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Where to put my door?

1235 Views 14 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Tedd, 
T
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I am getting close to finally being able to start on my HT, but not quite ready to start the ubiquitous "ToHellWithUGA's Theater Build" thread yet. Instead, I need help with what may seem to be a trivial question, but it's one that I need to answer now (and correctly).


In my earlier thread , I settled on a room that had a few challenges. First, it had a nice load-bearing wall that needed to be removed. Second, my main electrical panel was on that wall. Third, I needed to open up the walls underneath the top of my stairs (there are other problems, too, but these are my current concerns).


After talking with my builder, his engineer, and a couple of local building supply stores about the load bearing wall, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of header/support was needed. However, they were all talking about LVL, which was going to be a PITA for me (did I mention I have a nice pvc drain pipe running 6" below the bottom of my joists?). I happened to run into a Civil Engineering friend from college (I had forgotten that's what she did), and she has spec'd a nice steel I-beam for me instead. I still have a couple loose ends to tie up there (point loads on the concrete floor, etc.), but this is looking a lot more do-able.


Second, I found a retired (but still licensed) Electrician who is going to give me a day of his time for $250 to help me move my panel. This was the brother of a guy that a plumber (who lives 2 hours away) recommended. It turns out, this guy lives less than 5 minutes from me, and is the father of one of our good friends. Small world...


So, that brings me to my current dilemma (well, next to HVAC). I need to move the wall between my HT and my storage room so that I can relocate my main panel. However, moving this wall is going to close off my current entrance to my HT. So, I need to open up the area underneath the top of my stairs that is going to be my eventual HT entrance.


Now, here is my problem: I have a nice 36" mahogany door that was salvaged from a remodel. I really like this door, although it has a little damage. I had planned to put this door at the back of my HT at riser level, and to have it open outward into the hall.


However, after adding a new 2x4 wall on the inside of the back concrete wall, there is no way the 36" door is going to fit there. There is only about a 36" opening as it is, and that will get a good bit smaller with the new wall.


So, I was looking at it with my wife, and she thinks that I should move the door to the outside of the hall, on the wall of the game room/gym. While I still don't really have room for the door there, I can make it work. I will have a little overlap, but hopefully I can use that to my advantage for sealing purposes.


What are the negatives of putting my door on the outside of this hall? I guess I would have to soundproof the hallway, for one thing. What about acoustics? Can/should I put a heavy curtain at the back corner (where the door was originally planned)?


Any thoughts or ideas? Other things I have thought of are:


- Getting a smaller door (really like my door though
)

- Maybe trying to put the door at an angle in the back of the room. I think it would have to open into the HT, even then.

- Trying to move the wall at the top of my stairs a little. It is definitely load bearing, so this wouldn't be easy.


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J
Can you show us a pic of where you want the door to go?


A second thread and you haven't started your build thread yet....hmmmmm.



By the way, I'll be glad to take that door off of your hands...ya know, just to ease your mind.
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T
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnsteph10 /forum/post/16837606


Can you show us a pic of where you want the door to go?
Click to expand...

Sure. This is looking out from inside the HT. I only have 37" between the concrete wall and the marked stud. And that's before adding the back wall.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnsteph10 /forum/post/16837606


A second thread and you haven't started your build thread yet....hmmmmm.
Click to expand...
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T
So, I went back and re-read my original thread. I notice that BeerParty said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerParty /forum/post/16564666


For the best sound isolation, put it on the HT side. Your goal is to create a sealed box that keeps outside sound out and vice-versa. The fewer corners you have, the easier it is to keep that seal intact.
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So, if I had to put the door on the outside of the hallway, what would be my best options for the interior wall? As I mentioned earlier, unless I put another (smaller) sealed door, I would probably need to finish that hallway as if it were part of the HT, right? This wouldn't be fun, as I was also planning to have the entrance to my wiring closet in that hallway (although that could be moved to the game room side).


