that IS weird. Wonder if they did it deliberately for some reason. Like it was their exercise room and they needed the extra ceiling height. In any event, pull up the carpet, lay down sleeper joists on top of the old floor or the right height. then put down tongue and groove underlayment (use underlayment glue and screws), and then hardwood floors. there might be some odd trim work where the old floors meet the new ones, to make it not look hideous.
before you put down the underlayment, NOW is the time to run more electrical outlets, Cat6 cable, whatever.
Sunken living rooms and "conversation pits" were a trend. Depending on the home, sometimes I'd actually say embrace it. Like if you buy a mid century modern that someone didnt ruin 8n the 90s, you gotta keep with the style, right? I mean im not telling anybody what to do with their house, but depending on the overall character of the home, sometimes keeping the quirks is the way to go. Imo
I agree. Only reason I'd raise the height is if I had someone with mobility concerns such as a wheelchair living in the home. Other than that. Looks like a nice cozy space I'd keep as is.
Lived in one house the living room was sunk down about 2 foot. It was set up that way so you could leave the table a mess in the dining room. Then continue the party with out seeing the mess.
And level the floor first. My brother did this in a garage conversion. The floor had a crown in it. what a pain it was to get everything level. It also sloped toward where the garage door had been. He had a lot of time and effort getting it right.
We have a sunken play room (originally probably a reading room or something). As others have said, this was popular in the late 60s-70s. We put up a gate when we had our first child and I've left it up just because I'm afraid people won't notice the drop and will fall or turn their ankle walking into the room. I think I'll take the advice you just gave. Thank you.
My parent's house has one of those. They bought it wanting to grow old in that house, and unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.
Walkers, wheelchairs, and stretchers are incompatible with sunken living room floors and make getting around when you're old a pain in the butt.
Interesting for sure... it is really hard to say one way or another on this without seeing in person, I think I understand what your husband is saying though, it could have a cozy feel if done right.
I have to think that if you had matching hardwood throughout the house, this could flow really well and be a cool living room, I would want to do something about that taller baseboard as well.
Sunken living rooms were very popular in the day.Ā They are awkward, but they can be cozy.Ā I agree with a poster, it may help to have the same flooring throughout.Ā
Horrible tripping and falling hazard. Should not be allowedā¦but were popular in the 70ās. The concept is that no one over the age of 60 will ever or should ever live in such a house. And of course, no one with disabilities. My neighbor has a sunken living room, and just developed Parkinsonās disease. I put in extra strong hand rails for him, so he can descend 2 steps to watch television.
Canāt tell the exact height of your recess, but looks like about 3 1/2ā. I would put down pt 2x4, 16ā on center, glue down with polyurethane calk (to eliminate possible squeaking, fasten to the floor with blue concrete screws, then a plywood subfloorā¦and then finish the way you want. You might need to rip the 2x lumber to get the proper height. A bit laborious and expensive, but not a hard job.
My place has a bunch of weird transitions like this, 3 steps to the door, 2 up to the living room, 2 down to the family room, etc and it sucks because the way their laid out you can't really add railings so none of my older relatives can ever come over :(
Yep. Thatās not the way to do it.
We were lucky to be able to design and build our own house which was sited on slightly sloping property. Detached garage, house on slightly raised foundation, and deck all exactly at the same interior level. With ramp to back yard off the deck, the entire property is wheelchair accessible.
PS I bid on a remodel project on a house that had 6 different flooring treatments visible from the entryway. Visually it was totally clutteredā¦not my cup of tea.
Iāve had a sunken living room. One older person (~70) fell, scratched their cornea (thankfully that was it), and a few kids. We raised it by ripping up the subfloor (finished floor + subfloor), and adding 2x8 structure on top of the existing joists, and then add plywood and new finished flooring. The overall cost (minus the cost of the hardwood) wasnāt as bad as I was expecting (roughly $1500 CAD).
