irishrose

[QUOTE=SHELTIE'SMAMA;6687864] I'd rather spend my time quilting not getting there.[/QUOTE]

This says it all. Love it!

cathyvv

A thought: It might help to have an architect look over your plans before you start the renovations.

Not being an architect, and, after disclosing to you that I hate dormers on houses:

I vote for knocking out the walls on the first floor, turning that into your master bedroom and putting the bonus room on the first floor if you have the build-able yard space to do it.

The reason I would do that is because as we get older, our bodies betray us and sometimes stairs become an obstacle.

If you do expand upward, please think about raising the roof so that the walls of the room or rooms you have upstairs will be at least 8' high. That increases the useful square footage of the space dramatically. Also think about putting at least a 1/2 bath in the bonus room so you won't have to run up and down the stairs whenever nature calls.

Think about putting radiant heat in the floor of the room you decide to use for sewing, even if it's just where you park your sewing machine. If I was building my house, I would also put it in our master bedroom, but that ship has sailed...

If your reno has a basement and that is where the washer and dryer are, I'd also suggest finding a way to move them to the main floor. It's amazing how much easier laundry seems when you don't have to run up and down stairs.

If you do wind up knocking out walls on the mail level, make sure you include the new wiring, outlets, phone and internet connections while renovating. You'll have the walls open, anyway.

Good luck, and have fun doing the renovation.

cricket_iscute

I vote for the main floor, for physical reasons. Stairs are harder as we get older. Sudden things can happen. For instance, stairs were already hard for my knees but then a disk in my lower back herniated. In the past year (even with a lot of physical therapy) I've been to my wonderful basement sewing room no more than 10 times. Finally, hubby relented and I now have a machine in the living room. It is a Singer 500 in a cabinet and I can not do as much as I can on my machines downstairs, but have learned to do partial quilt parts and then join them, etc.

I suggest you keep your fabric stash in the bonus room, well organized in case you have to send someone to get something for you, and in Rubbermaid containers. Work the storage into the bunk bed idea.

Cricket

MOLLYDOOKER2

Downstairs would be my vote. I live in a trilevel and even though it is 5 stairs and 5 stairs down, I am 64 and it is a pain to always make trips up and down. I quilt on my dining room table so I can see out the windows into the yard. I have a 2nd bedroom as my Stash Site.

Luv Quilts and Cats

I would put it on the main floor. That way you won't have to carry everything upstairs or down if needed.

meanmom

As much as the upstairs room sounds nicer, I would probably go with the first floor room. For all of the reasons stated here. Unfortunately we aren't getting any younger. Mine is upstairs because we have 5 bedrooms up there. The master is on the first floor. I will probably be scheduling knee replacement surgery next week. An advantage of being upstairs is that you can be left alone if you want to be. Also I can leave a huge mess, which is the norm. I will move into the dining room if I have to.
The grandkids and guests will have some privacy upstairs.

Pam B

I vote for main floor, also. My sewing room is upstairs...old style farmhouse with a narrow steep stairway. I love sewing but I hate climbing those stairs! BTW...I retire in 24 more school days! Yippee!

Quilter Day-by-Day

I would say go for the main floor.

kwiltnutt

If it were me, I would want my sewing area on the main floor....stairs can be hard the more you age. We have a 2 storey and have a Stairclimber...that solved the problem for us. If I were to buy, I would buy a rancher. JMHO

Judi in Ohio

We also built our home just before retirement with all the above ideas in play. It is a ranch with walkout. My dh does woodworking and he has half and I have the other half. If my knees get too bad - working on that right now, we will get a chair lift to go up and down. So chose because of your space, you can work around most anything else.