Custom Basement Stairway Enhances Design and Safety

The owners of this Lake Harriet Parkway property in Minneapolis loved their new home. But the basement needed work. They had some great remodeling ideas that included a wet bar, family/entertainment room, 2 new bedrooms and a big full bath. They planned on doing a lot of entertaining, so open, functional space was the most basic requirement.

The owners worked with Rick Jacobson once before on a kitchen remodeling project that was featured in Mpls/St.Paul magazine. So it made sense to call on Rick for advice with their new basement.

Rick listened to what they were looking for, offered some ideas, and came up with a project plan based on their architect’s drawings. The owners said: “Let’s do this!”

  • Jacobson Construction Basement Remodeling

The stairway had been enclosed all the way from the first floor leaving a useless boxed-in space below, like a closet with no purpose. The cement steps at the bottom of the staircase were not evenly spaced. There wasn’t a comfortable landing at the bottom of the stairs that made getting to and from the basement awkward and maybe dangerous.

To make the basement more welcoming, the staircase was opened up, offering new opportunities in remodeling design. The walls and closet that had enclosed the staircase were removed, and then just the staircase was boxed in. The before photos show what the staircase looked like before remodeling, and after photos show the benefits of opening up the staircase.

Best of all, a new custom Maple stairway landing was built to welcome guests to the new entertainment room. Notice that the final landing step is large and rounded, offering guests a safe place to get ready for that “last step.” With some innovative use of cement before the carpet was laid, the height of that last step was engineered to be identical to the height of all the others before it. Although a subtle difference, this provision will help prevent accidents down the road.

The result: a staircase that looks as good as the rest of the newly remodeled basement with the added benefit of safety.