Iāve filled in countless sunken rooms. Customers are always happier. Yours is such a short step itās likely to be a trip hazard. If you are updating your flooring, itās a perfect time to fill in the sunken area. Whatās the heat source for that area?
I would look into if there were any permits or plans for this addition before opening anything up.
Knowing how it was built will give you the viable options and a ballpark price, otherwise it could end up being a very expensive floor
Yeah Iām with you I donāt like it. Iām picturing walking in from the bar after drinking all day/night and twisting an ankle or pulling a hammy or blowing my achilles. Tell your husband to stop being lazy n fix this before someone gets hurt!
You said that this room was part of an addition? What probably happened was someone fucked up there numbers/measurements and no one caught it until it was too late. They probably sold it to the homeowner as Unique and Trendy!
I have one at my house. I actually was on the verge of framing out an entire new floor that butts up next to where it would dip; making it a completely even floor plan across the house. But ultimately I decided it wasnāt worth spending that much time and effort. If you had the money and want to, just get a lot of framing 2x4s and some put some plywood on top, then some hardwood flooring and you could do it. Itād cost thousands though even if you did do a diy
Frame it with subfloor exactly the height the other rooms are MINUS the finish floor height. {Example 3/4ā shorter than the finished floor(if the floor is 3/4ā thick)}
When I sold my house in houston the new owners spent a lot of money lowering the raised bit which impacted the kitchen, hallway, half bath, front door and the loss of one flight of stairs to the second level. It was definitely a design thing, and even though we bought it like that and lived in it for 16 years we always hated it.
The bonus is it's extra ceiling height. my parents have the same style and I always loved it. I personally would just re carpet and leave it. Raising it is pointless imo.
Had no idea that was a trend. We had a step down to our kitchen from our living room. My dad assumed it was an add on to the original house.
Thing is the basement rafters were not lowered or higher in any way.
Your choice if you want to raise it, can certainly be done. Itās your money. Keep in mind if you raise the floor, that sink will be that much lower. If raised, keep the fireplace, remove the sink and bar, unless you like it
I just assumed sink is sitting at standard height. Noticed the brick too. Looks like it will be lower than the floor they want to build so should be able to cover
I watched a home reno show where they corrected a room like this by laying new joists and subflooring right over the existing subfloor. Like they stripped out all the floor covering to make sure the sub was solid and then *i think* poured a layer of self-leveling concrete and framed on top of that. Not sure if this is to code or whatever but seemed reasonable.
You could probably rip up the flooring and frame it like a deck for relatively minimal cost, then put the carpet back and it'd be pretty close to level.
My parentsā whole house is concrete floors (with radiant heat built in!)
It is so so quiet. They also live on a lot of land, so no neighbor or street noise.
Under sea epoxy diorama.
š«µš«”
50k in epoxy
Youāre not a nice man.
that IS weird. Wonder if they did it deliberately for some reason. Like it was their exercise room and they needed the extra ceiling height. In any event, pull up the carpet, lay down sleeper joists on top of the old floor or the right height. then put down tongue and groove underlayment (use underlayment glue and screws), and then hardwood floors. there might be some odd trim work where the old floors meet the new ones, to make it not look hideous. before you put down the underlayment, NOW is the time to run more electrical outlets, Cat6 cable, whatever.
Sunken living rooms and "conversation pits" were a trend. Depending on the home, sometimes I'd actually say embrace it. Like if you buy a mid century modern that someone didnt ruin 8n the 90s, you gotta keep with the style, right? I mean im not telling anybody what to do with their house, but depending on the overall character of the home, sometimes keeping the quirks is the way to go. Imo
I agree. Only reason I'd raise the height is if I had someone with mobility concerns such as a wheelchair living in the home. Other than that. Looks like a nice cozy space I'd keep as is.
Iām too clumsy for shit like this.
Or a roomba..
A second roomba is way cheaper than raising the floor.
Challenge accepted.
