Creating a Room Under a Staircase

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

How do I create a room or closet space under a staircase? 

ANSWER

Many plans use the space beneath staircases for storage or utility closets. When walls are drawn under a staircase in Chief Architect, the walls will be cut off automatically by the stairs making it easy to create a room in this area.

To create a room under a staircase

1. Draw your staircase to your specifications using the Stair  tools.  
   
   In this example, an L-shaped staircase is created.
   
   
   Note: For more information on creating the different types of staircases available in Chief Architect, see Video #71:Stair Basics.
   
   
2. Select Build> Wall> Straight Interior Wall , then draw interior walls beneath the stair making sure that the surface of the walls align with the outer edge of the staircase. It's also important to form an enclosed space, or room, during this process.
   
   In this example, the newly drawn walls have been highlighted green in the image below.
   
   
   Note: The direction the wall is drawn will dictate how the wall is generated; if you draw the wall snapping to the edge of the stairs, but the wall generates outside of the stairs rather than underneath it, reverse the direction you are drawing and the walls will generate underneath, rather than outside.
   
   Be sure not to draw the end of your room past the second tread at the bottom of the staircase.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Using the Select Objects tool, select the staircase and click the Open Object edit button.
   
   
   
4. On the Style panel of the Staircase Specification dialog that opens, ensure that the Open Risers box is unchecked, check the box next to Open Underneath if it's not already checked, then click OK.
   
   

   You can also set the Pattern Type to "No Pattern" on the Fill Style panel if you would like to see under the staircase in floor plan view. Please see the Related Articles section to learn more.
   

   
   
   
   
   
5. Select Build> Door> Hinged Door from the menu, then click on one of the interior walls you just drew to place a door to the room.