strong enough.

If it were me - I would put the stairs back in. Put the laundry in the basement. You wont get vibration due to concrete floor, you will have a nicer house, better resale and a better investment of time and money.


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## capslock (Mar 4, 2008)

> If it were me - I would put the stairs back in. Put the laundry in the basement. You wont get vibration due to concrete floor, you will have a nicer house, better resale and a better investment of time and money.



Well that is a very subjective statement. Our basement is more of a crawlspace hence why the previous owner did this to begin with. The basement is not the type to ever be used for anything other than storage space for a hot water and oil tank.

Thinking about the design of the basement and the walls down there along with where the stairs used to be - those stairs had to have been pretty steep.

I see what you area saying though about the shaking and thats something to worry about with just a regular washer and dryer. I guess the previous owner has had this set up for some time and, based on the size of the house, we have no intentions on moving the washer and dryer elsewhere.

So based on what you are suggesting, we would need to really re-enforce the flooring that was put there.  I was thinking about 2 or 4 beams that we could slide in there.


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## guyod (Mar 5, 2008)

What exactly is the problem with the floor? 2x4's have a 5' max span as floor joists so unless they are rotten or not secured right then they should be fine. If want to drop the floor level its fairly easy. Just move the 2x4's from the top of the floor joists to the bottom. I would use hangers so the 2x4's cant vibrate loose.


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## Rustedbird (Apr 2, 2008)

You may not need to drop the floor.  Just put a washer tray under the unit. They do have to be plumbed into a drain.


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