The Stair Doctor - RHS Products Limited

Can I Have A Klan Spiral Stair Kit Over 4000mm High

2012-02-14T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout:Can I have a Klan spiral stair kit over 4000mm high. path: Can I have a Klan spiral stair kit over 4000mm high. categories: section: post ---

The Klan spiral staircase as well as its brothers the Civik and Genius are all capable of having one complete 13 tread staircase put on top of another so they can reach heights well in excess of 4000mm. However a single Klan spiral stair kit can only be purchased with a maximum of 16 treads giving a maximum height of 3770mm. In the UK this height should be further reduced to a maximum 3520mm in order to achieve the maximum permissible tread rise of 220mm.

To achieve a height in excess of 4000mm with a Klan spiral staircase you would need to purchase two complete 13 riser kits and use enough treads from these two kits to reach your required height.

The more expensive Genius range can sometimes prove to be the better option for high spiral staircases because you can order the exact number of treads rather having to order two complete kits of the Klan or Civik ranges.

A word of warning on high floor-to-floor height spiral stairs, always seek expert advice before you proceed with your project. With high spiral stairs consideration has to be given to such things as their stability and weight. Personally I would like to know that the supporting floor is adequate to take the point load of the stair, and that there are surrounding walls that would allow some lateral restraint fixings to prevent excessive movement. You should also consider the people who are likely to use the stair. A spiral stair of say 24 treads can present a challenge to less able bodied users, unless a rest platform is inserted somewhere in its height.

The Spiral staircase Doctor.

I Want To Choose The Degree Of Rotation Of My Spiral Stair, Why Is This A Problem

2012-01-19T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout:I want to choose the degree of rotation of my spiral stair, why is this a problem. path: I want to choose the degree of rotation of my spiral stair, why is this a problem. categories: section: post ---

I get asked this question all the time, people assume that if they want to step on the bottom tread of their spiral stair at say 3 0'clock and step off at the top at say 12 0'clock, then it must be possible, and people are just being awkward to tell them otherwise. Unfortunately spiral staircases are a little more complicated than that. There is in reality a fixed relationship between the top and the bottom tread depending on the height and diameter of the spiral stair.

Firstly you have to realise that each tread of a spiral staircase needs enough unobstructed horizontal surface area for you safely put your foot on to ascend the stair. You could actually make a spiral stair where all of the treads are directly above each other in stack so that it does not rotate at all. Unfortunately this would also mean that you would have nowhere to put your feet because the tread above would be in the way. OK this extreme example may be silly but it proves the point. In reality every tread has to rotate between something like 20-30 degrees depending on the diameter in order to produce a spiral stair that is safe to use. So when you supplier tells you that the spiral staircase you want will rotate say 354 degrees from first to last tread, then that is a fact. It may mean that your proposed spiral staircase will not work as you had planned it on your drawings but unfortunately you will not be able to do much about it.

I suppose the moral is to talk to someone very early in the design stage, so that you do not go off at a tangent thinking that you have enough floor area for a spiral stair, therefore you must be able to make it fit. Life can be cruel for the unprepared.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Can A Space Saver Stair Go Into A Landing Cupboard

2012-01-19T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout:Can a space saver stair go in landing cupboard. path:Can a space saver stair go in landing cupboard. categories: section: post ---

The simple answer is yes providing it is big enough. Unfortunately in my experience most landing cupboards are the wrong shape or simply not big enough to take any kind of space saver staircase. Ideally you need an internal dimension of approx 900mm x 1400mm to take a curving space saver stair like the Karina or the Kya. Alternately approx 1200mm x 1200mm to take a space saver stair that turns corners using landing platforms like the Gamia Mini.

The type of space saving stair that you use will be determined by the internal space available but if possible a Gamia Mini with its right angled corners can make the best use of space in most cupboard situations. In a lot of cases particularly where space is at a premium it is a good idea to consider taking the front wall or doors off the cupboard to allow the lower treads to project out onto the landing a little. This extra space can in make the difference between getting a space saver stair in or not. It also prevents the situation whereby you descend the bottom treads of space saver stair with your nose almost touching the door or wall in front of you.

It is difficult to give accurate advice without knowing the dimensions of the cupboard but any merchant worth their salt ought to be able to advise you of the possibilities providing you can tell them the internal dimensions of the cupboard and the floor-to-floor height. Over the years I have been involved with a great many space saver stairs in landing cupboards and I have to say they are an ideal solution for a good loft access providing you are lucky enough to have the right sized cupboard.

The Space saver stair Doctor

Can A 1600mm. Diameter Klan Spiral Stair Be used For A two Bedroom Loft.conversion

2012-01-09T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout:Can a 1600mm diameter Klan spiral stair be used for a two bedroom conversion. path:Can a 1600mm diameter Klan spiral stair be used for a two bedroom conversion. categories: section: post ---

Technically no If you stick to the letter of the law as laid down by BS5393 part 2, then a 1600mm Klan spiral stair would be considered suitable as category A spiral staircase serving just one room not two. However you are allowed to have an associated bedroom with a bedroom conversion providing it is not the primary house bathroom. To serve two rooms you need to go to a category B that is way beyond the range of the Klan spiral stair, and in practice needs to be about 2000mm in diameter. I have to say that I have known of a great many cases where the Local Authority have accepted a 1600mm diameter spiral stair in similar circumstances. A decision which I applaud. The clear width of a 1600mm diameter spiral stair is 680mm and that in my opinion is a perfectly adequate route for say four people from two bedrooms in the case of an emergency. I would though stop there, I think that say a 3 bedroom loft conversion is a big old conversion and for safety needs a category B stair with a clear width in excess of 800mm. However it is not me that makes or applies the rules, for that you have to go to your Building Control inspector for an opinion. It is always worth pointing out any other facts like escape roof windows (now a requirement) or any other means of escape available from your proposed conversion. You may be surprised there are a lot of enlightened inspectors out there these days who are prepared to look at specific circumstances and make common sense judgements based on them.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Which Is The Best Electric Loft Ladder Metal Concertina Or Wooden Sliding

2011-12-19T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout: post title:Which is the best electric loft ladder, metal concertina or wooden sliding. path: Which is the best electric loft ladder, metal concertina or wooden sliding. categories: section: post ---

Good question, but not easy to answer, there are plus and minus points for both. It is probably easier to simply list the the various points.

Metal Electric concertina loft ladder

When closed everything folds up on top of the hatch door so it takes up less loft space
Lightweight, so puts less stress on the motor and operating system.
Cost far less than the wooden models.
Number and angle of treads can be adjusted on site making it more adaptable.
Capable of smaller aperture openings than the bulky wooden models
Likely to make more noise when in operation
Wood usually has a more solid feel

Wood sliding or folding ladder.

Feels more solid to use
Can be made in larger sizes with wider more comfortable steps
Should be quieter in operation
Far more expensive
Much heavier therefore requires a larger more expensive operating system
When closed it extends beyond the hatch so requires more loft space
Needs to manufactured to a specific height and cannot be altered on site

In most cases the real important point is the cost at 2012 prices a metal concertina electric loft ladder will cost around £ 2000.00. Where as a sliding or folding wood electric loft ladder is likely cost around £ 5000.00

The Electric loft ladder Doctor

What Headroom Do You Require Over A Loft Stair

2011-12-15T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout: post title:What headroom do you require over a loft stair. path:What headroom do you require over a loft stair. categories: section: post ---

The Building Regulations require that you maintain a clear headroom of 2000mm on any access between levels, which includes staircases. That includes loft staircases, spiral stairs in fact any staircase. Headroom has to be maintained while ascending the stair and also on the landings at the top and bottom. People are always telling me that on a loft staircase you can reduce it to 1900mm but I disagree. If you look at what part K 1.10 of the English and Welsh Regulations actually says, you will see a nice diagram that really defines it quite clearly. It basically says that in a loft conversion where there is not enough space to achieve the 2000mm headroom you can reduce it to 1900mm in the centre of the width of the tread. But the diagram shows a sloping ceiling which has a minimum of 1800mm at one side of the stair and 1900mm in the middle, by implication you would then have 2000mm on the other side of the stair.

This relaxation of the normal 2000mm headroom therefore only applies to a sloping ceiling in a loft conversion,which is over the staircase. It does not allow you to reduce the headroom to 1900mm over the whole width of the stair, it has to be a minimum of 1800mm at one side and 1900mm in the middle.

The Loft Staircase Doctor

What Do Genius Spiral Staircases Fix To At The Top

2011-12-08T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout: post title: What does a Genius spiral stair fix to at the top. path: What does a Genius spiral stair fix to at the top. categories: section: post ---

I am amazed at how many times I get asked this question, I suppose it is not that obvious, a lot of people assume that the centre pole will go right up to the landing ceiling and fixed to the rafters above. The reality is that a spiral staircase like any other stair normally ends at floor level and all that projects above the floor is the balustrading, which is there to stop you falling back down the hole.

With Genius spiral staircases and in fact all other kit spiral staircases that I can think of there are really only two main fixing points to the structure of the building. The first is a circular base plate on the bottom of the centre pole that is bolted to the floor. Then the top of the pole is secured to the vertical face of the ceiling aperture via the top tread that normally being a landing triangle. The landing triangle is bolted to the centre pole at one point of the triangle, the the opposite side of the triangle is butted up to the edge of the floor and secured with angle brackets underneath to the timber trimming or trimmer joists surrounding the opening. If it is a concrete floor slab or even a wall you would use the same brackets but different fixings.

The two fixing positions described above are all that is needed to hold the centre pole rigid. All the treads are simply attached to the centre pole. If the spiral staircase has any walls surrounding it is also advisable to attach brackets between the wall and any tread that passes it. These are not a necessity but they do help prevent any slight lateral swaying movement that is always likely to occur on spiral stairs.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Do Kit Staircases Need Any Adjustment After Installation

2011-12-06T00:00:00+01:00

--- layout: post title:Do kit staircases need any adjustment after installation. path: Do kit staircases need any adjustment after installation. categories: section: post ---

Theoretically once installed modular kit spiral and flights stairs do not need any real maintenance or adjustment. However it is my belief that most will need a re-tightening of nuts and screws at some point in the first year of its life. The reason for this lies in the moisture content of the timber components. Timber is hygroscopic, it tends to absorb or lose moisture due to the temperature and humidity of its environment. Unfortunately it will also tend to change in shape if you add or reduce its moisture content. Joinery manufacturers have long been aware of this and will attempt only to fabricate with timbers of a known moisture content. Joining two pieces of wood together with different moisture contents will cause problems when they eventually stabilize in their permanent environment.

Reputable modular kit stair manufacturers will make sure that their timber elements leave the manufacturing plant at a nice stable moisture content of around 10%. The problems start when the staircase reaches site. If it is a new build the environment it will almost be certainly be unheated and damp due to the tonnes of water used in brick,plaster and concrete construction. So the timber elements of the stair will increase in moisture content and size. Once the building dries out the timber elements will lose moisture content and shrink a little. This will cause any screwed or bolted joints in the stair kit to ease a little and create a bit of unwanted movement in the stair structure. The solution is is tighten up the fixings.

Ah but what about the nice stable environment of an existing property I hear you say. True there will be less of a problem apart from when you have to turn up the heating in winter. This has the potential to loosen joints the same as a new build property. In my experience it is a good idea to consider re-tightening all fixing after the first heating season, this will pay dividends and will probably only need doing in the first year.

The Staircase Doctor

Can You Fix Klan Spiral Staircases Over Underfloor Heating

2011-12-06T00:00:00+01:00

The answer is yes you can, but with great care. In an ideal world you would have made provision for the Klan spiral staircase baseplate at the installation stage of the underfloor heating. By that I mean that you would have left an area at the centre point of the stair approx 500mm x 500mm with no heating pipes or electrical cables in it. However it is not a perfect world so a different approach is needed if the floor is already complete..

There are two basic problems to overcome if you are trying to fit a spiral staircase over an existing solid floor with underfloor heating in it. First you must not at all costs drill a fixing hole into a water pipe or electricity cable. Secondly you have to make sure that the baseplate of the spiral staircase is not sitting on anything compressible which will cause the stair to move. Bear in mind that the 200mm diameter base plate of your 200 kgs. Klan spiral stair has to take not only its self load but also your 150kgs granny as she wanders drunkenly up the new spiral staircase. Modern construction requires an insulation layer somewhere in the floor construction, this normally will have something like a 75mm concrete screed over it; this being adequate to take all normal loads without compression. However a point load like a spiral stair may need considering.

Solutions to both of these problems is really a matter of common sense. First you need to know the details of the floor construction so that you are aware just how just how deep you can drill, and the amount of compression that is likely. If there is no floor finish on top of the screed I personally would consider carefully breaking up the screed around the area of the base plate and shoving any pipes or cables out of the way if possible or at least marking their position if not. I would also remove any under screed insulation for a small area directly under that baseplate. The floor would then be re-screeded including the area of removed insulation. Once this has cured you can mark the runs of pipes or cables on it, so that you know where you can drill. Assuming that this is not on, then alternately you will need to replace any supplied expansion bolts with shorter alternatives that you can be sure will not penetrate the screed. This will of course not help the compression of insulation problem, which may not be a problem anyway. Should you decide it is, then your options are limited to digging it out as above or spreading the load over a greater area by forming some form of plinth under the spiral stair. Bearing in mind that this will affect the overall height of the Klan spiral stair. A customer once suggested that rather than sit the stair on his wood block flooring he would sit the base plate down on the screed and carefully cut the wood block around it. This would prevent any lateral movement of the baseplate without any further fixing needed. I am not sure I could totally recommend this action but preventing lateral movement is for sure half the battle of fixing the baseplate.

In conclusion do not be put off, a Klan spiral staircase will look good and function well, and in my time I come across a great many spiral stairs that have been fitted on top of underfloor heating systems without any problems.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Does the Berlin space saver stair comply with the UK Regulations.

2011-12-05T00:00:00+01:00

The luxury Berlin space saver stair is by a mile the nicest looking alternate tread space saving staircase on the market. Unfortunately the wrap around stainless steel balustrade system can have problems meeting the Building Regulations. It is not alone in this, most wrap around wire or rod balustrade systems struggle to meet the 100mm sphere rule and can be considered too easy for children to climb. This is a pity because the wrap a round systems on staircases such as space savers or spirals look good and are very much in vogue.

You must also bear in mind that no alternate tread space saving staircase automatically complies with the Regulations, it all depends on what they are used for. In England Wales Northern Ireland and the Republic you can basically use them to serve one bedroom and an associated bathroom, although there are other conditions as well. In Scotland you can not use them at all, sorry.

Another point with the Berlin space saver stair is that the superb curved treads which give far better access for the feet than other paddle shaped treads actually fall foul of the Regulations because the tread nosing are not parallel. This really is a shame because believe me they are better than anything I have come across in space saver stair treads.

With the use of all space saver stairs I would recommend that you seek advice from your specific Local Authority before you proceed too far. Different Authorities have different opinions on their use.

The space saver stair Doctor

House primary spiral stair what diameter do I need to comply.

2011-11-24T00:00:00+01:00

You will find the answer in BS 5395 part 2 but it will not tell you the actual diameter required for a spiral staircase. The standard specifies the clear width required for different applications. For instance spiral staircases serving as the main house staircase would come under category B which requires a clear width of 800mm.

The definition of the clear width is the distance between the outside of the spiral stair centre pole and the inside of the handrail, this in practical terms is the width that you have available to walk up or down the stair. This is a good way of specifying the required size because if you have to escape down it in the event of a fire this width could be critical. Specifying the outside diameter of a spiral staircase does not really define the clear width because different designs and different styles have different sized centre poles and handrails which will in turn have change the amount of clear width.

None of the above really helps the questioner, what he really wants to know is how much area he needs to leave to accommodate a compliant primary spiral staircase in his new house design. The answer is about 2000 mm diameter, I say about because as you now know, without knowing the constructional details of a the specific spiral stair I cannot say for certain. Personally for design purposes I would leave if possible an area 2100mm square this would just about cover most models of spiral staircase that you are likely to buy. In my experience I have not found any modern designs of Category B compliant spiral stairs that are smaller than around 1900mm.

The only real safe way of answering this question is for you to choose your spiral stair model and ask the manufacturer what diameter will comply under BS 5395 part 2 as a main staircase in a dwelling.

The spiral staircase Doctor.

Do kit spiral staircases comply with BS 5395 part 2.