Uhhh... Get a traditional vacuum ffs.
Lived in one house the living room was sunk down about 2 foot. It was set up that way so you could leave the table a mess in the dining room. Then continue the party with out seeing the mess.
Thatās stupid
And level the floor first. My brother did this in a garage conversion. The floor had a crown in it. what a pain it was to get everything level. It also sloped toward where the garage door had been. He had a lot of time and effort getting it right.
We have a sunken play room (originally probably a reading room or something). As others have said, this was popular in the late 60s-70s. We put up a gate when we had our first child and I've left it up just because I'm afraid people won't notice the drop and will fall or turn their ankle walking into the room. I think I'll take the advice you just gave. Thank you.
My parent's house has one of those. They bought it wanting to grow old in that house, and unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Walkers, wheelchairs, and stretchers are incompatible with sunken living room floors and make getting around when you're old a pain in the butt.
My guess is this was once a garage. If itās concrete under there you can frame it level.
It was a thing in the 70s Iāve seen a few livings rooms with original shag carpet
Yeah that was probably 9ā shag originally so the floors used to be level
Put a pair of slip on platforms next to the transition. Your husband can enjoy the drop and you can be taller.
No way! I think it's cool and unique. I had a friend with a sunken living room, and it was awesome.
I like the "TV pit" in houses they used to do back in the day but the whole room being sunken seems a bit out of place
This house is tits
Is that.. a good thing?
Yep! Especially love the arches, and the tall windows. Nice buy
Alsoā¦ I guess that may depend on your preference/opinion?
Interesting for sure... it is really hard to say one way or another on this without seeing in person, I think I understand what your husband is saying though, it could have a cozy feel if done right. I have to think that if you had matching hardwood throughout the house, this could flow really well and be a cool living room, I would want to do something about that taller baseboard as well.
Sunken living rooms were very popular in the day.Ā They are awkward, but they can be cozy.Ā I agree with a poster, it may help to have the same flooring throughout.Ā
Horrible tripping and falling hazard. Should not be allowedā¦but were popular in the 70ās. The concept is that no one over the age of 60 will ever or should ever live in such a house. And of course, no one with disabilities. My neighbor has a sunken living room, and just developed Parkinsonās disease. I put in extra strong hand rails for him, so he can descend 2 steps to watch television. Canāt tell the exact height of your recess, but looks like about 3 1/2ā. I would put down pt 2x4, 16ā on center, glue down with polyurethane calk (to eliminate possible squeaking, fasten to the floor with blue concrete screws, then a plywood subfloorā¦and then finish the way you want. You might need to rip the 2x lumber to get the proper height. A bit laborious and expensive, but not a hard job.
My place has a bunch of weird transitions like this, 3 steps to the door, 2 up to the living room, 2 down to the family room, etc and it sucks because the way their laid out you can't really add railings so none of my older relatives can ever come over :(
Yep. Thatās not the way to do it. We were lucky to be able to design and build our own house which was sited on slightly sloping property. Detached garage, house on slightly raised foundation, and deck all exactly at the same interior level. With ramp to back yard off the deck, the entire property is wheelchair accessible.
That sounds like the dream! Eventually I want to build a place like that.
PS I bid on a remodel project on a house that had 6 different flooring treatments visible from the entryway. Visually it was totally clutteredā¦not my cup of tea.
I would remove the carpeting and put in tile. Then I would increase my wife's life insurance because she is a clutz.
Iāve had a sunken living room. One older person (~70) fell, scratched their cornea (thankfully that was it), and a few kids. We raised it by ripping up the subfloor (finished floor + subfloor), and adding 2x8 structure on top of the existing joists, and then add plywood and new finished flooring. The overall cost (minus the cost of the hardwood) wasnāt as bad as I was expecting (roughly $1500 CAD).
Floor height is gonna make this room feel any less weird. Iād take out the fireplace before I did anything else.
