Can I saw the Newel drop flush? (understair wall build)

[Durutti]

Hi there,

For my exciting summer project I'm planning on building a stud wall underneath the stairs to give us an extra storage room or possibly a drying room with a clothes dryer in. Here's a pic of the area:

I'm fine on the studwall construction (although any tips are really welcome!) however, I've been wracking my brains to work out what to do with the newel drop. It's in the way of where I would like to put the head of the studwall frame.

As far as I see it, I have two options:

1) Saw the drop off so it is flush with the downstairs ceiling.
This would be my preferred option as it would give me a flat surface to build the frame on and would look the best when the job is finished. My question is, is it going to damage anything structurally?

2) Keep the drop and work around it

This would leave half of the drop pertruding out of the new wall as well as being a pain in the arse when building the stud wall.

Basically I'm asking can I saw the drop off without doing any structural damage?

Cheers for your help.

 

[ivixor]

Well, each side of your staircase contains a beam which is connected to that post. So, I wouldn't remove it, if you like your stairs where they are!

Just bring your wall out a bit so the post forms a neat corner at the end of the wall, and steps back a bit to the depth of the stairs.

 

[Durutti]

Well, each side of your staircase contains a beam which is connected to that post. So, I wouldn't remove it, if you like your stairs where they are!

Just bring your wall out a bit so the post forms a neat corner at the end of the wall, and steps back a bit to the depth of the stairs.

Oh my god, that's a great idea! You're a genius, I'm an idiot. I've been staring at that post for hours and wouldn't have thought to do that. Problem solved, ill incorporate the post into the studwall frame and give the wall a corner in the middle.

Cheers