2011-11-15T00:00:00+01:00

It is difficult to generalise on all manufacturers of kit spiral staircases, although what can be said is that they are all continental and almost all do their own load testing etc. aimed at their own national standards but not specifically for the British Standard. The chances are that there will be something within the British Standard that will not be covered in the Continental equivalent and visa versa. That is not to say that either is wrong just different. Theoretically all us EU communities are attempting to eventually bat on the same wicket, but in the current state of the union that looks less like a priority.

So the questioner has his eye on a nice kit staircase and he knows that if someone claims that it complies with the British Standard then it will be acceptable under the Building Regulations. That is perfectly true but a very difficult claim to make with any adjustable spiral stair kit. The ability to adjust means that the end user can in all probability adjust say the tread rise outside of the British Standard maximum therefore it would not meet the standard. So, why not make the adjustments so that they can only remain within the standards. Yes a good solution, but whose standards, the Italians or the Brits! When you make a kit product to sell on the world markets it has to have built in compromises in an attempt to keep everybody happy as much as possible. If you were to go to a reputable bespoke spiral staircase manufacturer you should be able have a staircase made that will meet all the nuances of the British Standard but you will of course pay for the privilege. Reputable kit spiral stair companies should also be able to advise you on which spiral staircases you can use and how you can use them for specific project to meet the main conditions of the British Standard. It would however be a reckless company who boldly stated that it totally complies with everything in the British Standard, unless the manufacturer has had it independently tested and approved by a qualified body. The heavy costs of this procedure means that no continental manufacturer is ever likely to go through this process just for their British market. The only kit spiral stairs that I know of that have been specifically tested to BS 5395 part 2 are the Klan and Civik ranges. The report runs to 50 pages and even then they can only approve the specific sample submitted which means one specific diameter and one specific floor-to-floor height. The document does however lend credence to a Local Authority approving these particular spiral stair models providing that you check that your specific height and diameter can meet the requirements.

None of the above proves that any other make or model of spiral staircase is not suitable under the conditions of the British Standard, it is just difficult to prove it. As I understand it equivalent European standards should be acceptable in the UK but getting a document from the continental manufacturer that is in a language that is understandable and acceptable to your Building Control department may prove to be another matter.

As always I recommend that you talk to someone 'who knows' who can advise you on your specific project before you go too far. Judging by the number of kit spiral staircases that get approved each year by various Authorities all over the UK you may have less trouble than you think.

The spiral staircase Doctor.

How do the Genius spiral stairs wooden handrail pieces make a helix if the tread rise is variable.

2011-11-11T00:00:00+01:00

A highly technical question from a deep thinking gentleman.

This gentleman has spotted what the mathematicians amongst can see is a flaw in the geometry of making a helical wooden handrail for variable height kit spiral staircases out of short wooden sections. This is exactly what happens on spiral stairs kits such as the up market Genius range. However the manufacturer is on the case and has an answer for this problem.

Let me first explain the problem. A spiral staircase handrail forms a helix just like the spring on your pogo stick. To form this out of real wood is an expensive process requiring curves in two directions. It goes round in a circle on plan, the circle being the same diameter as the spiral stair. It also has to climb from the bottom to the top stair tread which is the second curve. OK all of this is possible but the helix will vary with every diameter and with every height. Therefore you have to make purpose designed helix for every stair. All kit spiral stairs like the Genius range require you to be able to change the height of spiral stair. Without this variability you would no longer have off the shelf kits, but would have to pay a lot more for a spiral staircase made specifically for your floor-to-floor height and diameter.

There is a further problem with kit spiral stair helical handrails, they are not only difficult and expensive to make, they are also big, awkward and very expensive to transport in one piece. So having made a helical spiral stair handrail the manufacturer cuts it into shorter lengths so that it can be packed in crate and transported. This process also requires the design of a method of rejoining the pieces together.

So the problem is how to make spiral staircase handrails that go round in a circle of a certain diameter but also curve in another direction to allow for various heights. The first curve is easy you just make a set handrails to suit the various diameters that you supply the stairs in, lets say four diameters. So each diameter spiral stair has its own handrail. The second curve is much more difficult. The only real solution is to also make a handrail not only for each diameter but for each millimetre of height of the stair height range. This is practically impossible as it would require the manufacture of thousands of variables. Failure to do this however means that the handrails will climb the spiral stair at a different angle of pitch to the stair treads, so it will get higher or lower in relation to the treads.

So the solution to this problem lies in the way that the handrail sections are joined. Instead of making the join between two handrail sections butt up hard against each other which would fix the angle of the second curve, the clever manufacturer supplies a clear tapered washer that fits between the two sections. By rotating the washer you can vary the angle of pitch a little on each join. This solves the problem, it is not a perfect solution but it works, and if you take your time with the washer adjustment you will achieve as near a perfect result as makes no difference. Unfortunately it does require you to align it by eye and tape measure as it would be nigh on impossible to produce any kind of tables that would help with this. Trust me it does work, I have seen Genius spiral stair handrails that have been assembled by people who were totally oblivious to the function of the tapered washer and just inserted them any which way. The result looked fine even to my highly critical eye. So worry ye not my mathematical friend the circle can be squared, or near enough anyway.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

How do I get a loft room staircase in my Victorian terrace?

2011-11-11T00:00:00+01:00

This is a Doctor Who Tardis problem, how to get a quart into a pint pot. There are many types of Victorian terraces but the one I am regularly asked about consists of front and back rooms with two bedrooms above and possibly a single storey scullery extension out the back.The staircase goes across the width of the building between the front and back rooms, access to the back sitting room being under the stair landing. In my opinion this design shows just how good the old folk were at getting the best out of a small space. Fortunately they were not hampered by the modern requirement for unnecessary things like bathrooms or kitchens with dishwashers and microwaves.

So a great design for your great grandparents but a nightmare for access to that nice big unused loft space. Unfortunately I have never found a simple answer in providing a loft staircase to this type of property. If there was a simple answer it would have long ago been fashionable and would almost certainly have been adopted by the original Victorian designer. I am always amazed at the number of young people who come to me with the revolutionary idea that they have discovered of buying in a two bedroom terrace and simply making it a three bedroom by using the loft space. Believe me if it were that simple the whole street would already have three bedrooms.

The basic problem is that a loft staircase will require floorspace on the first floor and the only floorspace usually available is found by reducing one of the already small bedrooms. What about putting one stair over the other I hear you cry. That is a good solution but unfortunately access to the loft stair will still require a corridor making in one of the bedrooms to access the foot of the loft stair, so there is nothing to be gained in floor area.

So there is no easy solution and somewhere along the line it is going to cost you space in the existing bedrooms. You may be able to reduce that space by using a space saver stair like the Karina but it will still take up some space and will of course require approval by the Local Authority. A fairly common but expensive solution is to rip the entire room layout apart and end up with a through lounge and a new stair running front to back. You may also be able to convert that stair to a two storey spiral staircase to get access to your new loft room as well. However been warned that You will probably find that the diameter of spiral staircase required by the Regulation people may make this option too large to be workable in the narrow width of your terrace.

I am sorry that I cannot come up with a magic answer, believe me if I could I would be a very rich and happy old man.

The Staircase Doctor

Why have I got a plastic handrail in my spiral stair kit.

2011-11-07T00:00:00+01:00

Why have I got a plastic as well as a wooden handrail in my spiral stair kit.

This questioner actually wrote for advice because she had bought from a supplier a Mr Step Gamia Wood spiral staircase with a wooden handrail. When it arrived the crate contained a plastic tube handrail with a wooden handrail as a separate item. Her complaint was that she was paying for two handrails when she only ordered one. Her supplier was not sympathetic saying only that that is the way they are sold.

Although it seems a strange way to do business the supplier was actually right, the Gamia Wood spiral staircase kit is pre boxed with a moplen plastic handrail, the wooden handrail is then sold as an extra add on. In reality the Moplen plastic handrail which looks like a corrugated black plastic land drainage pipe probably costs the manufacturer virtually nothing, so leaving it in the box is a cheaper option than opening it up and repackaging the wooden handrail.

I do agree however that it is not the best way to present a product. Never mind the cost, it can also be very confusing when your installation instructions do not show how to put together the wooden handrail and your box contains a drainage pipe that you spend an hour wondering where to fix it on the spiral stair.

I have on many occasions in the past pointed out to Rintal the Italian manufacturer of the Gamia Wood spiral stair, that customers did not like this situation and were complaining. I never managed to get them to change anything which I think is shame. However to be fair to them the Gamia Wood spiral stair is an entry level kit that is sold at a remarkably cheap price, so maybe the ownership of a bit of spare drainage pipe is a price worth paying if cost is an issue.

The Spiral Stair Doctor

Can Karina space saver stairs meet the steepness requirements of the Building Regulations?

2011-10-31T00:00:00+01:00

Alternating tread space saving stairs of which the Karina is one have their own rules under part K of the Regulations for England and Wales. They are not allowed at all under Scottish Regs. These rules parts K1.22-24 do not specify a maximum pitch but they are quite restrictive on where and when you can use a space saver stair. Basically they are intended to serve a one bedroomed loft conversion, it can have an associated bathroom but the room itself cannot be a kitchen or a lounge. There are other restrictions but I would need more information on the specific project details in order to advise on the suitability of a space saver stair.

So in conclusion the steepness of a space saving stairs like the Karina are not an issue but lots of other things might be. Seek more advice from someone who knows, or contact your Local Authority Building Control for their opinion on your specific project.

A space saving stair to a flat over a shop, what are the problems

2011-10-25T00:00:00+02:00

Though I do not know the full circumstances of this staircase it all sounds like a non starter as far as the law is concerned. Alternate tread space saving stairs are not suitable for use as the main access to a flat or any other type of dwelling. Space saving stairs like the Karina Gamia Mini etc. are really only permitted when serving a one bedroom loft conversion, and even then there are other restrictions that might apply.

The problem with using a space saver stair as access to a flat above a shop is really about how you escape in the event of a fire. Anyone renting that flat should at the very least be given a safe escape route in the event of a fire in the shop below. Ideally this should be an external fire escape direct from the flat to the ground outside, or if this is not possible a full internal staircase which is enclosed in a fire protected passageway that goes direct to the outside of the premises.

Space saver stairs are wonderful at giving access in places where space for a stair is at a premium, but I would never recommend their use as a main access to any property. I would advise the questioner to seek advice from their local Building Control Department who will be capable of advising them on the requirements for their specific project.

The Staircase Doctor

Can you put a loft spiral stair in a 1000mm square cupboard.

2011-10-03T00:00:00+02:00

In theory yes, in practice it is probably a non starter. There are many reasons why not, not the least that it is too small an area. In practical terms spiral staircases of less than 1200mm in diameter are likely to provide too small a tread width to ascend in comfort, and be nearly impossible to ascend if you are some what portly. In Building Regulation terms you are unlikely to get a compliant spiral staircase of less than 1400mm or 1500mm in diameter.

Small cupboards are also likely to cause problems with access to spiral stairs, this is because there is a possibility that the bottom tread will end up pointing at one of the walls and not your required access point. Spiral staircases have fixed rotation characteristics which means that you can only choose the position of either the bottom or top tread, the position of the other will be where the fixed degree of rotation makes it fall. So small cupboards with walls on at least three sides are not the ideal.

In 1000mm square cupboard you could squeeze in 1000mm diameter spiral but it would touch the walls where it passes them and would not be ideal. Ideally the maximum size spiral stair that you could use is 950mm in diameter, that would be more like a fireman's pole than a spiral stair. Not to mention that there are no modular kit spiral stairs on the market that are available in so small a diameter. This in turn means you would have to go to the more expensive option of having a bespoke spiral stair made for you.

So the conclusion is forget the idea and consider using an alternative tread space saver stair kit. However even these will not fit entirely within the confines of your 1000mm square cupboard, but if you can adapt the walls a little it is your best chance.

The Staircase Doctor.

Are spiral staircase kits available with a one piece wooden handrail.

2011-09-29T00:00:00+02:00

Modular spiral stair kits are the equivalent of Ikea type flat packs in that they are all pre-boxed ready for sale. This makes huge savings in both manufacturing and transport costs, which in turn reduces the price you pay. In fact typical kits like the Klan spiral stairs retail at less than half the price of typical made-to-measure spiral staircases. There are however limitations, the whole spiral stair design has to allow for the various elements to fit into a transit crate of an acceptable size to transport without increasing transport costs. Full helical handrails manufactured in any material are both expensive to make and extremely difficult and expensive to transport without damage. Imagine a huge curly-wurly taller than yourself and big around, though not particularly heavy it takes up a lot of volume on a lorry and is difficult to stop rolling around.

For the reasons just mentioned, there are no modular kit spiral staircases on the market that have one piece helical wooden handrails. All handrails are made up of sections joined together, each section usually approx 1000mm long, that incidentally being the longest length that you can pack in crate of a standard Euro pallet size.

Most of the cheaper modular kit spiral stairs that are on the market do not actually have wooden handrails at a, but use a flexible PVC, usually with a soft aluminium core and an outer acrylic wood film to match the real wood treads. This allows the sections to be stored straight and then formed on site to suit the required helical shape. There are for their sins even kits on the market that use what I can only describe as a kind of black corrugated plastic land drainage pipe that is supplied in coil. They are certainly cheap and are OK if you do not mind plastic drainage pipe in your living room.

The more expensive modular kit spiral stairs do use real wood in the handrails but this will put the cost up. You have to bear in mind that bent wood is expensive to produce and you cannot have one size fits all, every spiral stair diameter requires a different radius in handrail. Technically a true helical handrail section will need to curve in two directions and one of them will vary depending on the height of the stair. As the heights of kit spiral stairs are adjustable this double curve is not possible to produce in a kit, but the clever manufacturers get over this conundrum usually by using clear tapered washers between each section.

In conclusion, you pays your money and takes your choice. Full wooden helical handrails look superb but are very expensive. Wooden section handrails are not far behind in looks, but do not discount the wood look a likes, if cost is consideration they are not a bad option. Just forget the drainage pipe style.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Are space saver stairs better than electric loft ladders for loft access.

2011-09-26T00:00:00+02:00

In a way the real question is, do you have the room for a permanent space saver stair on the landing? If the answer is no then a loft ladder or an electric loft ladder is the answer. If the answer is yes then I suppose the next question how much do you want to spend? Less than £.1000.00 on a space saver stairs or around £.2000.00 for an electric loft ladder.

Having decided that you are rich enough to have either, then it really comes down to comfort and ease of usage. Both are quite steep but you will be amazed how comfortable both are to climb. Although you have to remember that you come down an electric loft ladder facing into the ladder, where as space saver stairs are descended face out like any other stairs. On that basis I think space saver stairs win for comfort. However having the electric loft ladder folded up out of the way does save even more space, and do not forget the wow factor when you zing it down to you show your friends your etchings in the loft.

From the installation point of view there is not much to choose, space saver stairs are more complicated to erect and will almost certainly require you to extend your existing loft aperture. However your loft aperture will probably also have to be made bigger for an electric loft ladder, and though they are easier to install electrically operated loft ladders also require an electrical power point nearby in the loft.

If space is at a premium I personally would be quite happy with either a space saver stair or an electric loft ladder it is not really a question of which is better but more which works best in your particular circumstances.

The Stair Doctor

Do Electric Loft Ladders Require Maintenance

2011-08-30T00:00:00+02:00

The answer to this question really depends on the model, but the general answer is, not a lot. Most manufacturers supply a guide to maintenance, but these are usually no more than an inspection to check that nothing is showing signs of excessive wear or working loose. Non of the models that I have experience of require any from of lubrication to moving parts. In fact oil and grease attracts dust and can end up clogging up the part it is applied to.

All apparatus with moving parts will eventually wear out and need replacement, but generally electric loft ladders do not have the hardest of lives and are only used occasionally. Should you have a requirement for constant access each day then I think you would tend to leave the ladder in the down position most of the time, or look at an alternative permanently fixed solution. I would suggest that the heavier wooden fold out electric loft ladders put more strain on motors and operating gear than say a concertina electric loft ladder, but in my own experience I have never yet had to replace a motor or gear mechanism on any electric loft ladder that I have been involved with. In fact despite my scepticism in the early days of getting involved with anything that can break down, I have been amazed over the years just how reliable electrically operated loft ladders can be. Usually the only thing that goes wrong is that an electrical fuse will occasionally blow. This is usually when your grandchildren discover the fun of sending you electric loft ladder up and down an hundred times in a row causing the motor to overheat!

So my advice is to follow the manufacturers maintenance instructions and do not worry, you will probably find that your wonderfully useful electric loft ladder will out live you.

The Staircase Doctor

Spiral stair to loft over existing house stair.

