How can I creatively separate two rooms in my trilevel house with a toddler without losing ceiling height or affecting the stairs?
My wife and I have a small tri-level house with a toddler, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to close off the basement area from the front room. It’s been a challenge with two TV’s on at once or when we have guests over and want to separate the two spaces.
I was pretty limited in terms of where I could put a door because of where the stairs are located, but I came up with a simple solution. I bought a ceiling mount for a barn door since I didn’t want to lose any ceiling height from the stairs with a regular mount.
I got tongue and groove boards, a support header, and 1x6x8 pine boards for the frame. I used lag screws to mount the support piece and the arms, and the hardware that came in the kit wasn’t great.
The door is 36×87 7/8, and I’m waiting to stain the other side before I install the wheels, door pull, and floor guide. I’m curious if anyone else has done something similar in a tri-level house. If you want the materials list or tips on the process, just let me know.
I could only use one floor joist for the track, so the location isn
What shade of stain did you apply to that door?
Prefers Early American.
I recently finished constructing an interior wall in my laundry room to create a dedicated pantry area and checked out the barn door hardware today. I’ll need to make a custom door for the 24in. wide doorway I created. This project is keeping me motivated! 💪
Hey, I had to create a custom door that was 36″ x 87 7/8″ to ensure I had enough space from the ceiling and floor. I checked the cost of getting a custom door made and realized I could do it more affordably. I’m not a carpenter or in the trades, so there was some trial and error, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
Hey, there are 24″ stock doors available out there
Hey, you can find 24″ stock doors. I could have gone for a 36″ stock door, but the length was the problem. Depending on your rough opening, you might be able to purchase a door that fits the space
Hey, the doorway measures 24″ so the door should be a bit bigger, like 25 or 26″. I don’t have much space between the doorway and the walls on each side. I’m also concerned about the length since my ceilings are only 8ft and I plan to fix the barn door rails on the wall
Depending on the clearance, a ceiling mount could be an option. I have 8′ ceilings as well, so I had to make the door longer with the ceiling mount. If you can secure the door to the wall, you could go for a standard 26×84 size. I would need to assess the opening. I also thought about using bi-fold doors, but they didn’t quite match the style I was aiming for in that space.
Look what just showed up on my Amazon recommendations. This might be a solution that works for you.
Our house is split-level. We installed a hinged gate to keep our toddlers safe.
Hey , that sounds like a great plan. How did you manage to secure it? Did you put it between the handrails?
Yours is a bit different from mine, but we managed to do it with two studs on the stairs. I really like the idea of a barn door.
That’s awesome. My wife was totally against it at first, but when she saw the final result and the next step of the project, she changed her mind. Now she’s completely on board. I installed those retractable screen gates to contain my child and they worked well until she figured out how to get under them. Haha
I never thought about using a ceiling mount for my barn door, but it could really help me with this project! I’ve been thinking about using some extra doors to make one the right size (I have 5 extras just laying around 😅), but I think the materials you used would be really useful. Could you please send them my way? Thanks!
I had been considering different options for a door for months, but I was concerned about losing ceiling height and security with a large opening. Then I discovered the ceiling mounted option, which changed the game.
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Won’t we still hear the TV noise even if the door is closed because of the open railing?
That area is usually covered with coats and has a little shoe rack, so it’s not as bad, but it still comes through.
Great deal
Initially, I thought about a pocket door or maybe even a bi-fold, but the layout just didn’t work out.
I’ll share with you the links and the materials I ultimately decided to use. I chose not to utilize the fasteners that were included with the track.
Thanks a lot!! No worries, I think you mentioned that in your post too.. not surprising but at least some of it is functioning😉
I dropped you a message
I might have approached it in a different way. I would enclose the railing, build an extra wall to the right of the stairs, add a header, and install a door jam to separate the two areas. Then I would put in a baby gate at the top of the stairs. But as long as you’re happy with it, that’s great. Good job on problem-solving!
I originally built the door and then decided to add the wall and baby area as an extra touch. I thought it would be nice to utilize the otherwise wasted space. Although I initially planned to enclose the railings, my father-in-law replaced them with oak, so my wife preferred to keep that area open.