And, later, frank1940 said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by frank1940 /forum/post/16602164


The only other thing I would change would be the door swing. I feel that if the door swung out against the workshop wall, the door would intrude less on the theater feel. (The problem is I don't know quite what you have to deal with clearances since that door is under the stairs. But I don't think the door swing is a deal breaker in any case. And it is definitely in the realm of aesthetics and your personal preferences may indicate that this is the right choice for you.)
Click to expand...

(at this point I had sketched the door to swing into the room)


Apparently, Frank had more forethought than I did about clearances. At the time, I was probably thinking about using a smaller door, and also just attaching 2x2's and foam insulation to the concrete wall instead of 2x4 framing slightly out from the wall.
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T
My wife and I also talked about possibly flipping the room around again, but I like the entry under the stairs if I could make it work. Plus, that would put 4 doors in a very small space at the bottom of the stairs (unless I stole the entrance to the storage for the HT, which would give me a larger theater, but then I would probably have to make my entrance to the storage room through the HT).


Edit: I've already put up the wall between the storage room and the bath, and moved the wall with the bathroom door back a foot, btw.
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T
Oh, and another thing. Maybe this wasn't obvious in my first post in this thread, but in the photo of the door, it is leaning up against the wall where it would go if I had to put it at the outside of the hall.
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BIGmouthinDC
One vote for smaller door to keep it were you want it. Keep watching Craig's list. I looked at a foreclosed home a few weeks back and the guy must have sold the doors because there weren't any interior doors on the second floor. The frame still had the hinges but no doors.
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T
Thanks for the response BIG.


The reason I'm trying to figure this out now is because I need to move/finish the wall between the HT and storage room so that I can move my electrical panel and so that I can get my HVAC into the storage room. Framing out this wall is going to close off my current entry to the HT, though. So, I need to open up the other entrance. I didn't want to have to re-do the headers that I build, though, so I need to know the size/location. I guess I could just open them up as wide as possible in the current opening, and then narrow it later if needed.


Yikes, getting late, need to run to pick up my permit for my deck extension (and get some real work done, bleh)...
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J

Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC /forum/post/16841929


One vote for smaller door to keep it were you want it. Keep watching Craig's list. I looked at a foreclosed home a few weeks back and the guy must have sold the doors because there weren't any interior doors on the second floor. The frame still had the hinges but no doors.
Click to expand...

With the glut of foreclosures in Atlanta -- a lot of people will rip everything out of the house, including fixtures, sinks, toilets, etc.


You should easily find a quality door that'll match your smaller space.


I also agree -- don't change your whole layout because of a single door.
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T
I like the angled entry idea. Maybe play the entry up with a couple of columns and a marquee over the door perhaps?


If you really want a wider entry, why not box the upper area and carry some supporting framework beyond the framing at the top of the stairs and build a new supporting wall there? After the load is safely supported, cut out the existing stud wall. I'd go as far as sheathign both sides of the newly framed wall and put the av rack there, to use the under-stair cavity.


And if you have the ceiling height, use the entry for steps to enter at the riser level.
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T

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedd /forum/post/16842779


I like the angled entry idea. Maybe play the entry up with a couple of columns and a marquee over the door perhaps?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the responses, Ted and Johnsteph10! If I did angle it, I think I would have to open the door into the room, which might interfere with my back row, but I would have to see. I also want to think about what it would look like from the outside (which was one of my wife's points about putting the door on the outside of the hall so that the door was more visible).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedd /forum/post/16842779


If you really want a wider entry, why not box the upper area and carry some supporting framework beyond the framing at the top of the stairs and build a new supporting wall there? After the load is safely supported, cut out the existing stud wall.
Click to expand...