2011-08-23T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner wants to install a spiral staircase over the existing main house stair to access the loft. I have been asked this question many times,usually by people who think a spiral staircase will save space and be an easy answer to their problem. Unfortunately the reality is that there are very few situations where you can do this.

You have to bear in mind that a typical spiral staircase has centre pole that needs to be supported on the floor, so as this is in the middle of the spiral stair it will have to sit on the edge of the landing. That means that only one half of the spiral staircase can be over the existing house stair, the rest will be over the landing area. There are two main questions to be asked with this set up, first, will the landing big enough to accommodate it, second, will you bang your head on the spiral stair treads as you ascend the house stair. In the case of most houses the answer is usually no to the first and yes to the second, so the project will be a non starter. True it is possible to have a stair made that has three or four straight treads going over the existing stair and then continues up as spiral stair, but this is structurally difficult and very expensive to achieve. It is also beyond the realm of any of kit spiral stair that is on the market.

Personally I think some form flight stair with a 90 degree or 180 degree turn is in most cases are far better solution than attempting to solve this problem with a spiral staircase. Even with a flight stair consideration has to be given to maintaining head clearance height while ascending the existing house stair.

As always consult someone who can advise you based on your specific details before you go to far with this idea.

The Spiral Stair Doctor

Why do the Building Regulations treat loft stairs differently to other staircases.

2011-08-15T00:00:00+02:00

The Building Regulations do not really treat them differently, part K is a requirement for all stairs including loft stairs. I think the questioner is referring to the sections covering space saving or alternate tread stairs, and the section covering reduction of headroom in loft conversions. These sections allow for what is really a relaxation of the rules specifically for loft conversions. I have to add that The Scottish Regulations do not include these relaxations.

The reason for these easings of the Regulations governing loft stairs I think are quite sensible and are to be applauded. It is a fact that in most housing stock on this island it would be difficult to use a fully Building Regulation compliant loft stair because there is simply no enough room. I think some bright chappy realised that home owners are going to use the loft space via loft stairs in lieu of a more dangerous ladder whatever the Regulations say. It was therefore better to ease the Regulations to have some control over this situation rather than just ignore it. So Regulations were written allowing for steeper stairs using paddle shaped treads specifically for loft staircases. These also included a rule allowing for a little less headroom under the sloping roof. All sensible thinking as far as this old chap is concerned, Scottish regulators take note you need to face the reality of the situation.

A word of warning these extra Regulations for loft stairs do not cover you if you do have space for a full staircase and all the other requirements under part K still apply.

The staircase doctor

Can you have all glass spiral staircases with no steel anywhere.

2011-08-08T00:00:00+02:00

The answer is probably, if you are rich enough, although this old guy is yet to see a complete spiral staircase made of glass.

Structural glass is flavour of the month at the moment for all types of staircases including spiral stairs. This fact probably means that by the time the questioner gets her see through work of glass engineering installed it will be out of date and need to be replaced immediately with bamboo or something else exotic.

I can think of a thousand reasons why you should not pursue this project further. Here are a few of them.

Weight, glass is very heavy, the point load of a completely glass spiral staircase would be a problem on most suspended floors.
Engineering, the technical problems of producing such an animal are difficult to say the least
Cost, horrendous.
Vogue, who wants yesterdays fashions.
Modesty, knickers or lack of them on show every time you use the spiral staircase.
Building Regulations, it would be difficult to comply with them without a handrail or the non slip requirement on spiral stair treads.
Accidental damage, you cannot imagine the cost of trying to replace a broken spiral staircase glass tread.

If you have read this far you will probably have guessed that I am not really a fan of such a concept as all glass spiral staircases. I am the first to concede that good building design requires an element of adventure, but there are practical limits, and I think an all glass spiral staircases are a bridge too far.

For a less biased opinion ask Frank Gehry and Co.

The spiral staircase Doctor

My existing loft stairs are too steep can I replace them with a space saver staircase.

2011-08-01T00:00:00+02:00

As I understand it this questioner has a home made loft staircase squeezed into a bedroom recess. Having never seen this stair it is difficult to be certain exactly how it functions, but if the questioner is concerned by its steepness then I suspect that it is already saving space on a more suitable less steep loft staircase.

Unfortunately no one apart from Doctor Who has yet found a way to cheat on the laws of geometry. The only way to save space with a loft staircase or any other flight stair for that matter is to make it steeper in its angle of pitch. The steeper it is the less space on plan your staircase will take up. You can reduce the width of the stair which will save space in one direction, but length is determined by the number of treads that you use to reach your specific floor-to-floor height. If you reduce the number of treads of staircase you will reduce the length but you will also increase the steepness. You can also reduce the overall length of loft stair by reducing the amount of depth front-to-back of each tread which is called the going, but this will produce a stair which is dangerous to use.

True space saver stairs do actually reduce the going but use an odd paddle shaped tread that actually gives you an acceptable amount of tread to stand on, but this does not get way from the fact that it will end up steep. Typically kit space saver stairs are around 50 to sixty degrees pitch angle while a normal stair will typically be around 40 degrees.

So I expect that the home made loft stair that we are talking about is the best that can be achieved in the space available in terms of steepness. A space saver stair would probably be just a steep but may feel more comfortable because of the greater going.

The staircase Doctor

Loft stairs require Building Regulation approval but not loft ladders, why.

2011-07-25T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner is complaining that he wants to replace his dangerous loft ladder with a much safer space saver stair but the Local Authority are objecting.

At first glance is does seem unreasonable that you cannot just replace a rickety loft ladder with a much safer space saver stair without getting the Local Authority involved. I think the problem really lies in the use, or potential use of the loft area. Traditional loft areas are used for storage and are accessed infrequently by a hatch door and a ladder, these could reasonably be said to be adequate for occasional use by a few people. Once you introduce loft stairs to access the same area it becomes more usable and more accessible for more regular use. The fact that it is likely to be used more often increases the risk of accidents while ascending or descending the loft stair; it becomes reasonable to expect tighter control on what you are allowed to do. Let us face the fact that anyone who intends replacing a loft ladder with loft stairs does actually intend making more regular use of that area, or why else do it.

From the Local Authority point of view a loft space that has loft stairs for access could easily be used as say an extra bedroom. A bedroom or in fact any regularly used room requires special consideration for means of escape in the event of a house fire. This becomes more of a problem the higher up that room is, because you have farther to go to reach the ground and safety.

So installing loft stairs to replace a ladder will invariably require you to comply with The Building Regulations covering protection from falling which has many rules governing safe access. I do not think it would help you to claim that all you are doing is making safer access to a loft storage area, the potential is there for other uses once a loft stairs is installed. The old argument that it is not a habitable room will not wash. I have never seen it written down but I have had a rule of thumb quoted to me many times that, "a loft area becomes a habitable room the moment you introduce loft stairs".

To be honest, in my experience an awful loft of space saver loft stairs are installed without the home owner involving Building Control, but the fact is that you should consider safety and you cannot blame Building Control departments for enforcing rules that are put there for that reason.

The Loft Stairs Doctor

Electric loft ladders are they suitable for a loft bedroom.

2011-07-18T00:00:00+02:00

I have answered this question before and the simple answer is still not really. Electric loft ladders provide wonderful access to a loft area and would certainly allow access to a bedroom. However I am assuming that you wish to use an electric loft ladder so that you can close the ladder when the bedroom is occupied and free up your landing space for other users. This is where it could all go wrong in the event of a house fire. Electric loft ladders need electricity to operate and the chances are that in a fire situation the power would go down leaving the bedroom occupier trapped. OK I know that most systems like the Fantozzi electric loft ladder systems have emergency releases for just such a situation, but in most cases these operate from below only. Think about it, would you be happy to have your children stuck in the loft while the fire rages, relying on whoever is still conscious on the floor below to let them out. Sure I agree this is all a little melodramatic but it could happen and in my opinion should not be risked.

From the Building Regulation point of view it is a non starter, although perversely a fixed ladder with handrails on both sides can comply in some circumstances. Therefore in my opinion providing the electric loft ladder is permanently down it could comply, but why bother with an electric loft ladder if it has to remain down. If you have the space to allow an electric loft ladder to stay down, then use a space saver stair instead, or get rid of the kids.

The Staircase Doctor

In my Semi detached house how difficult is it to replace my stair with a spiral staircase.

2011-07-11T00:00:00+02:00

The answer is normally very difficult, because spiral staircases take up a completely different space than a normal straight flight staircase. A spiral staircase large enough to use as the main stair of the house will not fit in the width of a typical semi detached house hallway, or most other houses for that matter. A typical spiral staircase used as the main house stair would need an area approx 2000mm x 2000mm and most halls can not accommodate this. Even a smaller diameter spiral stair such say a 1400mm would not fit into the hall space of a typical house and would in any case be much too small to use as your main stair. Just imagine trying to carry beds around the tight bends of a small spiral staircase.

There is a modern trend of people looking to modernise or change the look of their hallway. As devoted student of staircases I can only applaud this. The poor old staircase has long been overlooked with money spent on trivial things like fitted kitchens and conservatories. A modern open plan staircase can totally change the look of a house, who needs marble worktops anyway, what was wrong with Formica. Unfortunately for the poor old semi detached hall staircase there are several things that make life difficult when it comes to change. The stairs invariably have the space under them closed in and full of junk not to mention the gas and electric meters. Both the floor and the walls are likely to be unfinished and need serious work if you wish to open up this space.

I do think it worth the effort to upgrade your poor old staircase but an easier option is to cover the existing with hardwood and replace the balustrading to match. There are some wonderful systems on the market that do just that, and also some joinery companies who now specialise in stair renovation.

The Staircase Doctor

Why is my approved 1800mm diameter spiral staircase not big enough according to the manufacturer.

2011-07-04T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner has an 1800mm diameter spiral staircase shown on her plans that has been accepted by the Local Authority Building Control under a full plans application. Her chosen manufacturer is happy to make it but has pointed out that it will not pass the Regulations.

I have seen this scenario take place many times, in my opinion the manufacturer is being quite sensible in pointing out this anomaly. On the questioners drawing it says spiral staircase 1800mm diameter to BS 5395 part 2,1984. The problem is that the BS defines the required size of a spiral stair by what is called its clear width, that is the amount of width that you have to walk up. In this case it is a primary house stair and is required to have a clear width of at least 800mm.

The problem is that the construction of the spiral stair particularly the diameter of the centre column and the style of handrail will affect the overall diameter of spiral stair that will give 800mm clear width. Typically this will be between 1800mm and 2200mm but in practice there are very few spiral staircase designs that will achieve 800mm clear width at 1800mm diameter. Obviously in the case of the spiral staircase design chosen by the questioner it will need to be a bigger diameter to comply, hence the advice given by the manufacturer.

But my plans have been accepted by Building Control I hear you cry. That may be true, but just because the Local Authority are not aware that the specific spiral staircase design cannot give 800mm clear width at 1800mm diameter it does not mean that they will let you get way with it when and if, they come to measure the thing when it is installed. The Regulations require that any structural alterations made to your property must comply, it makes no difference what they have accepted on your drawings. The fact of the matter is that they have accepted that the stair will be built to BS 5395 and it is your problem to make an 1800mm diameter spiral stair work to that standard.

The reality is that if you talk to your L.A. you will probably find them being far less harsh than the above all sounds, but your manufacturer is quite right to cover his own back, and is being very professional to point all this out before you are committed.

Talk to your L.A. the tears may be unnecessary.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor

Are spiral staircases suitable for the elderly or less able bodied.

2011-06-27T00:00:00+02:00

Obviously less able bodied people are likely to have problems with staircases of all types not just spiral staircases, the Building Regulations do their best to make stairs including spiral staircases as safe to use as is practicable.

I am no expert in the field mobility for the disabled but offer the following as my personal opinion of how spiral staircases may work as compared to alternative stairs. I would suggest that good advice could also be found by contacting the appropriate Association covering a specific disability, such as the RNIB for those with eye sight problems.

My personal opinion is that spiral staircases are as safe if not safer than any other form of staircase. At first glance you may consider that a tapered tread spiral stair has to have problems and therefore my opinion is biased, but my reasons are as follows.

Everyone not just the disabled tend to walk up the outside of a spiral staircase ie. at the widest and safest part of the tread with their hand on the handrail.
Once on the spiral stair the ascending is consistent unlike stairs with quarter landing or turns in straight flight using winding treads. There is no fear of a change of direction. It is really like those helical access ramps that access multi storey car parks, your first reaction is one of panic but once on the thing there is nothing else to do but hold the steering wheel still and enjoy the ride.
The helical handrail is joy to use once you hand is on it, it stays there all the way to the top, you are unlikely to meet newel posts or gaps as you could when a straight stair turns corners etc. You also get a feeling of confidence knowing the the centre pole is consistently on the other side of the tread from the handrail
Most important of all I believe that should you be unfortunate enough to fall while on a staircase, then a spiral staircase is your stair of choice. The helical nature of a spiral staircase means that whatever happens you are unlikely to fall far before your movement is stopped by the balustrade, unlike a typical straight flight where you could end up doing a Charlie Chaplin 'prat fall' from top to bottom

The spiral staircase Doctor

Can a Karina space saver stair fit between standard 16 inch joist spacings.

2011-06-20T00:00:00+02:00

Sorry but old man that I am I have to convert 16" to 400mm (approx), but a good question anyway.

The actual width of a Karina space saver stair tread is 540mm onto which you have to add a balustrade 30mm and then say another 30mm so that the handrail does not touch the opening as it passes through it. So in total you have a minimum of 600mm which will clearly not pass through a 400mm centre-to-centre joist spacings which would have an actual clear space of about 350mm.

In practice is is usually not that difficult to trim a traditional cut roof structure to form a wider opening in the ceiling joists in order to install a space saver stair. You will probably find that the existing loft hatch has done exactly that. The situation is quite different however if your roof structure consists of more modern gang nail trusses. These are not really designed to be trimmed and you should professional seek advice before you attempt this.

Once you have decided to enlarge the space to take the space saver Karina stair I personally would make the opening at least 700mm wide. You will find that this extra space makes the loft more comfortable to access, particularly when you are trying to force your old 26 inch tube TV into loft in the belief that one day they will be collectable.

The stair Doctor

What are treads made of on a Genius spiral staircases.

2011-06-14T00:00:00+02:00

The Genius spiral stair, the Klan spiral stair and just about any other spiral staircase kit has treads made of a composite solid wood treads. This relatively new product is not plywood, it consists of short strips of wood that are glued together to make up a solid whole. This product is used these days in just about anything made with wood particularly furniture and stairs, it has the advantage that wide sheets can be made up which are less susceptible to warping than a single continuous sheet of wood. The Klan spiral stair and most other entry level kits stairs uses beech hardwood but you can also get just about any joinery quality hardwood made up this way if you are prepared to pay for it.

Personally I like natural beech as a spiral staircase timber, it is not the most expensive timber which appeals to an old miser like me. I also think that natural beech in staircase has a light neutral knot free appearance that can match most décors. However should want an alternative shade bear in mind that the Genius spiral staircases also have three stained beech colours, or you can even have natural unvarnished beech treads for self staining and sealing.

The staircase Doctor

Do you have to have 220mm centre going on treads of spiral staircases

2011-06-06T00:00:00+02:00

You would be amazed at how many building designers put this as a requirement on their design drawings for domestic spiral staircases. The reality is that you could in theory design spiral staircases with a 220mm centre going, but in practice it would probably cause problems particularly smaller diameter spiral stairs.

For those who do not know what we are talking about 220mm is the minimum required by part K of the England Wales Building Regulations for the depth of tread that you have available to stand on, it is measured from tread nosing-to-tread nosing . However spiral staircases are invariably designed to comply with the British standard BS 5395 part 2 which is an acceptable alternative under Building Regulations. The reason for this is that the BS is specifically for spiral stairs and gets over some awkward anomalies that Part K insists on for staircases in general.

So for instance under the BS the centre going for a small spiral stair serving say a one room loft conversion need only be 145mm not 220mm. The reason for this difference I have explained in other blogs but it worth doing again because it is important.

A centre going of 220mm on a small spiral staircase, lets say 1500mm diameter, would have the effect of reducing the pitch angle, this in turn has the effect of compressing the helix formed by the staircase. This would mean that the vertical gap between one tread and a higher up tread above it would be reduced. So you get to the situation where you bang your head on the upper tread as you ascend the spiral staircase. The Building Regulations require that you maintain 2000mm head clearance height on any stair so this would be unacceptable.

The conclusion is if you want a spiral staircase use the requirements of the BS and forget part K everything will be honky dory.

The spiral staircase Doctor

Can I transport a kit spiral staircase in my car to my holiday home.

