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October 21, 2010

Are electric loft ladders suitable for less than able people

In this politically correct world I am never quite sure what some new terms like less abled actually mean. Not that it matters in this case whether we are talking about a mental or physical state the answer is the same. In my opinion electrically operated loft ladders have advantages over other types of ladder be it your leg or your brain that is not quite up to scratch.

To open and close both the hatch and ladder an electrically operated model requires no more effort than the push of a remote button or wall switch. This has to be a massive advantage over manual ladders, particularly the cheaper aluminium sliding loft ladders which if they do not hit you on the head on the way down are likely to trap your fingers when you extend them. As long as you can drag yourself up and down them, electric loft ladders pose no major problems for access. Electrically operated loft ladders generally have more comfortable steps plus better handrails than manual models. Take for instance the Italian manufactured Fantozzi electric loft ladder range which has carpeted treads 125mm (5") from front to back. These are far more comfortable than rungs on a normal loft ladder. It also has two telescopic handrails and swimming pool type exit grab rails at the top. Combine all this together and you have as easy an access as you are ever going to get from a ladder.

At this point I have to point out that electrically operated loft ladders are still ladders they are not staircases. This is important to bear in mind when you are considering ease of access. I am regularly asked if electrically operated loft ladders operate at the same angle of ascent as a staircase. The answer is no they do not, they operate at about the angle of ascent as any ladder. It is theoretically possible to construct an electrically operated loft ladder with a shallower pitch angle, in fact some of very expensive wooden models make a brave attempt to do this but they take up a massive amount of room in both the loft and the lower floor. Unless you have this sort of space and are prepared to spend an inordinate amount of money you have to accept that there are limits to what you can achieve within the space restrictions of a typical loft access.

As a final thought for the less abled, I would suggest that before you invest in an electrically operated loft ladder you visit a showroom that has working ladder so that you can try before you spend. Unfortunately these are few and far between but I think the trip would be worth it.

The stair Doctor

October 12, 2010

What is the best kit stair for a loft conversion?

That is a big question, the answer really depends on the number of rooms in your conversion and the space that you have available for the loft access stair. Both of these will influence which type of stair you use, not to mention your own personal taste.

So lets first look at the stair types that are available. To keep it simple I have divided them into the following choices.

  • Traditional flight stair, either straight or with turns
  • Spiral staircase
  • Space saver,alternate tread stair
  • Fixed ladder

Yes I know, fixed ladder was not what you were considering, but believe me they are legal, sometimes!

OK now lets look at how each of these might work for the loft conversion in your castle

Traditional flight stair

Both traditional joinery shop made all timber staircases and combined metal with wood modular kit stairs will always work and give excellent access providing you have the room within your castle to install them. As a rough guide to the floor space that you will need on both floors to accommodate this type of stair the following applies. For a typical standardish height between floors of say 2700mm you will need a floor area of approx 900x 3000mm for a straight stair. This number of square metres will also apply to L and U shaped stairs which use winding treads, it will just be a different shape say 1800 x 1500 for a U shape. Bear in mind that with good design you can possibly put the loft stair over the existing stair to save floor space. However for technical reasons this is more difficult with the modular kit staircases. For more information on typical stair foot prints look at the Kompact modular kit layouts on our website.

Spiral staircases

Spiral stairs work very well with loft conversions but require a different shaped footprint to flight stairs. This is also where the number of rooms in your loft conversion comes into the equation. The reason for this is that the Regulations change between a spiral staircase serving just one room and a spiral stair serving more than one room. Without boring you with the technical details, see other blogs that explain more about this, the following is the sort of area of footprint that you need. One loft room 1550mm x 1550mm. More than one room 2000mm x 2000mm. So as you can see spiral stairs do not really save any space, but they do look superb

Space saver stairs

Space saver or alternate tread staircases save a lot of stair footprint by using an odd shaped tread combined with a steep angle of pitch. Look at the Karina or Kya space saver stair details to get a feel for how these stairs work. The plus point is that as its says on the tin they save space. The Minus point is that space saving staircases are only allowed for loft conversions serving one bedroom plus an associated bathroom. There are other conditions so seek advice before you go to far. A typical footprint of a straight space saver stair is approx 700x 1500mm so as you can see they come into their own when space is at a premium. The kits such as the Karina. Kya or Gamia Mini Plus are readily available, cheap and easy to install

Fixed ladder

Yes if all else fails the good old Building Regs allows you to use a ladder! There are lots of restrictions, they have to be fixed, have handrails on both sides and can only serve a one room loft conversion providing you cannot get a real staircase in. But hey folks they are cheap and you did not want your Granny up there anyway.

The stair and ladder Doctor