Keep vestibule? how big?
In our gut renovation we had planned to get rid of the inner vestibule door, and turn the area between front door and stairs into an entryway with bench, hooks for coats, etc. Our architect advises against. But because we want the stairs to be more comfortable, if we keep the existing vestibule (about 5’9″ wide and almost 3’8 ” deep) we will have only 34 inches between the inner vestibule door and the stairs. If we move the vestibule door to make the vestibule just 36 inches deep (for instance), that would leave 42 inches between vestibule door and the stairs. Should we make the effort to keep the vestibule? Is 36. inches enough to put a bench for sitting down to take off boots?
Guest User | 4 years and 3 months ago
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Guest User | 4 years and 3 months ago
Steve is right. Don’t judge me: I chose two doors as the vestibule is quite wide and it was more historically appropriate. A single door with a fixed transom is a more energy efficient choice.
andriywww1990 | 4 years and 3 months ago
I am pretty sure we have convinced the OP now, but let me add this. sometime in the fall a couple called and wanted me to seal the entry doors. it was a flipper and the vestibule had been removed and i convinced them they should put it back with a single door as a single door can be sealed very tight. they called me back at the start of the winter very unhappy and as much as i wanted to help them, i told them i cannot guarantee a seal on the two main doors and if i cannot guarantee it, i am not taking your money.
During this I explained something to this person. There is something called “stack effect” (if you are reading the post about a chimney flue and wood stove, the man i did that with explained “stack effect” to me; I know the “storey”; read the other post, there is a reason for the story). ever open a door on a tall building and a rush of wind moves in? that is not the elevators taking air up with them and its not the buildings fans pulling it out. it happens on our houses as well. the weight of the air is heaviest at ground level (i think we have like 18 lbs of air sitting on us at sea level; i forget). at the top of a 3 story house the weight of that air is just a little less. what happens is, the air enters at ground level where it is heaviest and finds a path of least resistance up through the house and goes out through chimneys, voids around windows, the bathroom fan and who knows. the taller the house, the worse the stack effect. when i remove my boiler flue in the basement, it is like a vacuum cleaner (mild exageration).
when i get people who are really unhappy about this situation and i cannot help them, i sometimes tell them, see if you can plug (not use the steel damper) unused fire places with insulation and make sure the windows are sealed and the bathroom fan, i only thought of that one as i was writing this-
Guest User | 4 years and 3 months ago
I completely see why you may want to remove it. Ours was gone and I thought long and hard about adding it back in. I’m glad I did. It makes a difference with heat and noise. It feels more secure to have an extra door inside and doesn’t look as cramped as I thought it would. It really depends on how that inner door is designed – more glass will make it feel less cramped. Catbot love your photo 🙂
dorkofwindsor | 4 years and 3 months ago
We lost our vestibule in a previous reno just like Steve said. We really want it back. We have a single door, everything the others mentioned is accurate from our experience.
sixyearsandcounting | 4 years and 3 months ago
You can never go wrong keeping a vestibule. Especially with cold air. And who wants to look at all that clutter anyway?
helen40
in General Discussion 4 years and 3 months ago
See what cate says. We have the same size one as @catboot and it is incredibly functional. Provides a space for shoes, shovels and salt in the winter, and a broom year around. Removing it NEVER came up in talks with our architects.
@ithaca Not sure what you mean by making a stair “more comfortable”. Can you explain? Regardless, it seems like a ton of work to move the interior door and associated framing and trim to gain 6″
catboot | 4 years and 3 months ago
Here is what it looks like: [IMG_2405](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:h2FK:img_2405.jpg.jpg)
catboot | 4 years and 3 months ago
I’d keep it. It helps with keeping out the cold air and also creates a more graceful entrance into the main living space. Our vestibule is very tiny, but we love it.
andriywww1990 | 4 years and 3 months ago
See what cate says. It is your barrier agai st the cold and a single inner door is much easier to weather seal than a pair of big old doors. I get calls from people who buy flips in which they pull the vestibule and those people are often VERY unhappy it had been removed.
cate | 4 years and 3 months ago
Our vestibule is tiny but we managed to get a vintage upholstered piano bench in there, which is handy for putting on shoes. We keep a few shoes underneath. There are hooks for bags and coats. Unfortunately, there is no room for any seating inside because a giant radiator takes up all the space. We should put a marble shelf on top of it one day. I wouldn’t dream of removing the vestibule though. It keeps the cold air out, not to mention noise, insects, dirt, and on and on. Nice to have a bit of a barrier between the interior and outside.
restorationcontractor | 4 years and 3 months ago
If I am reading this correctly you have 34 inches between the door in it’s open position and the stairway? Or 34″ between the vestibule wall and the stairway?
For the vestibule itself do you have double doors that open in or a single door? It’s going to make a big difference if you have say a pair of 24″ doors, only one that you typically use for access or say one 36″ door into the vestibule.
36″ should be more than enough room for one, maybe two people to sit down.
I would tend to trust your architect, but if you want to be sure have your contractor mock it up with some plywood and 2×4’s then you can accurately see how it will feel for you.
JohnHancock | 4 years and 3 months ago
Keep