2011-05-31T00:00:00+02:00

Over the years I have loaded many spiral staircase kits into all sorts of vehicles including cars. However it all depends on which spiral stair kit and which car.

As an example,a 1400mm diameter Klan spiral staircase kit is delivered in a palletised crate 1240 x 1000 x 580mm and weighs 200 kgs. This size of crate will fit into the back of a small van and may even fit into an estate car, but lifting a 200kg box in and out of your chariot is no easy matter. The good news is that if you open the crate each individual element of the Klan spiral stair is easy to carry and can fit into boot, back seat, passenger seat and floor wells of most saloon vehicles. Even the centre pole element of kit spiral staircase is supplied in pieces no longer that 1200mm. All the small bits cram into the nooks and crannies.

Obviously it is not possible for me to say how small a car you can get away to load a spiral staircase kit but common sense needs to prevail,leave the Ferrari on the drive and use the Ford. Also note that wooden tread spiral stairs like the Klan are easier to store than say a metal tread kit like the Civik. This is because the metal tread elements include a welded centre pole sleeve that sticks out at right angles to the tread and makes it more difficult to pack.

My advice as always before you buy is talk to a someone who can advise on your specific requirements, between you, you should be able to work out the possibilities.

The Spiral staircase Doctor

Can I put a square spiral staircase on top of a round spiral staircase.

2011-05-23T00:00:00+02:00

An unusual question and one that the old spiral stair doctor has to confess he has never been asked before

First let us define a square spiral stair or a squiral as I once heard a fellow stair head define it. A square spiral goes round in a circle around a centre pole like a normal spiral stair, but the outer edges of treads are shaped so that they form into a series of right angles and the whole spiral staircase ends up as a square rather than a round shape. The idea is that if you are trying to fit a spiral stair into a square shaft surrounded by walls the outer edge of the spiral stair will fit neatly into the corners. Personally I have never been sold on the concept, it makes the balustrading difficult to form and it can limit the options for entry and exit points. However there are people who like the look of it

So this questioner wants a ground to second floor spiral stair that for artistic design reasons is round between ground and first and square from first to second floor. In theory it is possible but as with all spiral staircases there are special considerations and problems with making them work between multiple floors. These are well covered in earlier blogs so need not be gone into here. Having never been involved in such a staircase I have had to think this through, but providing the rotational characteristics of the two spiral staircases work with the floor layout and the floor-to-floor heights I cannot see any major reason why this odd requirement cannot be accommodated. I would not though attempt this with any of kit spiral staircases on the market that offer both square and round versions. For this sort of project you definitely need to be looking a more expensive made-to-measure option and expect to pay more for the unusual design.

The spiral staircase Doctor

Can you put a trap door on a loft spiral staircase or a space saver stair.

2011-05-19T00:00:00+02:00

Assuming that you are using your loft as an unheated storage area then closing it off with a door is a good idea. The door will prevent all the heat from the house disappearing into your loft. There are however downsides to using a horizontal trap door in the ceiling when you change from a loft ladder to a staircase. Both space saver stairs and spiral staircases in fact all staircases have handrails that project up above floor level, these will prevent the loft hatch from closing. You can finish your handrailing at ceiling level but this also creates problems. Unlike loft ladders you walk down a staircase facing out, and this can feel quite awkward stepping onto the stair when descending if you have nothing to grab hold of as you stare into the abyss below. Having said that I know of hundreds of examples of people who have used a trap door solution and are quite happy with it. This invariably is with a kit space saver stair as forming a trap door over the larger area required for a spiral staircase is difficult.

An alternative to a loft hatch is to form a small lobby area on the loft floor and put a normal door in it to access the loft. This will solve both handrail and heat loss problems but it will take up loft space and probably cost more.

A word of warning, under the Building Regulations staircases are required to have guarding from falling off them all the way up, so finishing the handrail finishing at ceiling level would be a no no in the eyes of the law.

The walls make access difficult to my proposed spiral staircase, what can I do?

2011-05-07T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner is trying to install a spiral staircase into a recess downstairs that consists of three surrounding walls. The rotational characteristics of the chosen Genius spiral staircase means the fixed stepping of point upstairs determines that the position the bottom step of the spiral stair downstairs is difficult to access because of the surrounding walls.

This is a typical problem with spiral staircases as I have discussed before the rotation of a spiral stair is basically pre-determined depending on the overall height and the diameter. So if your landing layout upstairs determines that you can only step off at say 6 0'clock then stepping on at the bottom will be a fixed number of degrees rotation, probably between 4 and 8 o'clock. The result of this in some cases is that the bottom tread of the spiral staircase ends up pointing at a wall.

Try reversing the direction of rotation.
Make the floor aperture round instead of square, this allows the spiral staircase landing triangle to be rotated slightly in either direction. This in turn will move the bottom tread by the same amount, which might help.
Start the spiral stair balustrade on tread 2 or even 3 up from the bottom, this allows side access to the bottom tread which may improve things.
Consider putting a double sized bottom tread in, this may or may not give you more access
Start again, knock a wall down and put it all down to experience. Also sack the guy who did your drawings for the project without consulting a man who knows first.

The Staircase Doctor (please please invite me to the Architect lynching).

How do you calculate the going on an alternate tread stair?

2011-05-04T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner is trying to ascertain if his space saver stair complies with the Building Regulations. These sort of stairs are referred to in the regulations as alternating treads stairs, this is because they use paddle shaped steps that are arranged alternately with a full depth of tread on one side only. This arrangement allows you to have a steep space saving staircase that still has enough depth of step front-to-back to walk up.

The Building Regulations require that all staircases (spiral staircases are an exception where other rules can apply) have a minimum amount of usable depth of tread called the going. For domestic stairs in England and Wales the minimum going is 220mm (crude conversion of 9 inches in old money) in Scotland they want 225mm (just be different), and in Ireland they want 220mm minimum with an optimum of 250mm (just to be awkward).

Space saver stairs or alternate tread stairs require the same going as all other stairs but you measure it as defined in part K of the English/Welsh Regs from nosing of one tread to the nosing of the tread two steps above, as opposed to the normal one tread above. In most propriety kit space saver stairs like the Karina,Kya,Berlin or Mini you will find that you have a compliant fixed going of around 240mm. However if you are trying to work out the overall footprint of the stair bear in mind that the actual going of each tread is half of this dimension ie. 120mm. That is why it saves space and gives a compliant tread going at the same time.

Confused? Yes so am I.

The staircase Doctor

What is the maximum height of a concertina electric loft ladder?

2011-04-26T00:00:00+02:00

It all depends on the manufacturer but most pantograph electric loft ladder manufacturers can supply a 12 rung ladder with a maximum floor-to-ceiling height of around 2200mm to 2250mm. There is at least one manufacturer who will go to 13 rungs giving a maximum of 3400mm. Bear in mind that these very high ladders need a longer hatch size typically a minimum of 1300mm long.

Personally I would be hesitant about going up to a 13 rung electric concertina ladder it must be at the very extreme limit of both the electric motor and the drive mechanism to cope with the load. It might be theoretically within limits but I have my doubts about the life span at such extremes. Fortunately it is very rare for domestic ceiling heights to get anywhere near this height. I think commercial situations that require such a height are probably better served by the more expensive sliding or folding wooden electric operated ladders. However even these would probably need special heavy duty gearing to operate successfully at such heights.

The staircase Doctor

Where can I buy an external wooden tread spiral staircase kit?

2011-04-18T00:00:00+02:00

Sorry I do not think there is one on the market. I can understand why, timber treads would not last long enough for any manufacturer to risk producing an external spiral staircase kit with wooden treads. Some Scandinavian manufacturer may one day prove me wrong but I doubt that the demand would warrant it.

What about all the medieval timber framed buildings, timber fences not to mention neolithic Wood Henge I hear you cry. Yes you are right wood has proven to be durable and long lasting, but not in kit spiral stairs. I am sure if you tried you could get someone to manufacture something out of a treated telegraph pole and old railway sleepers that would last a while, but I am not sure that it would appeal

External spiral stair kits are really limited to zinc plated metal as are most external staircases. It may not be the look that you want but at least you will get some mileage out of it before it becomes unsafe to use. You have to bear in mind that even galvanised metal will eventually rust if it is not protected. However you will certainly get your monies worth out of a kit spiral stair like say the Arke Civik Zink, these start at less than a £1000.00 at 2011 prices. I have never really understood how these can be manufactured exported and retailed at such a cheap price. I would certainly hate to have to make one for that sort of price.

Sorry I cannot be of more help

Barney Flintstone The Spiral Stair Doctor

Building control insist I install a loft ladder to my loft instead of a stair, why?

2011-04-12T00:00:00+02:00

The questioner is building a new property and wants to put a stair up to the loft storage area rather than a loft ladder.

I think the problem is that once you put a staircase up to the loft space, that loft space could then be considered as a habitable room. Habitable rooms have requirements for light, ventilation, minimum ceiling heights,protected fire escape routes etc. So it all gets a little complicated. To be honest I can see their point of view, although I understand that your intention is just to get better access to loft storage area, it does make it very easy to use that area as say a bedroom at a later date. In principal there is nothing wrong with that, but bedrooms on the third floor can become death traps in the event of a house fire, so the regulations have quite strict rules requiring a protected escape route to cover that eventuality.

I do not think that they can say "you cannot put a staircase in" but they can make you do a lot of other things to make the room served by the stair become habitable. This extra work may or may not be possible depending on your house design, but I suspect that the head clearance height in the loft and the protected escape route may be problematic and almost certainly expensive to achieve. If you are determined to have your stairs I think you can as long as the project complies with the Building Regulations, but be prepared to carry out lots of extra work to keep 'they who have to be obeyed' happy.

The Staircase Doctor

What are the regulations for the top landing from a spiral staircase with a 60 degree central landing that leads to a doorway of a bedroom.

2011-04-04T00:00:00+02:00

The landing requirements of Part K of the Building Regulations for England and Wales state that length of landing should be at least as wide as the stair width. Therefore if you are using a category A spiral stair serving say one bedroom it would need to have a minimum clear width of 600mm and be about 1500mm in diameter(see BS 5395). So the 600mm clear width between handrail and centre pole would probably be maintained on your 60 degree landing, and as the length of the landing is at least the radius of the stair i.e. 750mm then in my opinion the stair landing itself complies with Part K. This assumes that the door at the top opens into the bedroom and not over the landing. I say in my opinion because the Regs as far as I am concerned are not that clear on the definition and do not specifically mention landings on spiral staircases. Different inspectors may have other interpretations of what the Regs mean , so I would always advise getting the opinion of your specific local Authority Building Control Department before you go too far with your plans.

The Staircase Doctor

Does a cellar stair need to comply with the Building Regulations.

2011-03-29T00:00:00+02:00

If you already have a stair down to an existing cellar, the chances are that the property is at least 100 years old and the staircase will almost certainly not comply with current regulations. This is not a problem, but if what you are talking about is upgrading the cellar and changing the staircase, then the Building Regulations apply, as they do for any structural alterations.

It may be impossible to fit a regulation compliant staircase into the space that you have for access to your cellar, but you really need to seek advise from your Local Authority Building Control department as to what they will allow you to do.

I accept that a lot of people will cringe at the thought of going to the Local Authority for advice, but in my own experience I have found them more help than hindrance, particularly these days when they are competing for business with independent private inspection services. I also think that means of access to converted cellars need some careful thought irrespective of the regulations. In the event of a house fire a cellar is probably the worst place in your house to escape from. I know it may never happen, but it is worth preparing for with as good an escape staircase as you can muster.

The Staircase Doctor

I am having problems getting a spiral staircase with a minimum 220mm centre tread going, why?

2011-03-22T00:00:00+01:00

The Architect on this project had produced as drawing showing a 1500mm diameter spiral staircase with a centre tread going of 220mm.that is to serve as access to a one bedroom loft conversion.

Now I know why she had done that, but I also know why the questioner is having problems getting the spiral staircase actually made.

Part K of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) calls for a minimum centre going on a staircase to be 220mm. This allows enough tread depth for your average size 14 shoe sized teenager to stagger drunkenly up the stairs to their crash pad. However on spiral stairs it is a different ball game under different rules. It is difficult to explain why in a few words but basically a 220mm going on a smaller diameter spiral staircase would produce a stair where the treads above your head would be too low, and would reduce the head clearance height to less than the required 2000mm. So spiral staircase designers resort to using BS 5395 part 2 which covers spiral stairs and has a set of rules that work. This approach is acceptable under the Building Regulations as an alternative approach.

You can tell how far out Part K of the Regulations are when applied to spiral staircases when you compare the 220mm. centre going of the Regulations with the 145mm centre going requirement of the BS. As you can see there is a world of difference but the BS works and is tried and tested.

So your Architect is right but wrong and you would be doing her a favour to point this out. As for your project go with a stair that can meet the BS and tell the Inspector what you are doing and why, you should not have any further problems.

The Spiral Staircase Doctor.

Do I need to strengthen my loft floor for an electric loft ladder.

2011-03-16T00:00:00+01:00

Typical concertina type electric loft ladders weigh around 60 kgs. all in, that is including the hatch and frame etc. This should not normally require any special treatment. Original Loft floor joists are not normally sized to take regular foot traffic so will probably need beefing up in any case if you intend getting more use out of the loft. I assume that this is the case as you are thinking about spending on an electric loft ladder. I do not have enough details and it is beyond the scope of this blog in any case to give specific structural recommendations for your particular loft, but any reputable loft contractor ought to be able to advise you on what is needed.

I think it is worth advising whoever is going to carry out the work in your loft that you intend adding an electric loft ladder that has a self weight approx 60 kgs. The chances are that your existing loft hatch will in any case need enlarging to receive an electric loft ladder which typically will require an opening of 700mm x 1000mm. While making the opening bigger they will probably need to cut through existing joist members and that is is the time to consider what structural elements are need to safely trim the new opening. Trimming an opening to form a floor aperture is not rocket science for your average carpenter and I doubt that a 60kg electric loft ladder will pose any serious problems, but do make sure that they are aware of what you are installing.

Not connected to weight but also worth remembering at an early stage in the works is that an electric loft ladder requires the vital ingredient of electricity in order to work. Before everything gets covered up make sure you have a nice switched supply within the vicinity of the hatch aperture

The Electric loft ladder Doctor

I want to fill in the gaps on my cast iron spiral staircase and add another one ontop up to the loft

2011-03-08T00:00:00+01:00

This question in full explained that the balustrade and treads to this large old cast spiral staircase had big gaps in it that children could climb through. They also now had a need to extend the spiral stair upwards to new loft bedroom. The following is the Staircase Doctors reply.

You have raised some good questions, unfortunately the answers are not so easy to explain but here goes

You could possibly infill the gaps in the existing spiral stair but there is not likely to be a matching product, and you would be unlikely to get any other stair manufacturer (other than perhaps the one that made the stair) to show an interest in it.

Putting one spiral on top of another existing one is possible but it is not really practical (and may be impossible) to use another manufacturers product.

A better solution would be to replace the lot in one go with a new double height spiral. However these can sometimes have layout problems which make it difficult to do for your specific stepping on and off point requirements. The reason for this is that the rotation of a spiral stair is really a fixed number of degrees per tread depending on the diameter. So depending on the number of treads in total this will determine the total rotation of the whole flight. This means that if you have to start at a particular access point at the bottom, the landing at the top may not be where you want it to be to suit your floor layout.The problem gets worse with double height spirals because you have an extra landing halfway up as well as one at the top.None of this may be a problem in your case, but I really need more details of your floor layouts and storey heights in order to advise.

Another point worth noting at this stage is that The British Standards covering spiral staircases requires a main house spiral stair serving the bedrooms on your first floor to be about 2000mm in diameter, and the secondary stair serving a one bedroom loft conversion to be about 1500mm in diameter. So it is worth checking to see that you have enough floor space in your proposed loft conversion to accommodate an approx 1500mm diameter hole in the floor

The Staircase Doctor

I need a white oak spiral staircase to match my kitchen units.

2011-03-03T00:00:00+01:00

Oh dear my heart always sinks when the first question people ask about an important product like a spiral staircase is about the colour. Sure I know it is important but too much emphasis on matching wood shades nearly always ends in disappointment. Wood is a natural product and you will get variation in colour within the same tree never mind different trees from different countries. Add to this the fact that most solid wood spiral staircases are manufactured of Lamila, a product that glues together finger sized blocks of wood to make up a solid plank. This helps prevent warping and is greener because it reduces wastage, but it means that you can have several different colour and grain types in the same tread of a spiral stair. There is also another problem that I have personal experience of, that is mellowing. All natural wood will change colour with age and with exposure to things like sunlight. A few years ago under great pressure from 'her who has to be obeyed' I installed a white American solid oak floor throughout Staircase Castle. I have never been convinced that there is actually a white oak tree but it was a light bleached colour and looked very nice. Now a few years later it is a sort of deep yellow and nothing like the original colour, but hey that is the beauty of a natural product and I love it. Ask anyone on the Antiques Road Show and they will tell you that the value increases with that beautiful natural patina that only arrives with age.

