Ask the Architect

Barn doors inside the house?

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Q. I’m planning to make some changes inside my house, and have a few questions. I want to open the wall between my kitchen and dining room and add a stairway to my attic. Do I need a permit? Also, I like those new sliding doors, the ones with the track on the wall; I think they call them “barn” doors. What can you tell me about them? Can they go anywhere, or are there places I shouldn’t use them? Is there anything special I should pay attention to when it comes to installing them?

A. Most municipalities require a permit for removing walls inside your home, because that involves decisions they feel should be made by a professional with structural knowledge. After a long day of doing this for a living, I often come home to see the TV tuned to home improvement shows. It’s obvious that the writers of such shows must think it’s pretty boring to consult an architect or engineer or even mention a permit, both of which are rarely discussed. The actors allude to it, briefly, or a narrator will voice over, “After obtaining the permits, the Smiths finally got to work.”

The average person doesn’t understand that careful preparation — accurate measuring, and producing existing-condition drawings of all floors of the building (above and below where the work is proposed) — comes first, and then the loads are analyzed to see where snow and wind come from and where they will go, before construction plans are submitted with several pages of paperwork to a local building department. This is all done so you don’t have to wonder why your ceiling has a crack that keeps getting bigger, or whether the remaining wall is now causing a 3-inch dip in the floor.

Stairs to an attic are a matter of interpretation. If it’s clear that you can’t stand in the attic or use it for anything except storage, they may allow a fixed-in-place stair, but often it is not allowed, to discourage you from occupying the space, even only on occasion, because of the potential danger of being trapped in a fire. The farther you are above the ground in a wood building without fire escapes or sprinklers, the less likely you can survive a fire.

As for sliding “barn” doors, you need to consider their purpose. Is it just to hide something, like a linen closet, or do they have to block sound, like a laundry or bedroom door? Will they enhance the décor between a den and living room? Barn-style doors are a clever and attractive solution that run parallel to the wall and can look great. It’s hard to block sound with them, though, and the hardware varies from cheap and noisy to whisper-quiet. Scrutinize the door type and tracking hardware carefully. Stainless steel, ball-bearing types are quietest, nylon will flatten, and untreated metals will corrode and fail quickly.

© 2017 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.