Website last updated
10-Mar-2010

About Stairs

Building a home from scratch involves a great many different features all coming together. One of the last to go into a property tends to be the staircase ­ and many people can find it a challenge to suddenly try to get to grips with the ins and outs of selecting their stair.

The idea of making something of a staircase in the home is one that surprises many people; indeed, a lot of people we speak to daily never appreciated the range of different options that are available. Yet the stairs in a home are one of the first things people notice, and making the right impression can be crucial to the overall look of a property.
When looking to purchase a feature staircase, the two most important things to have are some basic measurements (which tend to be the same ones for any design of staircase) and the sort of materials or "look" you wish to incorporate into the stair. For the vast majority of the stairs we look at, a rough floor to floor height, and the dimensions of the opening in the ceiling are all that are required for an accurate estimate to be provided, and are easily measured in a matter of moments. video link Below

The two main design categories tend to be the more traditional timber staircases (perhaps in an Oak), and the more contemporary designs with steel supports or glass infill panels. Deciding what would work best with the house's overall design will make the process of ordering a stair much faster, and there are many places that inspiration can be taken from;
Once the style and basic measurements are known, the cost of the stair can be estimated, and any changes to materials or smaller details can be made. The final measurements can be critical and should only be taken when the rest of the property is nearing completion to ensure accuracy ­ the stair is the last thing to go into a property, so this should not present a problem in most cases. It is wise to allow 6-9 weeks though for the stair to be manufactured and delivered, as many of the more bespoke designs can run to this length of production period.
As the stair details are finalised, a series of drawings will usually be produced to enable the clients to see what they can expect to receive, and samples of the materials for the stair will be provided. Upon delivery, we find it takes roughly a day and a half to two days, with two fitters. The stair should be ordered as close to the end of a build as possible, as leaving it in storage (especially timber) can negatively affect the finish.

Staircases are perhaps one of the most complicated components of any house. They are subject to detailed requirements under Building regulations in respect of pitch, width, headroom, guarding, landings and treads. We suggest obtaining advice from an experienced stair builder before starting construction of any new stair. The last thing you want at the end of your building project is the building inspector not approving the construction of such a major element.

Under the building regulations, all stairs are required to have protection to prevent people falling from height.