So to answer the enquirers question more directly. You will not get a modular kit spiral staircase in a white oak, but you can get someone to make one for you. However be aware that they can only work with the timber that they are supplied, there is likely to be a variation in shade from any sample that they might show you prior to order. From the day that you install the spiral staircase it will start to slowly change in colour and will probably not be an exact match for your kitchen units in the first place. So expect this, do not worry about it, and you will live longer.

The Staircase Doctor

Will my floor take the weight of a spiral staircase.

2011-02-21T00:00:00+01:00

Not really a question that the old Staircase Doctor is qualified to answer. There is not enough information supplied, in any case all house structures are different so the only way to be sure is to seek local professional advice from a structural engineer

The only thing I can offer is what I know from my own experiences of spiral staircases. Take this as you will, but do not rely on any of it being definitive for your specific project.

First bear in mind that the chances are that whatever spiral staircase you use it is likely that all of its own weight plus any people carrying say a piano will be carried by a base plate on the centre pole that is probably no more than 200mm in diameter. Therefore the questioner is being quite sensible to raise the query before they go to far into their spiral stair project.

In reality you are only likely to carry your grand piano up a large main house staircase, so if your spiral stair is to be your primary house stair then I would take the loading factor quite seriously into your project calculations.

More common is smaller secondary spiral staircase going up to a mezzanine or a single bedroom loft conversion. I personally know of hundreds of these that have been put into all sorts of houses with all sorts of floor constructions without a single thought to floor loading. I have yet to hear of one ending up on the floor below, but that does not mean that it cannot happen.

The best scenario is if the starting floor is a ground floor with a solid concrete slab there is very little likelihood of the spiral staircase baseplate punching a hole through this type of floor, but be wary of putting fixing bolts through underfloor heating. Also be wary of any compressible floor insulation, a solid area without insulation is to be recommended under the spiral stair baseplate.

Suspended timber ground floors are also less problematic as it is usually possible to prop this type of floor so that the joists under the spiral staircase are supported down to the oversite concrete. In practice I have probably recommended this solution to hundreds of customers but have never actually had any feedback that any of them have very gone to that much trouble.

Upper floors which in the UK are usually constructed of timber joisting probably pose a bigger risk. Sods law dictates the the centre point of your spiral staircase will fall between two joists and so the whole stair will sit on just the floorboards. At the very least I would personally put stub joists (noggins) between and at right angles to the existing joists under the base plate area. This will at least spread the load over two joists. You cannot however generalise There are different thickness's of joists and different spans not to mention different weights of spiral stairs, so the fail save is always to seek professional advice. Also be wary of modern chipboard flooring which in my opinion is more likely to have a spiral stair base plate punch a hole through it than traditional timber boarding

The same also applies to solid concrete suspended floors, these will have been designed in the UK to take a safe load but the chances are that a structural engineer could probably prove that the calculations show that a typical spiral staircase would require the load to be spread over a greater area than a typical spiral staircase baseplate.

Though it is way beyond the old Staircase Doctors field I am told that modern flats require sound insulation levels between floors that may require a damping effect under the baseplate to prevent transmitted noise from say horses walking up your spiral staircase. For this you need specialist advice both for the spiral staircase and about the rights and wrongs of keeping horses in your penthouse apartment.

The home on the range Spiral Staircase Doctor.

Can I get a spiral staircase without a centre pole for my circular tower access.

2011-02-16T00:00:00+01:00

Yes you can but this is normally called a helical staircase rather than a spiral staircase.

A spiral staircase has a structural centre pole down the middle that holds up all of the treads. This style of stair usually only has a handrail on the outside although occasionally you will find a handrail also wrapped around the centre pole as well. Technically speaking a spiral staircase is also a helical staircase in that it forms a helix around the centre pole, but to make life easier to call it a spiral so lets not go there.

A helical staircase normally has no centre support and turns around a central hole i.e. it forms a helix. Structurally this is a very different animal altogether because removing the centre support requires something else to support the structure. This is normally done with helical strings (side supports) that go the full height of the staircase, usually both on the inside and outside edges of the helix. As you can imagine this is serious engineering and therefore a serious hole your pocket as well.

I suspect that the questioner is is talking about a large diameter tower (lucky lad) that requires a helical staircase around the outside wall. A smaller council house type tower would simply have a spiral staircase plonked in the middle. It is possible to form this type of staircase in several ways including using the circular wall as a structural support. Whatever type of stair is chosen it will need to be designed and installed by a specialist company who know what they are doing. This will include making sure that the elements of the stair can actually be physically got into the tower prior to assembly. It could look superb but needs careful design and a lot of money.

It all sounds very expensive but very nice, as a staircase enthusiast I cannot imagine anything nicer than an evening in my tower sipping brandy while admiring my open plan minimalist helical staircase to heaven (with apologies to Led Zeppelin).

The Heavy Metal Staircase Doctor

Do you recommend the Klan spiral staircase kit.

2011-02-07T00:00:00+01:00

The simple answer is yes I do, I believe that the Klan spiral staircase ticks more boxes than any other budget kit spiral stair on the market. For a start it has been around longer than any of the rivals and is for sure the world brand leader in the kit spiral staircase market. These two facts are important, the longevity of the Klan and the vast numbers sold are proof that it works and that by now it is tried and tested with any design faults ironed out long ago. The Klan spiral stair is also excellent value for money, though not the cheapest on the market it still heads the leader board because of its manufacturing quality.

I think it is worth taking a look at the history of the kit spiral staircase market to show why I still recommend the Klan. In the early days when kit staircases were still a novel concept the Klan had no real rivals so sold in increasing numbers without a problem. As the market developed more and more manufacturers got in on the act and produced alternative spiral stair kits based on the Klan theme. The excellent design of the Klan left very little room for producing alternatives that could improve on the original. This left only price as a way of grabbing some of the market. These days attempting to produce ever cheaper prices is the norm in this web driven society. In my opinion this had led to kit spiral staircase manufacturers producing stairs with ever cheaper parts in an attempt to beat the opposition on price. Even the manufacturer of the all conquering Klan spiral stair range has now produced a cheaper alternative to get in on the act. The Devil is however is in the detail, you only have to look at the handrail and the fixing details to see why it is sold for less money.

Personally I have always thought that what you get in a kit spiral staircase offers outstanding value for money when compared to the alternative of having a spiral stair made-to-measure for you. Considering that you are probably going to look at and walk up your spiral staircase everyday, I think there becomes a point where the little extra expenditure on quality and reliability is worth every penny. For me anyone looking for a small diameter spiral stair in the budget price ranges need look no further than the Klan.

The Staircase Doctor

Where can I get an external spiral staircase in a coloured finish.

2011-02-02T00:00:00+01:00

Before I answer this question we all need to remind ourselves that in the contest between painted surfaces and the world's climate, The climate wins every time. We may be able to put a man on the moon but old mother nature rules us with a rod of iron

The result of this uneven contest between man and planet is that when it comes to protecting external metalwork including spiral staircases there are not many options that work satisfactorily. The tried and tested method is galvanising a catch all name for a plating process usually using zinc. This works and depending on how well it is done will give a long lasting surface, although even it will not last forever. The down side is that weathered finish is the ubiquitous dull grey colour that we see everywhere.

From an external spiral staircase manufacturers point of view a galvanised finish offers the best and probably the cheapest solution to a reasonably weatherproof product. To offer an alternative external paint type finish is likely to be more expensive and less reliable. Sure there are new space age products around now a days, but they are expensive and in my experience still not as good as zinc plating. If we are talking about kit external spiral stair manufacturers then from my knowledge they all agree with me with one exception that uses a cathaphoresis painting process. I will not go into this details of this process which I think is used successfully in the Automotive industry, but the only external spiral staircase that I have been involved using this process lasted less than six months before the internal rust signs became visible.

So you want a external spiral staircase in a colour to match your geraniums, what can I suggest. Personally I would accept that galvanised is best and purchase a standard kit galvanised external spiral staircase from a reputable supplier.The cost saving over a made-to-measure will probably pay for your colour finish. I would then have it painted to the colour I wanted. I would accept that whatever I do it will need re-coating at some time in the future, but hey. it gives you an opportunity to swop from geraniums to daffodils.

A word of warning, the painting of galvanised metal requires a different approach to other surfaces. Many paints will not adhere to the galvanised surface and processes such as etching the surface first are required. It is rocket science so check what you are doing before you proceed, ask the Painted Galvanised Metal Doctor not me.

The Staircase Doctor

What is a category A spiral staircase.

2011-01-24T00:00:00+01:00

As I have said in previous blogs The Building Regulations do not really go into any detail on spiral staircases, simply saying that if they comply with BS 5395 part 2 1984 they will be adequate.

It is in BS 5395 that you will find a table categorising stairs based on their likely usage. Category A is the lowest usage spiral staircase intended for use by a limited number of people, such as a spiral staircase serving one room (not a living room or a kitchen) in a dwelling. Typically this means a one bedroom loft conversion which can also include an associated en suite bathroom. Two or more rooms moves a spiral staircase into category B which is a dramatic step both in size and cost.

Among other criteria BS 5395 uses a dimension of clear width to divide up the spiral staircase categories in its table. So a category A spiral staircase needs a clear width of 600mm where as a Category B needs 800mm. In practise this means a category A spiral staircase needs to be around at least 1500mm in diameter and a Category B around 2000mm. This makes a big difference, the cost effective and highly popular kit spiral staircases are only manufactured up to a maximum of 1600mm. So if you need a category B you are are into the realm of made-to-measure spiral staircases,this by the nature of the beast will put up the cost considerably.

The Staircase Doctor

Can I put a smaller diameter Klan spiral stair ontop of a larger one.

2011-01-17T00:00:00+01:00

Providing they are the same system of kit spiral stair ie. Klan yes you can. The Klan spiral staircase system as with most other kit form spiral stairs is capable of assembly with say one 13 riser kit on top of another 13 riser kit. That is not to say that the tread rotational characteristics will work with your floor-to-floor height requirements or your required access points on both floors. The problems with making a double height spiral stair work with your specific requirements has been covered in a previous blog but the following is a recap.

The stepping and and off points of a spiral stair are fixed by the degree of rotation of each tread this may not work with your landing points, also the problem gets worse when you have a double height spiral with three access points. However the real killer is the old Building Regulations. these require different widths of tread for different uses. Without going into to it too deeply, you basically need at least a 1500mm diameter Klan spiral stair to serve a one bedroom loft conversion and a spiral stair of approx 2000mm in diameter to serve more than one room. So the chances are that the 1600mm maximum diameter of a Klan spiral stair will not be big enough for your lower stair and the 1500mm required for the upper stair will probably be larger than you were thinking of.

So if that does not put you off there is no technical reason why you cannot put say a 1200mm diameter Klan spiral stair on top of a 1600mm mm diameter Klan spiral stair.

If any of the above negative points are a problem you may still find a solution in a more expensive but more adaptable made-to-measure spiral stairs on the market.

As a final word do not under estimate the problems of a double height spiral staircase, as always talk to a man who knows before you go to far.

The Spiral Stair Doctor

External spiral stair kit complete with balcony.

2011-01-10T00:00:00+01:00

This request is not uncommon, someone who wants to create an external balcony with a spiral staircase going down to the garden. Very nice indeed. In this case they are looking to use a cost effective kit spiral and are hoping to find a kit balcony to go with it.

The answer is no, the external spiral is no problem galvanised kit spiral stairs such as the Civik Zink spiral stair are easily available. The matching kit balcony is another matter. No manufacturer that I know of has ever produced one, and I can understand why. The size of the market is relatively small and the variation in peoples requirements as regards shape , type of structure that it is fixed to, position of access etc. are endless. There is no technical reason why someone cannot produce a modular kit balcony system, but I can not imagine that the market will ever be large enough to be worth the research and development costs. However the old Stair Doctor was wrong once, so who knows someone may take a punt at it in the future.

External balconies really come into the realm of the bespoke manufacturer, a joinery based firm if it is to be made of wood, and a steel fabricator if it is metal. You can easily include a Civik Zink spiral stair in with the design, and this would almost certainly save money over having one made by the bespoke balcony manufacturer.

A word of warning, external balconies on domestic properties will almost certainly need Planning permission and the spiral staircase plus balcony will need to meet the Building Regulations. Personally I would seek advice at the design stage from both your Local Planning department and Building Control, it could save endless tears at a later date.

The Staircase Doctor

Can I buy a kit form spiral stair with oak treads.

2011-01-05T00:00:00+01:00

I think the answer is no, or at least I have never heard of any kit spiral stair manufacturer who offers one.

As an old codger I have seen many changes of 'in vogue' woods. Once upon a time it was the reds of sapele, mahogany and iroko, followed by the knotty creams of the ubiquitous pine furniture and wall claddings. What goes round comes round, and after a quiet period oak is once again the must have fashion accessory. Having said that, oak has been in fashion again for a while now and like white bathroom suites must be on the cusp of retirement again in favour of probably pink bathrooms suites and mahogany furnitures and fittings. Do not laugh, people once said that flared trousers would never make a come back!

Oak is a wonderful joinery quality timber and is certainly suitable for staircases including spiral staircases. The big disadvantages are that there is not a lot of it, it is slow growing and expensive. Beech is the most common hardwood used by most staircase manufacturers for their standard modular ranges. I suspect that the cost of oak would be too prohibitive to consider offering it to the kit market. You can of course have a spiral stair made from oak or anything else for that matter, but I cannot see it making it into the cheaper modular kit stair market.

It is really a question of how much you want to spend on your spiral stair project, at 2011 rates you would need to spend around £1500 on say a 1500mm diameter kit spiral stair in beech, and probably at least double that on the equivalent oak made-to-measure spiral stair.

Do not right off beech for your own spiral stair, the manufacturers have chosen well. Beech is straight grained light coloured hardwood that is basically knot free and readily takes a stain so that you can achieve any shade that you want. In actual fact I think natural beech is not a bad match for the light oaks that are desirable these days. True you do not get the wonderful grains that oak is famous for, but you do not pay for it either. I am an odd ball I admit, but personally I can think of nothing more boring than having floors, furniture, kitchen cabinets and spiral stairs all in the same matching timber. Lighten up a little, save some money, and let some contrast into your home

With apologies to the questioner, the Stair Doctor has a hangover.

The Stair Doctor

What is the difference between The Genius the Klan spiral stairs.

2010-12-16T00:00:00+01:00

The Arke Klan spiral stair is the original kit spiral stair that has been around for ever and has almost certainly been installed in more buildings in more countries of the world than any other model of kit spiral stair that you can mention. It is tried and tested, excellent value for money and appealing to look at. You cannot go wrong with choosing the Klan spiral staircase at the budget end of the market.

The brand name Arke is owned by the leading Italian staircase manufacturer Albini and Fontanot, who to confuse the issue further now trade as just Fontanot. Quite what happened to Signor Albini I do not know. However after many successful years offering the Klan spiral stair, this innovative manufacturer decided to introduce a more up market luxury spiral stair to complement the Klan range. They called it the Genius and for reasons known only to themselves launched it under their Company name rather than the Arke brand

So what is the difference. Well both are based on approximately the same tried and trusted kit spiral stair design, and both are based on approximately the same size modules. There are however some significant aesthetic differences that put the Genius more into the luxury end of the market.

The difference that I like the best is the solid wood helical handrail on the Genius spiral stair as opposed to the dense PVC and acrylic wood grain film of the Klan spiral stair handrail. There is nothing wrong with the look or function of the Klan handrail but you cannot beat the looks or feel of natural wood if you are prepared to pay for it. Making a solid wood corkscrew is no mean feat and then to make it so that it can be assembled from short pieces on site is an even bigger feat, but it is also not a cheap manufacturing process.

Both the Klan and the Genius spiral stair ranges have a vertical baluster system but the Genius also offers a wrap-around stainless steel wire balustrade system that is very popular

The Genius spiral stair range has a choice of four wood shades and three metal colours, while the Klan range has just two wood colours and three metal colours

The height adjustment system on both the Genius and the Klan utilise centre pole spacer washers. These match the centre pole colour on the Klan but are see through on the Genius spiral stair. This does not sound like much but when you see it you will see that it adds a really interesting feature to the whole thing.

