How can we successfully raise our sunken living room, including dealing with electrical plugs, vents, and a curved staircase, while also opening it up to the kitchen?
Asked by Lena Olivier 
4 months ago
Last Updated: September 6, 2024
We’re thinking about raising our sunken living room on our own. What do we need to do to make sure we get it right? The floor is concrete at the bottom. We have a couple of electrical outlets and two vents that would need to be raised up. Plus, navigating around the curved stairs might be a bit tricky. We’re also planning on opening up the kitchen into the living room.
What do you think about the fireplace?
Once is finished, he’ll be sitting at floor height like usual.
Hey , just a heads up that in order to raise the bottom of the flue, the smoke chamber, and damper, you’ll likely need to tear down most, if not all, of the chimney. Additionally, the new hearth should be made of non-combustible construction and extend at least 18 inches in front of the fireplace to meet current code standards for a wood burning fireplace hearth.
Mentioned that the fireplace doesn’t require any changes. They can build around the concrete section and keep it as is. If the hearth needs to be extended, granite can be added on the new subfloor or tiled.
Clarified that it’s not a wood-burning fireplace, but rather propane logs. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been working since we bought the house 6 years ago.
Let’s create a brand new subfloor.
I couldn’t agree more.
Create a storage space under the floor!
Think of framing it just like you would for a deck. When raising the floor, place foam gasket between the wood and concrete.
Seems like a significant elevation change with two steps leading down. Take measurements of the fireplace hearth, windows, and doors to determine how it will align with the room. It’s definitely a major project.
There are no doors to worry about. The windows are the same size and height as the ones in our dining room, which is not sunken.
Are you considering the increased floor height in your measurements, and still getting the same dimensions as the dining room? That seems quite strange. All the windows are at a standard height from the floor.
You’ll completely eliminate the stairs. A bigger issue to think about is the fireplace. The entire space will require framing with joists, followed by laying down the subfloor and then installing the flooring. Some things to keep in mind include electrical and vents as you’ve already noted, as well as the fireplace. Also, where are the current windows located? When you raise the floor, will they be too close to the floor and need to be raised as well?
Windows are still okay even with the raised floor. They are at the same level as our dining room, which is just across from the sunken area.
Indoor paddling pool
Most likely, there is wood framing underneath the steps. The challenging aspect is adjusting the height of the windows and doors. The fire
‘s windows are the same height as the dining room windows across from the sunken area, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, we don’t have any doorways to fret over.
If you remove the curved steps and run the flooring joists, it’s best to hire a professional unless you’re skilled in carpentry. If the fireplace is lower than the desired floor height, you may encounter some problems. If it’s only a slight difference, like an inch or less, it should be fine. It appears to be a gas insert, or you can decide to remove it. The hearth likely consists of wood framing and veneer stone, not stone or concrete underneath.
If you decide to raise it, consider adding some floor lighting in key areas for a nice touch.
I actually have a double fireplace. If you decide to raise the floor, you could consider having the fireplace designed in a similar way.
This here is the opposite side of the fireplace in our sunken living room
Just a note that we’re planning on raising the sunken part for a better view from the middle.