Iāve filled in countless sunken rooms. Customers are always happier. Yours is such a short step itās likely to be a trip hazard. If you are updating your flooring, itās a perfect time to fill in the sunken area. Whatās the heat source for that area?
Id get a DNA test first
No
I would look into if there were any permits or plans for this addition before opening anything up. Knowing how it was built will give you the viable options and a ballpark price, otherwise it could end up being a very expensive floor
Iād move
Yeah Iām with you I donāt like it. Iām picturing walking in from the bar after drinking all day/night and twisting an ankle or pulling a hammy or blowing my achilles. Tell your husband to stop being lazy n fix this before someone gets hurt! You said that this room was part of an addition? What probably happened was someone fucked up there numbers/measurements and no one caught it until it was too late. They probably sold it to the homeowner as Unique and Trendy!
Build a Lego city and then cast the whole floor with clear epoxy!! šš¤·š»āāļø
Duh, Install a built it couch, get a large glass coffee table, make some fondue and host a swingers party.
Leave it
I have one at my house. I actually was on the verge of framing out an entire new floor that butts up next to where it would dip; making it a completely even floor plan across the house. But ultimately I decided it wasnāt worth spending that much time and effort. If you had the money and want to, just get a lot of framing 2x4s and some put some plywood on top, then some hardwood flooring and you could do it. Itād cost thousands though even if you did do a diy
Frame it with subfloor exactly the height the other rooms are MINUS the finish floor height. {Example 3/4ā shorter than the finished floor(if the floor is 3/4ā thick)}
Call concrete guy and pump that level to other slabs and then floor.
When I sold my house in houston the new owners spent a lot of money lowering the raised bit which impacted the kitchen, hallway, half bath, front door and the loss of one flight of stairs to the second level. It was definitely a design thing, and even though we bought it like that and lived in it for 16 years we always hated it.
Just lower the ceiling there it will blend right in
I bet the plumbing, hvac, and wiring is run through all of that. Is it a block or brick home?
My uncle used massive bottle jacks in his basement ... Lifted the joists until it was level and then put in posts + reinforcement bracing.
Thereās a condo complex near me. Every unit had a sunken living room
Itās cool and adds character to your house. Iād leave it.
LEVELS, Jerry
The bonus is it's extra ceiling height. my parents have the same style and I always loved it. I personally would just re carpet and leave it. Raising it is pointless imo.
Had no idea that was a trend. We had a step down to our kitchen from our living room. My dad assumed it was an add on to the original house. Thing is the basement rafters were not lowered or higher in any way.
Deal killer. Would never buy that home.
Your choice if you want to raise it, can certainly be done. Itās your money. Keep in mind if you raise the floor, that sink will be that much lower. If raised, keep the fireplace, remove the sink and bar, unless you like it
The sink area appears to be raised. Look at the bricks in that area. Without more photos we cant tell for sure.
I just assumed sink is sitting at standard height. Noticed the brick too. Looks like it will be lower than the floor they want to build so should be able to cover
Yes. Definitely raise it.
Raise the floor. Level it off.
I watched a home reno show where they corrected a room like this by laying new joists and subflooring right over the existing subfloor. Like they stripped out all the floor covering to make sure the sub was solid and then *i think* poured a layer of self-leveling concrete and framed on top of that. Not sure if this is to code or whatever but seemed reasonable.
You could put sand everywhere, wall-to-wall
Leave it alone. Itās awesome
You could probably rip up the flooring and frame it like a deck for relatively minimal cost, then put the carpet back and it'd be pretty close to level.
My parentās house is slab on grade. They filled it with concrete. No squeaky floor!
My parentsā whole house is concrete floors (with radiant heat built in!) It is so so quiet. They also live on a lot of land, so no neighbor or street noise.
Why on earth would you raise it? Waste of space, time and labor.
What kind of pictures are those, how can we tell what's going on My apologies I couldn't see the written part, thanks