A feature of the Genius spiral stair range that can become very cost effective for low overall height stairs is the fact that each Genius is ordered to suit the specific height and layout for each individual customer. The Klan spiral stair range is pre-packed in a basic 13 riser kit which is the typical height range, but it does mean that you will end up paying for two spare treads if you only need an 11 riser spiral stair.

In conclusion you will never hear the old Stair Doctor say anything bad about the Klan range, as I have already said it is tried, tested and the best value for money on the market. The Genius range takes over only if you need a spiral stair that needs that little bit more class look, and you are prepared to pay extra for it. The truth is that you will not be disappointed with either of them

The Stair Doctor

I have restricted access points to my proposed spiral stair what can you suggest.

2010-12-07T00:00:00+01:00

If I understand your question correctly it is a good question. Lots of people design buildings making the assumption that that providing you have allowed enough space for the spiral stair to fit, then the top and bottom steps i.e. the access points can go anywhere that you like to suit the surrounding walls. This is far from the case. The overall height will determine the number of treads that your spiral stair will need. This along with the spiral stair diameter in turn will determine the amount of rotation between the bottom and top treads,such as say 350 degrees. This is because the number of degrees that an individual spiral stair tread rotates is really restricted. Too few degrees and the amount of tread that have to stand on is too small. Too many degrees and you will have plenty to stand on, but it will cause headroom problems under the overhead treads. This last part may not be obvious, but if you think about it more degrees means that the spiral stair treads ascend at a shallower angle, which in turn means that the distance between any tread and the tread above will be reduced, because you are in effect compressing the helix that a spiral stair forms.

OK this is making my head hurt as well, so just accept that you cannot play around with spiral stair rotation, what you get is there for a reason. Typically a spiral staircase will rotate around 360 degrees for a typical floor-to-floor height using a smallish diameter spiral say 1500mm. So if you say my surrounding walls downstairs determines that I have to step on the spiral stair at the bottom at 12 o'cloak, then you will have to step off at 12 o'clock at the top as well, irrespective of where your walls are located.

So let us assume the position of the top tread does not suit your room layout, we are now back to the question, can we do anything about it. The answer is yes within limits, but you will probably need the help of a man who knows, but the following are a few suggestions. In these examples bear in mind that we are assuming that the bottom tread of the spiral stair is where you want it to be, but you need to nudge the top tread either a bit further either backwards or forwards to that you do not step off into a wall.

Use a double sized tread at the bottom, this will move the tread at the top round one rotation and may also allow you to nudge the bottom round a little to help even more
Use a different shaped landing at the top of the spiral stair, such things as a trapezoidal or square landing will change the stepping off point at the top.
Rotate the spiral stair in the opposite direction i.e. say clockwise rather than anti-clockwise. This will change the position for any stair that is not exactly 360 degrees rotation. Lets say for example the rotation is 330 degrees then you would step on at 12 o'clock and step off at either 11 or 1 o'clock depending on which direction you rotate the spiral stair. Either will of course change the top tread position.
Consider using a circular aperture in the floor, this will allow the whole spiral stair to rotate freely and though it will not change the fixed position between the top and the bottom tread, you may able to rotate the whole spiral stair around enough to get an acceptable position for both access points

All of these measures will only create a little movement if you are trying to say rotate 270 degrees rather than say 360 degrees it is doubtful that there is a workable solution, but you never know it worth talking to the proverbial man who knows before you panic further.

The Spiral Stair Doctor

I need a child gate for my spiral stair.

2010-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

I have been asked this question many times but still do not have a positive answer. I have never yet found a manufacturer who has produced a child gate specifically for spiral staircases. This is not really surprising, the market for such a product is not particularly large and the variation in designs of spiral stair must make the design of a universal spiral stair child gate a near impossibility.

That said I think that most child gates on the market could be adapted by a competent DIY'er to fit most spiral stairs, with the possible exception of small spiral stairs of say less than 1500mm diameter for which I think the tread width would be too narrow for the minimum width of most gates.

. You could argue that spiral stair manufacturers could produce child gates for their own products. This is true, but again the demand probably does not warrant the research and design. Also in this age of ligation at the drop of hat, the risks of being taken to court for an accident due to the failure of the gate kills any further thoughts of offering a product.

There is not a lot I can suggest to help I am afraid, once upon a time nearly all fathers would have had the skills to cobble together a spiral stair child gate out of bits they had found in the shed. That would now be the exception rather than the rule in these computer skills only times. I suppose the only suggestion I have is to get your dad working on the project for his grandchildren.

The Stair Doctor

Can my Klan kit spiral staircase rotate in the opposite direction.

2010-11-23T00:00:00+01:00

Yes the rotation of the Klan spiral stair can be chosen on site. This is also true of most of the popular kit spiral stair kits. The treads are symmetrical so they can rotate either way. There is however a point to bear in mind. The Klan spiral stair kit like most spiral stair kits uses solid beech treads made up of strips of wood glued together, this actually helps prevent warping. The treads are shaped in such a way that the leading (front facing) edge of the tread has a face that shows the lineal grain of the wood. The opposite edge (back facing) will show the end grain of each strip of wood and is therefore not so attractive, which is why it is hidden at the back. What this means is that to reverse the direction of rotation of the whole spiral stair each tread has to be turned over in order to maintain the attractive lineal grain at the front edge. This may sound obvious but you can also reverse the direction of rotation by just swinging the treads round in the opposite direction, this may work just as well but it will not look so good.

This raises the question of, are you trying to reverse the direction of rotation of an existing spiral stair or is it a spiral stair kit being erected for the first time. You can still reverse it in either case, but the treads in the case of the existing spiral stair may have fixing holes in the surface of the tread for such things as balusters or risers bars. These holes may be redundant but exposed if you choose to turn the tread over to reverse the direction.

The Stair Doctor

I cannot find an electric loft ladder to suit my joist spacings,why.

2010-11-17T00:00:00+01:00

Most electric loft ladder systems are made to standard modular sizes in order to reduce production costs and therefore also the cost that you pay. Most manufacturers will produce made-to-measure electric loft ladder sizes, but it will increase the price considerably.

Electric loft ladders also have limits in both width and length of hatch size. There is for instance a minimum width that is determined by the amount of width that you need to squeeze in both the ladder and the operating gear. The Fantozzi FE1 electric loft ladder cannot be squeezed into a width of less than 650mm and this is typical of most pantograph metal ladder systems. The length is governed by weight, too long and the hatch will weigh too much for the electric loft ladder operating system. Again the Fantozzi FE1 electric loft ladder can be no longer than 1300mm in hatch size.

You also have to consider the practicalities, most UK houses have joist spacing between 400mm and 600mm which is really too narrow for a comfortable loft access. It seems pointless to spend £ 2000 on a lovely easy to use electric loft ladder, only to find that the size is too small for comfortable access.

In my opinion once you have made the decision to get comfortable access to your model railway in the loft via an electric loft ladder, it makes economic and practical sense to use a standard size and have your existing loft hatch made to suit. Trimming ceiling joists is usually easier and less expensive than you think. You do however have to be more careful with modern trussed roofs where you may need to seek advice before you start cutting out truss elements.

The Stair and Electric Loft Ladder Doctor

Why do spiral stairs need to be a certain diameter in order to comply with the Regulations.

2010-11-09T00:00:00+01:00

Actually spiral stairs do not need to be any specific diameter to comply with any of the Building Regulations covering the UK and Ireland. What spiral stairs do need is to have a certain amount of clear width depending on their usage. The clear width of spiral staircase is defined in B.S. 5395 part 2 as the distance between the outside of the centre pole and the inside of the handrail. This in effect is the amount of clear space that you have to ascend the stair. You will find more in depth details of this in my previous blogs, but basically in houses secondary spiral stairs serving one room need 600mm clear width, and primary spiral stairs serving more than one room need 800mm clear width

In practise secondary spiral staircases are likely to be no less 1500mm in diameter, maybe 1400mm at a pinch, and primary spiral staircases no less than 1850mm in diameter. You cannot be specific because it all depends on the spiral stair construction details, such as the centre pole and handrail sizes which will affect the clear width. popular kit spiral stairs such as the Klan spiral stair or the Genius spiral stair require a 1500mm diameter to comply as a secondary stair and are not available in sizes large enough for a primary spiral stair. Primary spirals stairs come into the realm of the bespoke spiral stair and you are hardly likely to find any stair construction that gives a clear width of 800mm in less than a diameter of 1850mm., and in many cases it is more likely to be nearer 2000mm.

The Stair Doctor

Can I have a spiral stair made to match my bamboo flooring.

2010-11-03T00:00:00+01:00

OK I have to admit it, the old Stair Doctor does not really know the answer for once.

Bamboo has been used forever in the East as a building material because of its strength durability and cheapness. Over recent years it has become popular in the West as a flooring material which as bamboo is a grass not a wood is supposed to make it a green renewable resource. I have a feeling that the transport from the tropics to the US or Europe probably cancels most of its green credentials, but what do I know about anything.

Most bamboo used in the UK seems to be in flooring, where I think it is processed by gluing strips together then planing it down into planks, or it is chibbled up into strands and glued together like chipboard. There may be other processes but it is not important to the spiral staircase question how it is made. What is important is whether the attractive product is available in thick enough planks for stair manufacturer to machine it up into an attractive spiral staircase.

I have not been able to find anybody who is doing this at the moment, and I suspect that we are still some way off before someone takes the financial risk of introducing this to the market. However I think the situation will change one day because grass grows quicker than trees and it must be an advantage to be able to run your lawn mower over it every five years to obtain usable construction material.

You may have more luck than me in your search, but even if you do I suspect it will be very expensive and probably not match your flooring anyway, unless the bamboo comes from the same processing plant. Personally I think attempting to match any household fixture such a staircase to another such as flooring or kitchen units can end in tears whatever you choose. Wood, or grass for that matter, are natural products that will have natural variations in colour across one tree never mind the same species of tree from another forest. This variation is what makes real wood look better than any imitation.

Most kit manufactured stairs are made from beech which is then stained to different colours. You can invariably find a decent colour within the colour range to match either natural or the darker carbonised bamboo. With made-to-measure spiral staircases you will have more options on timber species and if you wish can probably play around with stains to get a colour match. Who knows you may even find a joiners shop who will make a whole stair from bamboo for you.

As a final thought you might like to consider an old Navaho Indian architects adage which says "If you cannot match it, contrast it". I think a totally different colour can some times add to the appeal

Are electric loft ladders suitable for less than able people

2010-10-21T00:00:00+02:00

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

What is the best kit stair for a loft conversion?

2010-10-12T00:00:00+02:00

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

What is the smallest spiral stair that complies with the Building Regulations

2010-09-15T00:00:00+02:00

The various national Building Regulation Authorities for all of the UK and R.O.I. refer you to B.S. 5395 part 2 as being an acceptable standard for spiral stairs. Comply with that and you are OK. Therefore everyone in the spiral staircase game refers to that standard as the basis for design.

The smallest spiral stair permissible under B.S. 5395 is a spiral stair that has a clear width of 600mm. This is defined as a category A small private stair that is intended for use by a limited number of people e.g. an internal stair in a dwelling serving one room, that room cannot be a kitchen or a living room. So it is basically for one bedroom in a house. More than one bedroom and it has to be a bigger category B stair.

The problem with telling you what is the smallest diameter you can use as a category A spiral stair is the definition of 600mm clear width. This actually means the amount of space you have to walk up the stair without obstruction, and is measured as the distance from the inside of the handrail to the outside of the central column of the spiral stair. So if your hips are over 600mm wide either go on a diet or buy a bigger spiral stair. The radius of a 600mm clear width spiral stair will be 600mm plus the handrail (assuming the the handrail is on the outside edge of the spiral) and half of the centre column diameter. Multiply this by two and you have the overall diameter of an acceptable category A spiral stair. However the size of the centre column and the handrail will vary depending what material they are made of and other aesthetic factors so it is not possible to state a one size fits all diameter that will comply.

In practise you are not likely to find a spiral stair of less than 1400mm in diameter and more likely 1500mm in diameter that will comply with the width requirement of B.S.5395. Theoretically you could have a 1300mm diameter that would comply but it is certainly not available as a kit stair and would have to be a very slender design to comply.

The Stair Doctor

Which is better a round or a square aperture for a spiral stair.

2010-09-08T00:00:00+02:00

It is really a matter of personal taste,there is no real structural differences either way, but there are several things to consider when cutting a hole in the upper floor to accommodate a spiral staircase.

First the hole has to be at least the same size as the diameter of the spiral stair plus ideally at least an extra 50mm to allow some clearance room on the outside of the spiral stair handrail as it passes through the opening.

Assuming that you have an upper floor constructed from timber joists and timber boarding, square holes are much easier to construct because you only have to trim the existing joist to form the aperture.

Round holes are far more difficult to construct because you have to first form a square hole, then make a threepenny bit shape (fifty pence shape if you are a baby) with offcuts of floor joists and finally form the circular opening with plywood or plasterboard.

The most difficult detail of a round aperture is to neatly finish the circular join between floor finish and vertical face of the aperture, not an easy problem to solve and a bespoke circular lipping can cost a fortune.

On the plus side round spiral stair openings look superb from both below and above, and a circular landing balustrade looks both good and is readily available with most spiral stair kits.

On the technical side round openings to spiral staircases allow for an infinite variation of stepping off points because you can rotate the whole stair anywhere through 360 degrees. A square aperture really restricts the stepping off points to just the centre of the four sides plus a few more options if you use a spiral stair with a trapezoidal landing detail (see earlier blogs covering this). This may not sound like much difference but it can mean everything if you are restricted in the access points to the spiral stair on either floor.

The Staircase Doctor.

Can the Genius modular stair be used as a space saver stair.

2010-09-02T00:00:00+02:00

Technically no, the Genius is a full tread staircase and it will take up about the same space as any typical house main staircase. With the exception of paddle shaped space saver stairs like the Karina all other stairs that are designed to comply with the Building Regulations will have very little room for movement as regards space saving. However the Genius modular staircase is adjustable in both height and length (rise and going) and this fact together with the option of a narrow 670mm tread width does mean that it is capable of squeezing into some fairly tight spaces and is therefore space saving. The down side is that it will not comply with the rise going and pitch requirements of any of the UK or ROI Regulations and it will be steep with a small tread going to stand on. That said it will look superb compared to a paddle shaped tread space saver stair.

It is not possible to give any specific footprint sizes that are achievable without knowing the floor-to-floor height and the stair layout that you require. As a guide the maximum tread rise of a Genius modular stair is 230mm and the minimum going is 190mm. This will produce the steepest (50 degrees pitch) and the shortest stair (approx 2350mm for a straight 13 riser stair). As always to get an accurate calculation on your specific stair you will need to consult a technical adviser with your details.

The Stair Doctor

How do you calculate the pitch of a stairs

2010-08-26T00:00:00+02:00

Oh dear someone was not listening during the school trigonometry lesson.

OK I am not Pythagoras and it is not the job of this stair man (remember David Bowie sang song about me) to teach mathematics, even if I was qualified to do so, which I am not. I do however understand how annoying it is to not grasp the connection between school boy maths and the steepness of your stair. So here goes for an explanation.

I have to assume that you did at least do trigonometry and although you have forgotten it and probably never understood it anyway, you can at least grasp the fact that if you know certain angles and lengths of sides in a right angled triangle you can work out other angles and sides. In actual fact it does not really matter what you understand you can still get the right answer to your staircase pitch if you apply the following and can get hold of a scientific calculator.

So where do we find a right angled triangle in our staircase. Well there are lots of them but the one we are interested in is the triangle that is formed between one step and the next. The height between the top of one staircase step and the next one (known as the rise) is one side of our triangle. The length from front to back of a tread (known as the going) is another side. If you think about it these two sides are at right angles to each other and the the third side of the triangle is an imaginary line that runs from the front edge of one step to the front edge of the next step (known as the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle). If you can work out the angle of this line to the horizontal this will tell you the pitch angle of your staircase.

Now this is where those clever Greeks come into it, they worked out a way to calculate this angle providing you know the lengths of two of the sides of the triangle, which in the case of your stair you do because you already know the rise and the going. If you do not know these two lengths you are wasting your time asking questions about angles,go and have a rest instead. So trying not to get too complicated Trigonometry tells us that the Tangent of this angle equals the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side. Therefore the Tangent of the angle equals rise divided by going. Do not worry if none of this makes sense to you, all you have to do is obtain a calculator that has trig functions on it (scientific calculator), use it to divide your rise by your going then press the inverse tangent key and it will convert the answer to a number that will be the degrees of pitch of your stair. Less than 42 degrees and it will comply with the UK & Ireland Building Regulations. Easy pesy.

