If you have a game room.....

[Blissful_in_TX]

What kind of doors are on it? Or no doors at all?

This is a tenative floor plan for our new upstairs (though the updated version has smaller closets between the game room and bedroom, and the hallway is narrower):
http://i10.tinypic.com/499taux.jpg

It will start off as a little kids play room and then eventually become an adult game room (with a pool table if we'll be able to get up the stairs) or maybe even a media room. We were going to put 15-lite french doors, or should we worry about kids slamming the doors and potentially shattering them?

[Blissful_in_TX]

Oh! I also wanted to say that we're thinking of adding a little "bar" area with a tiny fridge and sink to one side....probably across the wall from the long bathroom. I would love to hear any pros, cons, or recommendations about that too if you've got them!

[Robyncz]

Our game room doesn't have doors, but oh how I wish it did! It gets LOUD in there.

It looks like you have enough wall space on each side of the doorway to do pocket doors. Some friends of mine have french light pocket doors to their office that I covet. You could open them all the way for those times you are worried about breakage, but they'd still be there for quiet and privacy.

[Gumbeaux]

Blissful,

I like your idea of French doors. Game rooms can be very noisy and French doors will keep the noise contained in the room but keep the people in game room from feeling too closed in. The photo below shows what it would look like with additional side panels.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/gameroom2.jpg

[HARRYET]

i like the idea of the "pocket doors" they can be open for the wide open effect or closed to contain kiddies or loud noise.

but i will admit the "french doors w/side panels are quite impressive.

good luck in you decision, Ann

[Meganator]

If you do ever turn it into a media room, as you mentioned, the darker the better...you will need doors, as well as good light-blocking window treatments for the outside windows. But if that is quite a bit down the road, you can also just add a door to the rest of the house at that time - as long as your doorway is a standard size, that would be easy.

[saserre]

My being-built-house's game room has double doors wide enough for putting in pool/air hockey table, but solid wood ones for a sound cushion. I'd be more worried about a flying pool ball breaking the french doors than the kids slamming the door.

Another thing I'd consider - how clean is that room going to be kept? Will there be kids toys lying around in corner or on the floor? Being right at the top of the stairs, would that bother you if you can see into the room and see clutter? At least for me, I get bothering seeing clutter, but I know when I have kids I'll have to get over it because there is bound to be some.

[clairea]

I would definitely have some kind of door. There will be many times you want to close the door on noise or clutter.

I think the french doors are a nice look, and you could always put some nice fabric treatments on them to hide clutter or control light as various need dictate. My old house had a lot of the 15-light doors, and with a now 9 1/2 yo boy they saw a lot of hard use ;) We never had a problem with any of them.

[testkitchen45]

I have heard that pocket doors aren't built like they used to be, and they can get off-track easily and cause you fits. Maybe you could find a wonderful contractor for your pocket doors.

Definitely do doors of some kind, rather than a cased opening. I like the French doors with windows, rather than double doors w/o, because if you have guys and gals in there watching movies or playing pool, you want them to know that they are Never Alone and Always Observable. ;)

It'd be hard to slam a French door b/c it's so heavy; anyone with a temper like that (including a guest) would also learn the joys of repaying anything that gets broken. I wouldn't even worry about it. You can add light-blocking shades (or even velvet curtains on a rod for the whole home-theater look) if you ever want it to be a family media room (shades unused for a teenage crowd). Keep in mind that with French doors, you will lose one door's width of wall space on either side of the doors--could be a factor as you arrange shelving, etc. but worth the sacrifice for the overall beauty of Fdoors.

[Blissful_in_TX]

I'd be more worried about a flying pool ball breaking the french doors than the kids slamming the door.


I'm worried about that too! I don't even play pool (still not sure if we'll end up getting one), but is it common for the balls to fly off the table? I suppose the could just as easily break one of the back windows. :eek:


I like the French doors with windows, rather than double doors w/o, because if you have guys and gals in there watching movies or playing pool, you want them to know that they are Never Alone and Always Observable. ;)
Good point!

[testkitchen45]

I'm worried about that too! I don't even play pool (still not sure if we'll end up getting one), but is it common for the balls to fly off the table? I suppose the could just as easily break one of the back windows. :eek:



Good point!
Back again before I log off . . . I'd check my room's measurements and a pool table's measurements. You need a lot of room to walk around a pool table and have a crowd in there, esp. if you have any furniture, and unless people are playing Aerobic Power Pool, the ball probably wouldn't come off the table with enough speed/force to keep it going horizontally long enough to hit a window. Bye, now!

[saserre]

I'm worried about that too! I don't even play pool (still not sure if we'll end up getting one), but is it common for the balls to fly off the table?

For me, yes, it's common for the pool balls to fly off the table, because I hardly ever play and I suck! For that matter, if we get air hockey table in our game room, I'm sure the puck will fly off the table as well. But that's true, just as likely to hit a regular window as the door, so probably not worth worry about that part then.

Either way, enjoy your remodel!

Sharon

[sneezles]

Our game/family/media room is on the end of the house (was the garage in the original house plan). It has 3 sets of French doors and 2 large windows (all of which are covered in forest green blackout roller shades which are hung behind valances for movie/tv viewing). Rarely has the flying ball from the pool table been an issue and 2 of the 3 doors are right by the pool table. I'm thinking that a pool ball would have to be thrown for it to become an issue.

If you have large enough windows on the opposite side of the room then I would put in pocket doors to the hallway. We have 3 of them in the house and I wish I had used more. It's wonderful not to have to worry about placing furniture where pocket doors are concerned. Yours appear to open into the hallway and if you are narrowing it then there's an issue of the doors decreasing the space even more.

[sneezles]

I have heard that pocket doors aren't built like they used to be, and they can get off-track easily and cause you fits.

Have had mine over 6 years and never once have any come off the track. So it may be an issue of who builds them...

[Blissful_in_TX]

Regarding the pocket doors, I was thinking that would be a good idea (if installed properly!) but then I remembered that you cannot put a light switch into a wall shared by a pocket door. So if I had double doors, then there wouldn’t be anywhere to put the light switch except far inside the room. Darn. :(