Cellar hactch

Thanks nalusurf! talked to my contractor and his estimate was about the same as what you just stated. If you don’t mind who did you use for the hatch? I would like a second opinion just in case.

zhideng

in Metalwork 10 years and 6 months ago

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zhideng | 10 years and 6 months ago

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I wanted to find out if anyone has replaced/enlarged a cellar hatch. I have a hatch in my front yard and rear which needs to be enlarged. The stairs to my cellar are somewhat narrow 25 inches. I am having a washer and dryer placed down there and the hatch is my only option. I know I can buy 24 inch washer and dryers but they are almost useless when it comes to blankets and sheets. I only need to make it a little larger( probably like 2 inches in both length and width in order to get the machines down there. Can someone please advise?

bklynpwds | 10 years and 6 months ago

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I had the same problem, but opted to get the 24″ washer and dryer and was able to get them down the stairs without issue. We have a king-size bed and were able to wash the quilt and sheets for that bed easily. They had to be done separately, but I didn’t find that to be a problem. I am even able to fit a queen sized comforter in there. You’d be amazed at how much you can fit in a front load machine. Another option you may look into is having the hatch removed to get the washer/dryer into your cellar and then having it re-attached? Seems like that would be less expensive than having it enlarged just to get the washer/dryer inside.

zhideng | 10 years and 6 months ago

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what about the dryer? I have the cellar hooked up for a gas dryer which is what I prefer. I heard negative things about the long drying time of electric. As for removing and replacing the current hatch the cost for labor to do that I would prefer to have it enlarged permanently so that I can remove and install a new one in case the washer or dryer does need to be replaced in the future.

nalusurf | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Sounds like your issue is the rough opening itself, not just the hatch if your stairs are 25″ wide. If that’s the case changing the hatch won’t do a thing. We had a similar situation but it was only a matter of enlarging the hatch. Our cellar rough opening was wide enough and has no steps, so we just needed to replace the hatch which we wanted to do anyway. If you have the funds, enlarging the rough opening would probably be best as you will likely have to replace the units sometime in the distant (hopefully!) future. As far as the dryer, I personally would stay with gas. It’s more efficient and less expensive to run than electric. Electric will require a 240V hookup on it’s own circuit as well, whereas with a gas dryer and washing machine can theoretically run off the same circuit (although I did run individual circuits for my gas dryer and washer). FWIW, I would definitely go with standard size machines, I think you will be happier down the road.

bklynpwds | 10 years and 6 months ago

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I was skeptical too about the dryer, but the spin cycle on a front loading machine is much faster than a top loading machine. The clothes come out barely damp. In my experience (we previously had a gas dryer), the gas dryer took almost twice as long to dry the clothes. It’s especially noticeable with towels. Also, the newer models of electric dryers have a sensor so they shut off when the clothes are dry (and you can set the dryer so that clothes are a tiny bit damp for easier ironing). We bought the Bosch 24″ set in 2002 and it’s still working fine. Good point about expanding the opening, though. You may want to check out the gardenweb forum about front loading machines to get some more opinions and maybe see what the cost difference will be for you to expand the cellar hatch vs. the extra cost for a front loading washer/dryer & 240V hook-up. Whatever you do decide, it’s definitely worth it to get the pedestals. It raises the machines up about a foot and makes it much easier to fold clothes on top. Plus you can get one with a drawer and it can hold soap and other stuff.

zhideng | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks for the responses, I think i described the problem slightly wrong. There is no stairs for the hatch just a straight drop down. The stairs I am referring to are the ones in the inside hallway leading down. That one is too narrow to fit the machines. The rough opening of the hatch is large enough if the metal cover was not there. But I dont want to remove the hatch lower the machines and then cover it up again. I want a more permanent solution where i can raise and lower it in case I need to replace. Looks like I might need to bite the bullet on this one and get it enlarged.

nalusurf | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Aha! That was our situation exactly. It will definitely be less expensive for just a new hatch than it would be for widening the rough opening. Our new hatch was about $900.