OK maybe not easy so here is another non calculation solution that requires a school boy protractor or any angle measuring device. On sheet of A4 paper mark the length of the going along one edge then mark the length of the rise along the adjacent edge. So you now have two lines going away from one corner of the paper. Now draw a line diagonally across the paper from the end of going line to the end of the rise line. You now have a right angled triangle and the angle formed between your going line and your diagonal line is the pitch of your stairs. Measure this with your protractor. You get extra points if the protractor still has your school nickname scratched on it

The Stair man waiting in the sky

Which goes in first, floor finish or spiral staircase.

2010-08-17T00:00:00+02:00

It is always nice when someone asks a sensible question like this, it shows that they are thinking ahead, and that can save a lot of heartache on a building project. The answer is either way will work but there are pros and cons both ways that need to be considered. The main thing to remember is that nearly all spiral stairs finish at floor level with a base plate (usually round approx 200mm diameter) that is fixed to the centre pole and floor. This base plate takes the entire load of the spiral staircase so it is important that it is fixed to a solid construction. Any movement and you will end up with a giant pogo stick. This is particularly important with modern enginereed wood flooring that often has a compressible under layer that can cause problems. It also needs to be considered with any under floor insulation or heating system which ideally should be be omitted in a small area where the base plate sits. Non of the above answer the original question but is non the less important.

So floor or stair first?

Install staircase first then floor finish.

Plus points.

The floor finish will not be under the spiral stair base plate so compression at least of the floor finish is not a problem.
The stair can go in earlier in the building process so be used for access (see also minus points)
The floor finish cannot be damaged by the spiral staircase erection process.

Minus Points

It is more difficult and in some cases almost impossible to neatly finish the floor finish around the spiral staircases base plate. Engineering click system flooring is particularly difficult to finish neatly and carpet will need to have a cut right to the edge of the carpet in order to get the carpet around the spiral stair.
Putting the stair in early in the project runs the risk of damage from big clumsy footed builders in hob nailed boots with mud on them.
Unless allowed for in the design the floor finish will alter the step height of the first tread.

Install floor finish then staircase.

Plus points.

A lot easier to fit the floor finish with no awkward cuts around the spiral stair base plate
The spiral staircase can be installed late to avoid the hob nailed boots problem.

Minus points

The hob nailed boots will damage the floor finish unless it is protected.
Consideration needs to be given any compression ofthe floor finish.

On balance in most cases I favour floor finish first as I think that the scribing of the floor finish around the base plate can be the biggest headache. This method also allows you to have it both ways if you wish. You can cut a nice neat circular hole in the already layed carpet or floor board and plonk your spiral staircase base plate into it.

The Staircase Doctor

What are the rules about maintaining 2000mm head clearance height on a staircase?

2010-07-28T00:00:00+02:00

A good question and really quite simple to explain

The answer lies in Part K of the UK Building Regulations which actually applies to England and Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland have there own similar rules, bless them. This regulation says that you must maintain a clear headroom of at least 2000mm on both a stair and the landing areas at the top and bottom of the stairway. On the stair this is measured vertically from an imaginary line (pitch line) that passes through nosings of each tread. There is a relaxation for loft conversions where there is not enough space to achieve this under a sloping roof. In this circumstance you are allowed to have 1900mm headroom in the middle of the tread reducing down to 1800mm on one side that would mean it being higher than 1900mm on the other side. You cannot have it 1900mm all the way across.

You may ask why they have this rule, the answer being all about safe access and particularly egress in the case of a fire. I do not think it is a silly rule, but try applying it in a cottage where the ceilings are less than 2000mm high never mind the stairways. One has to hope for common sense on the part of Big Brothers inspector when it comes to older properties. In general I have found that common sense does prevail in such cases, but you are on your own if you are trying to squeeze a room out of a loft space when it is clearly not high enough to house an Itura forest pygmy.

Time and time again I have been asked to work out how to squeeze a regulation compliant stair into a loft space where the only place that you can stand up in is under the ridgeline. It is OK if you are prepared to extend with dormers coming out of the roof, but many times people do not want to go to the expense or trouble of a full conversion, but just want to utilise the existing loft area for storage. This is usually a euphemism for I am broke have four kids and only three bedrooms.

I do not blame people for using what space they have available in their own little castle, but I add note of caution, house fires kill and in the admitted unlikely event of a fire, getting people out in a hurry can save lives and should be considered when you are extending your nest.

So we now know the rules and you are tight for space is there anything you can do? Unfortunately there is no magic potion for this problem unless you live in a tardis. There are however a few things that you can consider.

OK you cannot afford Dormers style windows to create space, but a Velux type roof window strategically placed over the stair can very often create the extra few millimetres of required headroom, plus it lets in light and ventilation

A spiral stair under the ridge line may work when a longer flight will not. See earlier blogs on the Regulations for spiral stairs.

A space saver stair is steeper and takes up less room so by the nature of the beast is likely to work where a longer wider full staircase will not. See earlier blogs on the Regulations for space saver staircases.

A final note of caution, if you are thinking of putting a stair over a existing staircase remember that you will also need to maintain head height on the existing stair as well. A lot of people cannot see how this can be a problem but believe me your new upper stair can easily encroach on the existing, so it needs thinking about

As always if you do not know ask a man who does

Pharoah stair Doctor

I do not know my floor-to floor height, can I still order a spiral staircase?

2010-07-21T00:00:00+02:00

This question can often arise if your project is new build. You quite rightly want to organise the spiral staircase well in advance but yours floors are not yet constructed.

Logically you can take the floor-to floor height from your architects drawings but this would be a folly, take it from an old construction hand there has never been a building constructed that is an exact match to the design. "What about the great pyramid at Giza I hear you cry". Well I have sat on top of it and can assure you that like most things it was more cock up than design, they have not even finished it yet! Khufu is still in dispute with the contractors over the workmanship. The best excuse I have ever heard in the site cabin was from the foreman on the Taj Mahal who when it was nearly finished had it pointed out to him by the Shah Jahan that the external minarets were not vertical but actually leaning slightly away from the main structure. "Yes" he replied without a hint of surprise, "I have done it that way so that if there is an earthquake they will fall away from the building"! What a star, that man is my hero, he even got a bonus from the boss for his forward thinking.

So what can we do; as you realise the height of a spiral stair is critical, you need the top step to finish at the same height as the upper floor. In fact this applies to all stairs not just spiral staircases. So lets look more closely at the problem.

Usually you can get fairly close to know the finished floor-to-floor height, the unknowns are often the thicknesses of the as yet undecided floor finishes and probably the un-laid screed. Well if the floor finishes are the same on both floors they will cancel each other out so you can discount them in the calculation. Floor screeds by the nature of the beast are never perfect despite what Mr "I only accept perfection" will tell you. If your screed is supposed to be 75mm thick it may be a possibility to put a 75mm. thick pad at the centre point of the spiral stair and tell the screeder to use that as benchmark to work away from. You might well already have other benchmarks such as existing floors that you also need to work to and these may differ slightly, but every screeder worth his salt can usually run the difference out without you ever being aware of it.

So we now have our best shot at what we think will be the finished floor-to-floor height, what do we do now.

If you can, use a kit spiral stair, they are all adjustable in height, so adding or removing a height adjustment shim can accommodate any discrepancies.

If your spiral stair is made-to-measure, give it your best shot in floor-to-floor height then consider taking say 5-10 mm off the height of the bottom tread at the manufacturing stage. Get you supplier to supply four 5mm. base plate shims which will allow you to pack up the base plate by up to 20mm if need be. You will also need an extra deep base plate cover so that it will cover the extra shims. Technically this will mean the bottom tread will have a slightly higher or lower tread rise than the other treads which is a no no, but I doubt anyone will ever notice. If they do, say it is part of your earthquake survival strategy, it always works.

A final thought on floor-to-floor heights for any staircase. If your upper floor is being carpeted consider finishing the top tread at the height of the top of the carpet. This will make a better detail without the need of a visible carpet edge gripper.

The Pharaoh Stair Doctor

I want to replace my existing my existing ugly spiral staircase, what do you recommend?

2010-07-09T00:00:00+02:00

a fairly unusual question, but a similar thought has often occurred to me about my other half.

Spiral stairs have always been desirable but never that popular because of the expense and the room layout required to accommodate them. There has always been a small trend to include a spiral staircase in one off architect designed houses, but anything over twenty years old is probably now looking dated. Just like kitchens or bathrooms, what was once desirable becomes ugly as fashion changes. When people come to me to change an existing spiral stair I have a rough idea what the existing looks like. Usually it will be a mock fancy wrought iron antique animal,definitely no longer in vogue, or a crude metal and timber thing from the seventies that never looked good even when it was new.

Whatever the reason the spiral stair has to go, and these days there are wonderful options on the market for spiral staircases made in arrange of styles.

I cannot really offer suggestions as to type of spiral stair, that all depends on personal taste and depth of pocket. However I think the best I can offer are a few pitfalls to avoid before you go too far down the road of replacement.

First in order to replace you have to rip out the old spiral and this may be a bigger job than you imagine. A lot of older spiral stairs tended to be built in, sometimes even fabricated on site with the top step being formed out of the house landing area rather than part of the stair. Most modern spiral staircases have this landing included with the stair as a top tread, so it may mean some serious alteration to your landing floor in order to accommodate a new spiral stair.

When you take out the old spiral staircase will the base plate leave a hole in the floor finish that needs making good? This also applies to the upper floor finish and any other points of contact with the house structure.

Have you thought about landing balustrade? This will need to be replaced to match the new spiral stair, and this again may need lots of remedial work to the upper floor and wall finishes.

Modern spiral stairs tend to have a bigger centre pole than older welded up all metal models. This means that you get less tread width for the same diameter, which in turn may mean that it dose not comply with the Building Regulations if the new spiral stair uses the same diameter as the old. Mind you in all probability your old spiral staircase does not comply either.

The angle of tread rotation of a new spiral stair may not match the old, this will affect the position of the first tread at the bottom, it may no longer be where you want it to be. You can of course get a spiral stair made to match the rotation of the existing, but it will cost more and may not be available in the economic kit spiral stairs that are now available.

Other than the above I cannot think of any reason why you should not go for it, a new spiral stair will enhance your property value and add a real Grand Designs factor.

The Stair Doctor.

Are there fitting services available for modular kit straight or spiral staircases?

2010-07-05T00:00:00+02:00

Yes there are some retailers who offer a fitting service and some who don't mainly because most of these products are sold as a DIY/ local builder installed product with a complete set of fitting instructions and an installation DVD. There are also a few independent fitters around who will travel to fit staircases.

I think you have to be realistic about costs when it comes fitting a kit staircase. Do not fool yourself that it will be a carpenters wages for a day. Offering a nationwide fitting service is an expensive business and attempting to only fit locally is not likely to produce enough work to make it a worthwhile occupation. You also have to consider that in most cases actually fitting your spiral staircase is only half the story. In lots of cases new floor openings have to be formed and old staircases or walls may need moving. These are long and expensive jobs for a travelling stair fitter. If you are not fitting yourself, do you also want the fitter to visit and survey it as well? This is possible, but not done for nothing if he is not local.

It is very difficult to guess peoples prices on such matters but I would expect a straight forward fitting of say a 1600mm diameter Genius spiral stair kit in an opening that is already prepared and waiting to be around £500- £600 at 2010 prices, maybe even more if you have to take travelling time and even overnight accommodation into the equation. More like £2000 plus if there is much extra work to the surrounding structure or stair well to be done. Spiral staircase kits are not so complicated to fit but it would be a brave man and his mate who could guarantee doing one in day every time.

If fitting costs are an issue there is strong argument for using a local tradesman or a local jobbing building company, you may even drop on a local experienced stair fitter but that would be a stroke of luck. Local tradesmen are more likely to be available to visit prior to fitting to assess the situation, and they are certainly in a better position if any unexpected problems arise that need extra material etc. They also have a local home to go to if the game runs into extra time.

You could adopt the attitude that if you are given a fixed price then none of the above problems matter to you. Contractually that is true,but I have lost count of the projects that have ended in tears because of an unrealistic customer, or more likely an unrealistic tradesman, rushing trying to solve unforeseen problems in a fixed time and price frame.

So to sum up, if you want the stair fitted by an existing expert with no hassle what so ever be prepared to pay. If you are prepared to look for a good local carpenter or other tradesman with a brain you may save a lot of money. Who knows after fitting your stair your tradesman may even become the local expert fitter for your neighbours when they try to go one better than your stair project.

The Stair Doctor

Can you put a Karina space saver stair between two walls?

2010-06-10T00:00:00+02:00

I assume that you mean a straight staircase with walls either side that are no wider than the width of the stair. The answer is yes you can, this is typically done in a three-bed semi with two main bedrooms and a box room. A staircase is built in one of the bedrooms along the party wall between the two main bedrooms in order to access the loft. Then a new stud wall is built to enclose the stair from the bedrooms. This is combined with forming a new access in the landing wall to access the space saver staircase

This all works very well, and takes up the minimum amount of space, but it does normally mean repositioning one of the existing bedroom doors, as well as building the staircase access door. One thing to be aware of is that open plan metal and wood space saver stair kits like the Karina, Kya, Gamia Mini Plus and Berlin all have gaps between the treads through which you will be able to see the enclosed area beneath the stairs. A good solution to this is to box in the underside of the staircase and put an access door in your new wall to this useful storage area.

An alternative would be to use a traditional all timber closed stringer stair with alternate treads and closed risers. You may find an "off the shelf" traditional timber kit that fits your height and going,or you may have to have one made by a joinery shop.

The Stair Doctor

Are electric loft ladders available for roof terraces?

2010-06-10T00:00:00+02:00

It is becoming increasingly popular to access roof areas for sun bathing/ party decks etc. This for obvious reasons tends to be a fashion for big city flat dwellers,and who can blame them. Access to the roof normally has to be via a ladder, as typically there is not enough room for a staircase. Continental loft ladder manufacturers have long satisfied this demand, particularly around the shores of the Med where flat roofs are popular. Most of these manufacturers produce a loft ladder that when folded is housed in metal box with an opening lid on top. The whole thing is plonked onto the flat roof and provides a lockable waterproof terrace access. They work very well and solve a difficult problem in one piece of kit, but they are designed for Mediterranean climates. I have only ever seen an Austrian model that was insulated, and therefore more suitable for Northern Climes. I also think that some careful thought has to be given to waterproofing. As all the ones that I have seen are simple galvanised sheet metal boxes that sit on the roof and require roofing felt to be dressed up the sides to finish under the overhanging lid. This is maybe fine around the Med but I am not sure how well it will survive six storeys up facing a gale in an English winter. I am not saying That you should not use these terrace access loft ladders, but I do think you should probably consider carefully the waterproofing details.

So can you have a electrically operated terrace loft ladder? I know of only one manufacturer who does make a model that is offered electrically operated. It would really gain you some brownie points to invite your neighbours onto the terrace via your electric loft ladder. My only real thoughts on the subject are as already mentioned above but more so. You have now added electricity into the equation. Electric circuits do not go well with the sort of condensation that you are likely to get in a tin box on the roof in a British winter. Personally I would make sure to install the supply cable via a trip device, as well as insulating the box somehow. I would also put holes in the plywood lower hatch to allow both ventilation and heat to circulate around the box in winter. The last you want to do is find your expensive 'show off' loft ladder is not working at the first BBQ of the year,the neighbours will not be impressed.

The Staircase Doctor

Can you put one modular kit flight stair on top of another in a 3 storey house?

2010-05-19T00:00:00+02:00

A good question, and one that I have been asked several times before.

The usual scenario is that someone converts a house from a two storey to a three storey dwelling, and in the process decides to replace the existing stair. Logically the new first to second floor stair will go over where the existing stair was. So, you end up with two identical holes in the upper floors one above the other above the other. Now you look for suitable staircases to fill the holes.

The problem with using modular kit stairs such as the Kompact or Genius staircase kits is how to support the second floor staircase. The ground to first floor is no problem, it will go where the old one was and sit happily on the floor. However the base plate of the second floor stair needs to sit on, and be fixed to, the floor as well.

This means that it cannot sit in the same place as the lower staircase because its base plate will be sitting on the fresh air of the stairwell. So the second floor staircase cannot be the same shape as the lower stair, it will need to be extended at least one tread onto the landing. This can cause problems with restricting the landing and it can cause problems trying to stretch the same number of treads to reach the intended landing point at the top.

