Hallway entry wall? Should it stay or should it go?

My husband and I purchased a landmark brownstone in greenpoint.  The townhouse is narrow and measures 17″ wide.  My husband beleives we should take down the hallway entry wall to create more open space and expose staircase into living room.  I am worried in doing that because home is very ornate and the wall holds moldings and an arch that I am very fond of.  We would love to hear ideas and advise from others.    Thanks.

miltonmama

in Brownstoner Renovation 13 years and 5 months ago

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miltonmama | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks for all your help. We have considered all options. I guess the biggest issue is he want to open and I want keep the hallway because I am afraid I will not like the outcome. Another forum question should be how does marriage sustain massive home renovations?

BedstuyMaven | 13 years and 5 months ago

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You will need to get a permit for DOB and LPC.  However, LPC will issue a Certificate of No Effect since the work will not affect the outside of the building.   My advise is to do what make you happy.

Rick | 13 years and 5 months ago

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If you open the hall you will have more functional space too. You could do it in such a way to keep your details. A large couch will fit really nice with it’s back to the staircase.

deano | 13 years and 5 months ago

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one idea to consider — or dismiss, depending on your vision/furniture/taste/etc — is leave the wall effectively in place along with the arch & details, but frame additional openings into it that allow views into the hall & stairway, and maybe reduce the sensation of a cramped space?  maybe too difficult to make it all harmonious with the arch, but still…

nf85 | 13 years and 5 months ago

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I agree with Mopar–as your house is not so narrow as to really require it, I’d tread carefully. The modern preference is for the main living space to be as open as possible, and certainly that can be lovely, but I often feel that later modifications can leave a nagging sense that something isn’t quite right. (We have something similar in our own home with a missing mantle mirror–took us forever to figure out what was bothering us.) I would also worry that like so many fashions, there will come a time when the pendulum will swing back the other way and you might miss the walls and detail. Not very helpful I suppose, but my .02 would be to spend the money on more clear-cut items on your wishlist (I’m assuming it’s lengthy, as mine is!). Good luck either way.

pigthree | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Looks more spacious without the wall.  Assuming you have at least 3 x 8 joists, you will only have to support the joists that do not go brick to brick (stair opening).  The hall wall might contain an electrical or plumbing chase that would have to be moved.  Just depends on how the house was set up.

jockdeboeraia | 13 years and 5 months ago

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You need to open up the ceiling to see what is installed and how far apart each joist is. Have that reviewed by a licensed professional. Do not just go and take down the wall. Even though it is interior, you would need a permit from both Landmarks and DOB.

callalily | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Seventeen feet wide is not so narrow. In my opinion, a house looks better and more spacious with its original walls and doors than if all that is torn out and the walls removed. OTOH, if my house were 14 feet wide, I would probably knock down the wall. Do you have pocket doors? If so, when these are open, the whole house will appear to be as wide as it would if you removed a wall. Alternatively, your architect can devise an arch, moldings, doors, etc., that will open up the space yet provide trim to match what is there. If the living room is too narrow for a couch across the width, you can put a grouping with a couch on one side of the fireplace, and a grouping with a table (or something else) on the other. For example, see Page 185 in “Restoring a Home in the City.” Or you can put slipper chairs in front of the fireplace. Both of these solutions can look very nice.

agdipierro

in Brownstoner Renovation 13 years and 5 months ago

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There’s no right or wrong. Either way could be effective. If you remove the wall, count on replacing all the adjacent finishes and stitching them in seamlessly. This can be expensive but worth it. Ed Kopel Architects, PC

JMT | 13 years and 5 months ago

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A couple of our neighbors have done this (we also have a landmarked townhouse in Greenpoint). It does make it seem a lot bigger. We have not done this mainly because we have a rental upstairs so we need to wall off our unit. Obviously you need to make sure it’s not a load bearing wall