It was bound to happen...

[Lazarus Long]

Boy, what a painful experience this is for you. My condolences.

I am very fortunate to have stairs that go straight down to my basement shop. There was only once that I built a project so large as to concern me about it removal from said shop. I took measurement after measurement double checking as much as possible.

What I'm thinking is that either your project has to get some creative modifications or some parts rebuilt.

If changing the project in any way isn't possible, then some changes to the house will have to be done, assuming you don't want to leave the table in the basement.

To be honest, from my POV, dining tables ought to have removeable portions just to make it easier or even possible to get in and out of a room. I built a plain old Shaker style table, about as ordinary in design as can be, but made sure the legs were removeable. Otherwise it may still live in my basement. Or be unable to pass the average doorway.

I've toured through the new houses of family and friends, and just don't understand why the stairs to the basement are positioned so poorly from a getting stuff in and out POV. Whatever happened to straight in? Whatever happened to good old trap doors accessible from outside? That last idea was very common in the neighborhood I grew up in. My sisters house has the basement stairs off a narrow central hallway in her house. For me, no matter how nice that house or others like it is, makes it impossible to ever buy without adding an additional easy access. If the house has a basement, it should be easily used.

[mark]

Bilco is a brand name for those metal doors that lie on the ground outside the basement at a slight angle, and cover your sunken stairwell to the basement.

[Jac]

I have considered this... and suprisingly SWMBO is open to the idea. A trapdoor that opens into the basement that can be covered with a rug.

of course, SWMBO wants a kiln down there for her pottery, so she is merely thinking ahead.

good to hear other great (ie, crazy) minds thinking alike!

[Jac]

Well, thanks for all the support, and good-if-somewhat-nuts advice! The Bilco door is sounding good (a project for next summer) as is the trap door into the living room (just for the novelty of it).

I am in better humor about this today. At SWMBO's urging (after she quit laughing her ass off), i have not gone back down into the basement to stare at this for a couple of days. I will go back tomorrow and see if a new day brings new vision...

[patriarch]

[e-mail] (Jac) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

So I'm guessing shop heat won't be a problem...

[loutent]

This is what I do - take a few deep breaths and a few days to put it in perspective. Nothing is ever as bad as you think it is - unless of course you are a pro and your reputation is involved!

Otherwise, the absolute worse case is that you cut it up, re-use what you can and do it over. No big deal in the long run - and think of the great story you can tell while sitting around (the new) dining room table at Thanksgiving & Christmas for many years to come...

A little sappy, but true.

Lou

[Tim Douglass]

Always a good plan. Most bad situations can be made much worse by continued effort.

Back when I worked with my dad doing construction (mostly remodeling) he had a policy that before we started any particularly complex piece of work we would sit down and have a cup of coffee and think about it. Saved us thousands of dollars.

Tim Douglass

[J T]

Sat, Oct 16, 2004, 4:55pm (EDT-3) [e-mail] (Jac) says: Well, thanks for all the support, and good-if-somewhat-nuts advice! The Bilco door is sounding good (a project for next summer) as is the trap door into the living room (just for the novelty of it).

Actually, I was serious about the trapdoor. My great-grandparents had one in their kitchen. Linoleum floor, and you never noticed it, unless your attention was drawn to it, not small either, probably 4' X

6'. Had a ring that llifted up, for a pull handle.

They had a Michigan basement - you build the house, then dig a basement. This was the only access to it. Well, actually, the house is still there. In their case, not a huge basement, used more as a root cellar, where she kept canned goods, etc.

Of course, if you make something too big to go thru an outside door, it's staying in the house. In that case, you might want the outside entrance. Otherwise, I'd go with the trapdoor.

JOAT Flush the Johns.

- seen on a bumper sticker

[Doug Miller]

And you'll have a convenient place to dispose of scrap wood, too.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

[patriarch]

[Grant P. Beagles]

Now THAT takes me back!!! I loved that book as a kid.

Grant

GTO69RA4 wrote:

[patrick conroy]

Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne. My oldest is into that one too. He also likes Ferdinand, another oldie. The only problem w/ Ferd is that when we get to the part where he sits on a bumblebee, my son jumps around on the bed as if he was stung.

Kind'a takes the point out of "calming down" to fall asleep.