Floor grate dilemma

last year

I am slowly restoring an old schoolhouse in Vermont. Soon, I plan to build a 7' wide by 12' long arched passageway between the two former classrooms. This will create the only walls in the entire space. It will lead from the living area/kitchen to my art studio.

The hallway will have a sleeping area on one side, with a bathroom across from it. The sleeping area will be open inside the hallway, facing a built in bookshelf/gallery wall on the exterior bathroom wall.

Question: there are two large floor grates in the hallway layout, and one in the bedroom area, housing former basement ductwork. When I refinished the floors, I was advised to leave them be. Now, they either have to be avoided when the wall goes up, removed and patched with wood flooring to match what's there, or covered over completely with different flooring for contrast.

The last option would allow the wall project to start on time, but the hallway would be raised -- creating a threshold with a step.

Which is the least awkward solution? Will I regret a workaround to save time and keep things simple and costs low?

Be gentle -- I am new at all of this and my resources are spread very thin.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Do not force a traditional solution on what is in reality a loft space. Think outside the box. Yes you'll need walls around the bathroom, but likely no other area. Consider using large drapery panels to divide the space when necessary.
nester44
last year
If they are currently not part of the HVAC system (i.e., no air goes into or out of them), then I would remove them and find a skilled floorman to patch the subfloor and then lay new wood flooring matched to what you have to fill in the areas.
Related Professionals
Myrtle Beach Flooring Contractors · Lima Flooring Contractors · Wenatchee Tile and Stone Contractors · Fort Myers Kitchen Remodelers · Augusta Kitchen Remodelers · Lake Havasu City Interior Designers & Decorators · Olean Architects & Building Designers · Modesto Architects & Building Designers · Tupelo Interior Designers & Decorators · San Jose Home Remodeling · Emporia Flooring Contractors · Galveston Flooring Contractors · Guymon Flooring Contractors · Tacoma Flooring Contractors · Ottawa Flooring Contractors
PRO
Debbi Washburn
last year
Why such a wide hallway? Are there no windows in the bedroom? Do think that's up to code. What is the size of the whole space? Maybe you can "split it " going the other direction. Put the bedroom at the back with 2 windows in it and have the living room there as well and have the kitchen be where the bedroom was supposed to be.

Just a thought
apple_pie_order
last year
last modified: last year
Remove the grates and fill with hardwood, as nester44 suggested. Review the code requirements for egress from bedrooms in case you decide to fully enclose the bedroom with three walls instead of just fencing it off with two walls. In my area, chances are good that the two-sided bedroom would be flagged during plan review at city hall.

BTW, blue painter tape is great for marking off areas on floors to see how various ideas would work. You can also use cardboard boxes to simulate cabinets, especially useful for kitchens and bathrooms
millworkman
last year
" The hallway will have a sleeping area on one side, with a bathroom across from it. "

That will not be a legal bedroom without a second means of egress.................
PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
Build your wall and move the vents into the walls.
la_la Girl
last year
i think you will regret a step & threshold, you could replace them with wood grates that sit flush with the floor - they are less $$ than a floor patch and less noticeable than what’s there currently
Lorraine Leroux
last year
The least cost would be to include the grates in your design either fully into the bedroom area or inside a closet OR get someone really experienced to remove them and feather some new flooring in. New flooring would be comparable cost wise to doing a raised platform which would not be my choice at all. If you are set on this central arch design, which I feel you are the flooring has to be fixed or you make other concessions like rethink the arched hallway or at least reduce it down as I feel that is wasted space to be that wide.