Actually, the following things come to mind: How long do you plan to use this renovated house foreseeable? In other words: When might another use become relevant again and would it then be beneficial *not* to have a staircase inside? (Or is only the staircase "upper floor->basement" meant... but that certainly leads through the ground floor and so there is no connection anymore.) Also, you wouldn’t be the first to take over the whole house after the parents-in-law eventually move out. And then it gets quite uncomfortable to want to go to the fridge in pajamas again :D For me, if reactivating the staircase is not an option, the following variants would apply: 1.) Installation of washing machine and dryer on the upper floor - think about that again, maybe it can be nicely integrated right away, possibly even in the kitchen. When you are still planning, you have all options. Carrying laundry *twice* back and forth is not an option. 2.) At least reduce the *twice-laundry-carrying* to once. --> Plan a laundry chute that leads directly to the basement. Core drilling, front masonry, and chute should be around 3000 euros, I estimate. Of course, this depends on the floor plans. 3.) Move out, but that was already mentioned :-P So, as said: I see the greatest risk that the current living situation as a two-family house in this half of a semi-detached house will not always be so and that the removed staircase will eventually be missed. Regards ks