What's going on with the floor? (Moving the stairs)

We have progress on the move-the-staircase project. One of the contractors bidding on the project came back today with his boss, armed with electric screwdriver, hammer and pry bar (crowbar). They lifted up the boards that were hiding the hole in the floor where the stairs used to be, so that we could see, once and for all, what needs to be done to put the stairs back in their rightful place--in the front entry hall.


This is the floor as it is today. A big plank of thick plywood which is higher than the surrounding badly-worn parquet tiles.

See the light switch and the grease mark on the wall? These are the keys to understanding where the stairs used to be. The light switches were at the top of the stairs--you can even switch on the kitchen light from here. And the grease mark is from mucky hands rubbing against the wall as they went down the stairs.

Under the plywood--the hole. The supports are not right--they are not extended and bolted onto the main joists--hence the need for the support pole downstairs. The structure that we'll put in place when the current stairs are removed will be done properly, not like this!