So, I was really trying to think about how to do this when I posted originally, but I couldn't figure out how to describe it. If I could do that and not compromise the structural integrity, I think it would make a better entrance. What do you mean by "box the upper area"? It seemed rather complicated, since I would be building headers and transferring loads for 3 adjacent walls. But I would really love to pursue this if I could make it work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedd /forum/post/16842779


I'd go as far as sheathign both sides of the newly framed wall and put the av rack there, to use the under-stair cavity.
Click to expand...

The area under the stairs will be my wiring closet (already is), and I had planned to build my AV rack on the side wall of my HT with rear access in the wiring closet. Do you think the AV rack would work better in the hallway (if that is what you're suggesting)? I guess that would remove the possibility of sound escaping through the AV rack opening. I would still need access to that area for my sewer ejector basin and electrical junction boxes (from relocated panel).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedd /forum/post/16842779


And if you have the ceiling height, use the entry for steps to enter at the riser level.
Click to expand...

Was definitely planning to do that. It's going to be a little tight with the soffit in the back and that darned sewer pipe running through the entryway, but I'm pretty sure I can make it work (but, obviously, my "pretty sure" isn't always correct).
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B

Quote:
Originally Posted by ToHellWithUGA /forum/post/16839166


So, I went back and re-read my original thread. I notice that BeerParty said:
Click to expand...

I've been quoted, cool!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ToHellWithUGA /forum/post/16839166


So, if I had to put the door on the outside of the hallway, what would be my best options for the interior wall? As I mentioned earlier, unless I put another (smaller) sealed door, I would probably need to finish that hallway as if it were part of the HT, right? This wouldn't be fun, as I was also planning to have the entrance to my wiring closet in that hallway (although that could be moved to the game room side).
Click to expand...

If that is your only door and you put the door on the rec room side of the stairs, you will have to deal with multiple acoustic issues in that area. Also, I don't think and angled entry will work on the theater side of the stairs - try laying it out with tape on the floor and then look at it from the rec-room side of the stairs. It may work physically but I don't think it will look right.


I would definitely second Big's opinion and vote for a thinner door for the theater side. Now, if you really want that pictured door as the entry to your theater you could put an angled entry wall on the rec-room side of the stairs and still use a thinner door on the theater side to seal the room. You would have more flexibility in designing the entrance since you could make it as wide as you want (depending on how much you space you are willing to take away from the rec room). You would have two doors to go through to get to the theater, but I don't think that would be too large of a burden.
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T
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The more I think about this, the more I think I would go simple.


I'd go with your wife's suggestion, and put the entry door in the gameroom/gym wall. I'd build a jog in the stair wall to bring out the theater entry and give it a little prominence. The door would hinge inwards. Above the entry door, a theater marquee would drawn attention to the entry, and would fit in with the game room theme.


On the theater side, I'd build a simple drywalled opening on the theater side, no trimwork. The sidewalls in the entry would each get a movie poster. I'd aim for a 30" wide by 68" high door opening on the theater side. By adding three studs under the plumbing run at the back wall, you can frame for a header, as you'll be removing two studs.


As for the narrow entry under the stairs, it might work in your favour. Transistioning through this sheltered area, might make the theater feel a little more spacious. It is a commonly used trick.

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T
Thanks again for the replies, guys.


So, I want to think through all my options. So, Tedd, if I put the door on the outside and left the hall open on the HT side, is that going to mess up my room acoustics? Obviously, I would need to DD the hall for soundproofing.


Would you then go back to having the AV rack on the side wall, with access to the wiring closet through a small door in the game room?
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T
A rectangle is the accepted best shape, but there's no guarentee a rectangle won't have issues to deal with. Sometimes you need to make a compromise or two, before the design starts to fall into place.


Either location of the av rack is good. If you put it in the side wall, I would do a movie poster mounted on a board on the side entry wall and hinge it, for access to the back of the av rack. This might be the simplest (least expensive and time consuming) solution. You get a clean wall in the gameroom, and avoid a second door (which is often the weakest link in sound proofing).


BTW, you have a pm...
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