"But I have seen loads of houses with one stair above the other" I hear you cry. That is true but traditional timber stairs are supported in a different way with timber side supports called strings or stringers. These are capable of being fixed and supported off the vertical face of the opening so almost identical stairs can be put one over the other.

It is also true if you have a made-to measure stair with a welded metal under support, these can be manufactured to work in the same way as strings.

Modular kit stair manufacturers have to draw the line somewhere on the number of parts that they make available in their kits, and to my knowledge the only modular kit staircase on the market that has attempted to provide for this particular scenario is the Rintal Stair System. This is a new exciting range that I have as yet only seen in the brochures, so I am not yet sure how well these will work in practice.

One final thought on the subject. Do not forget that most modular kit flight stairs require a floor support pole around mid tread. In most of the systems this can also be taken horizontally to side wall for the upper stair support. It is however worth checking that this will not impinge on the head clearance height of the lower stair.

The Staircase Doctor

Can I purchase a kit staircase with quarter landings?

2010-05-12T00:00:00+02:00

12/05/2010 1:04 pm

Yes you can, some of the more up market modular staircase kits, like the Genius RA, or Rintal stair system have quarter landings included in their ranges, most entry level systems do not.

I suspect the question comes from someone who understands the term quarter landing, but perhaps I should first explain the meaning for those less familiar with it.

Staircases can be straight or 'bent', bent stairs can be formed in a few ways.

Staircase with a quarter landing.

This term refers to a turn of a quarter of a circle (90 degrees) and is platform put anywhere in an otherwise straight flight of stairs to turn it through 90 degrees. The platform will be basically a square shape with sides the same width as the stair.

Staircase with two quarter landings

As above but now turning 180 degrees so that the staircase forms a U shape. You can put the landings together or have any number of treads between.

Staircase half landing.

As above but now turning 180 degrees so that the stair turns back on itself in a single double sized platform, it can really be any size but typically will be the same width as the stair flight but twice as long. This style is sometimes referred to as dogleg stair, look at the whole stair from the side and you will see why.

Tapered treads (winding treads)

The Building regulations call them tapered the construction industry tend to call them call them winders. Some people refer to them as kite winders but this more correctly refers only to the very corner tread which is normally a kite shape, whatever, they are narrower one end than the other. This allows a flight staircase to curve in say a continuous arc or turn say 90 degrees or a 180 degrees by putting a few of them into a straight flight to create the required angle of turn.

There are some specialist variations on the above themes but let us leave those to Grand Designs.

So which of these styles are available in the kit staircase market?

Starting from the top.

Quarter landings as already said are available in the luxury ranges of modular staircase kits on the market. These are more expensive than winding treads but they are more Building Regulation friendly, and they are probably the most comfortable to use. They do however take up more space and they really require an adjacent wall in order to support the platform. You can use vertical floor posts as an alternative means of support but a wall is better if available.

Half landings. Not available in the kit ranges but you can put two quarter landing together (with a step up between them) to achieve the same thing. Obviously half landings are available in made-to-measure systems.

Winding treads. 90 degree and 180 degree turns using 3 and 6 treads respectively are available in most kit ranges on the market. These work well and save space when compared to quarter landings. They do not require wall support, although they invariably need a floor support. To my knowledge there is only one system on the market, The Rintal stair system that allows you to form a continuous curve, this is a lovely luxury range of stairs, but they do require floor supports in order to achieve stability.

As a final word from an old staircase codger, let me say that 90 degree and 180 degree turning staircases can make for really economic use of space in a lot of house styles. In fact a typical dogleg stair will take up less space than the equivalent tread width spiral staircase. “Not a lot of people know that,”

As always never assume that you can automatically use any of these stairs in your project, if in doubt talk to a man who knows.

The Stair Doctor

Are spiral stair kits suitable for DIY installation?

2010-04-27T00:00:00+02:00

The question really begs another question, "are you capable of DIY?"

As an old codger from a poor background I am like most others of my ilk, capable of fixing, the car, the washing machine, rewiring the house, replacing the roof and darning my socks. Nothing clever in that, we had no choice! The situation has changed dramatically of recent years, some of the lucky young people of today think DIY is being able top up the screen wash (assuming they can open the bonnet first).

The answer to the question is yes, spiral staircase kits, space saver staircase kits, and modular stair kits are all supplied for DIY installation. They invariably come with full fitting instructions and an installation CD.

In theory anyone can assembly say a Karina space saver or a Klan spiral, and in fact they can. However it helps to have a tool kit, a bit of practical experience and a slow methodical approach to a “not done this before” task.

The tool kit.

Tool kit wise there is nothing very dramatic required, and we are lucky in these modern times in that anything that you do not have, will most likely be very cheaply available for purchase from the local pound shop, all thanks to our Chinese cousins. The drill bits won’t last five minutes but will not cost anything anyway.

In the fitting instructions of most staircase kits you will normally see a list of tools and drill sizes etc. that are you will. These are worth looking at and worth thinking about, you can very often adapt what you already have to suit, and sometimes it is cheaper to buy a replacement rawl bolt type fixing to suit the drill bit that you already have, rather than buy a more expensive masonry bit to suit the supplied fixing. Another point worth noting in terms of equipment is that most spiral staircase kits are supplied from continental manufacturers who supply fixings assuming that all floors including upper floors are made of concrete. This is a typical detail on the continent but over this side of ‘the sleeve’ we tend to have wooden upper floors. The point being that sometimes it is better to buy timber fixings rather than struggle with the larger concrete expansion fittings supplied. For instance (just to test your knowledge) I would have a tendency to replace 12mm expansion bolts (rawl bolts) with 10 or 12mm coach screws (note that is screws not bolts) when fixing into timber floor joists.

The skill factor.

It is very difficult to define a level of skill needed. In general if you cannot put together a flat pack £ 30.00 wardrobe then you probably do not have enough of it.

There is nothing actually that complicated about the installation in fact understanding the instructions is more complex than the actual work. Over the years I have had lots of experience of phone conversations with frustrated DIY staircase installers. From these I have come to realise that next to patience, the skill most needed for successful kit staircase erection is a good eye for level, and the ability to use a spirit level. You see it is easy to bolt things together in the right place and in the right order, but a kit stair only really becomes stable once it is fixed to the structure at the top and the bottom, in between you are wrestling with a snake, and the ability to spot and correct minor errors of plumb or level are essential. A millimetre out of plumb at the bottom can be a meter out at the top and that will cause all sorts of problems.

So be honest with yourself if you have understood what I have said so far you are probably half way there. If not “get somebody in” GSI is the new DIY.

A final word always buy from someone who sounds like they know what they are talking about, and who can be contacted by phone for those “oh dear what do I do now” moments

The Stair Doctor

The purchase of a staircase is confusing, where do I buy ?

2010-04-20T00:00:00+02:00

OK a fair question Mrs Evans, I know what you mean, it is a nightmare trawling the web or yellow pages for a product that you want but probably know next to nothing about.

Before we start let me say that it would be unprofessional of the good old Stair Doctor to actually recommend any particular named supplier. The idea of this blog is to point you in the direction of a type of supplier. In this new world of the web that is really all you need to source the type of staircase that you are looking for.

Let us first look at what we mean by a staircase before we get into the supplier bit. First a bit of history, traditionally householders did not buy staircases, your house came with a stair, end of story. The staircase in your house would probably be made of wood, and would have been supplied to the house builder by a joinery company who made stairs, no problem.

Now in this enlightened age of self-builders, house renovators and the need for all things to be shiny and minimalist the situation has changed. Now house owners do not want just functional staircases but attractive show piece models that they can be proud of. “Who can blame them” says the Staircase Doctor rubbing his hands with glee.

This new market of owners buying their own house fixtures has created a new demand, with new manufacturers and suppliers to service that demand. With a product like say a fitted kitchen, there are now kitchen showrooms on every high street, and everyone knows the ropes for how to purchase. Staircases are a different matter, as an industry it is still in a state of flux with everyone feeling their way and the poor householder lost for which way to turn.

So depending on what you are looking for the following is the deal according to the good old Stair Doctor.

Traditional timber staircases and luxury hardwood made-to-measure type grand designs.

Still the realm of the traditional local joinery shop or national joinery company who will supply you a standard flight for very little money, or made-to-measure luxury ones for a lot more money. These companies will normally come out to survey and offer a fitting service. The standard of the average UK joinery shop is normally very high and prices are reasonable. There are now also some Polish based companies trying to break into the UK market with some very high standard work, but usually very old-fashioned designs for UK tastes. I am also not sure what problems are caused by the logistics of a joinery shop over 1000 kilometres away.

Modern open plan metal and timber staircases both basic and luxury

Now you are into the more confusing realm. Once you introduce metal support elements and space age designs into staircases it gets difficult to impossible for a joinery shop to supply. To my knowledge there is also no major UK national company that has attacked this market and set up what would need to be a multi skilled operation to meet the ever increasing demand. This is not true of continental Europe, particularly Germany and Italy where there are a multitude of large and small manufacturers who design and make stairs in a combination of materials.

They have even solved the logistics problems by making them in easily transportable modular kit form which are sold through UK based agencies. Some of these agencies offer a survey and fit service some do not. Be prepared to pay for surveying and fitting service, it is not a cheap operation to be able to offer nationwide roaming gangs of stair fitters.

Do not discount self-fitting or local builder fitting, nearly all of these products come with assembly instructions. As a relatively new phenomena there are both good and not so good UK suppliers out there, my advice is look more closely than a phone call, have they got a showroom? Are they answering your technical questions? Or are they operating on the web from a front bedroom.

I have to add that there now just a few smaller to medium UK companies who do manufacture some very nice luxury one off design staircases for the man who has everything. If money is no object to get the stair of your dreams you will find very good service from these set-ups.

Spiral staircases

Spiral stairs are a real specialist field, making anything helical is difficult, the tooling and computer design software is not really economical for small operators. So when it comes to spiral staircases you a limited to dealing with big boys, most of which see their customer base as being large commercial projects.

There are one or two UK companies who produce spiral stairs suitable for the domestic market but your choice is limited. The exception is traditional wrought iron style spiral staircases, which by using aluminium castings usually brought in from abroad allows quite a few small companies to offer spiral stairs in this niche market.

The other alternative is the imported (usually Italy or Germany) kit or made-to-measure stairs that are excellent and readily available. Just like the flight stairs above it is advisable to buy from some a firm with staircase knowledge rather than just Web savvy.

Steel fire escape stairs and external staircases generally.

These type of stairs are totally different from any of the other stair types and are more likely to be supplied by general steel fabrication companies rather than the normal staircase manufacturers and suppliers that we have already discussed. Britain has a long history of engineering with steel, you will have no difficulty in finding a small fabrication company on an industrial estate near you, or a large national company, both can fabricate for you one off steel stairs, platforms, mezzanines etc.

What you will struggle to find are ‘off the shelf’ kit form escape stairs, to my knowledge no one has yet been able to fill this void.

The Stair Doctor

Tell me please are Genius spiral staircase kits structurally safe?

2010-04-12T00:00:00+02:00

The question came from Mr Concerned an engineer who looks into everything very very deeply. I’m an engineer (read car mechanic) so I know everything.

Actually it is not a silly question if you are of a technical leaning, because it does seem amazing that something like a kit stair can arrive flat pack and end up as a safe to use spiral stair. The question does not just apply to the luxury Genius spiral staircase range, but to any kit spiral stair range such as the Klan or Civik spiral staircases. For that matter it also applies to a flight kit staircase such as the Komoda , Kompact or again the Genius.

The answer of course is "yes no problem, what do you think these Italian manufacturers are stupid"

To be honest when I first came across the kit stair phenomenon I had doubts myself. I was pleasantly surprised when I ascended my first spiral staircase kit to find how solid it felt.

But lets have an honest look in a little more detail to keep the mechanic happy.

Spiral staircase Kits

Most domestic sized spiral staircases not just the kit form have a little more movement underfoot than a solidly built traditional stringer staircase. That is unavoidable when you consider that all of the treads are cantilevered horizontally out from a single centre pole support.

It is not to say that spiral stairs are unsafe, they just feel a little different. The most rigid spiral staircase that you could make would be a totally welded steel structure or the concrete equivalent, but it would probably not be attractive and would be a nightmare to get inside the house. So enter the Genius spiral staircase, sold in kit form with an attractive combination of timber and metal. Easy to erect anywhere, and exactly what the wife was looking for.

All kit spiral staircases really consist of separate elements that are held together with nut and bolts. The main structural element the centre pole is usually supplied in two or three lengths (for crate size reasons), these are threaded and screw together to act monolithically. All the treads with the spacer sleeves between them are then dropped on the pole and a big nut at the top is tightened to make everything rigid.

The clever bit that the mechanic did not notice is that the baluster poles at the front of each tread go down through to the tread below, thus transferring any live loads such as fat mechanic all the way down through the poles to the floor. It is not perfect but it works. It does require a bit of common sense of the man doing the tightening but that is where the mechanic comes into his own.

Like all structures that you walk up or over you will cause a vibration from the regular footfall, that is why soldiers break step when walking over bridges, and why the wibbly wobbly bridge on the Thames wibbled and wobbled. The same applies to spiral staircases to a lesser degree. Kit spirals are supplied with what are called baluster-to-wall brackets. If your spiral stair is anywhere near a wall you use these to anchor it to the wall. They take away any slight swaying and are worth using if you can. If you have no adjacent wall do not worry you will probably never notice anything anyway.

Kit flight staircases Genius, Kompact et al

These staircase kits consist of separate elements under each tread that are bolted together to make rigid support spine. The result is amazingly rigid, and like the spiral staircase the baluster poles at the front of each tread go through to the next one down to transfer the loads at the outer edge.

Because the diagonal span of this type of structure (like a ladder leaning against a wall) there is a risk of both vibration and sagging in the middle of the span again a bit like a ladder. To that end the engineers have produced a support pole which supports the stair against the floor or side wall. These are supplied with the kit. Also like the Spiral staircase kit you are supplied with baluster–to-wall brackets which if there is a wall along side are worth using to prevent any lateral movement.

Stair kits have been around for many years and have been sold in thousands world wide. Brand leaders like the Genius spiral staircase have been thoroughly tested in the only place that counts, that is in peoples homes. Any minor faults were ironed out years ago. The major problem with any kit stair is not the kit but the quality of installation. However they are not actually that difficult to get right and should be no problem for an engineer.

The Staircase Doctor

Can I have a spiral stair as my main staircase?

2010-03-30T00:00:00+02:00

The answer is yes you can, providing you have the space on both floors to accommodate a circle of approx 2000mm (6’7”) diameter. That is the sort of size that is needed in order to have a spiral staircase that is acceptable under the Building Regulations as a primary staircase in a domestic dwelling.

The actual diameter will vary depending on the stair construction. The requirement is for an 800mm. clear width, which is the distance between the centre pole and the handrail. So it all depends on the size of the handrail and the centre pole, but in practical terms you can reckon around 2000mm. to get a compliant spiral stair.

2000mm.x 2000mm. is a big area and very few houses have that sort of space available for a stair. This is one of the reasons that you rarely see spiral staircases as a primary house staircase. The situation is different for as secondary staircase serving say a bedroom in the loft. In that case you only need a 600mm clear width, so typically you can use a much smaller diameter of around 1500mm.

So you have the space (lucky you), should you use a spiral stair as your main house staircase? The answer really is all a question of function against style.

I would have to say that normally a flight style staircase wins in terms of ease of use over a spiral stair. It is close call, but the treads coming to point at one end and the helter skelter path of a spiral staircase makes it a little less functional to use. You also have to accept the fact that treads of spiral staircase are all cantilevered off a centre pole and will probably give you a little more movement under foot than a solidly built traditional staircase.

On the other hand when it comes to style even a bog standard spiral staircase adds a wow factor that is difficult to achieve with even a luxury traditional staircase.

So you pays your money and you takes your choice. From my experience here in staircase land it is the wife who chooses, so that will be the spiral staircase then!

The Stair Doctor

How do you adjust the height and length of a Genius modular kit stair?

2010-03-18T00:00:00+01:00

In building industry parlance staircase height and length are referred to as the rise and the going.

The rise being the height that you have to step up between one stair tread and another.

The going being the amount of tread front-to-back that you have to stand on.

By making these adjustable you can alter the overall height and length of the entire stair.

Modular kit staircases including the Genius are designed to be adjustable in both rise and going in order to make the same kit suitable for different applications.

The method of adjustment varies depending on the manufacturer and the model.

The Genius luxury staircase kit is adjustable in height by having clear dense PVC shims that go between each metal tread support element. The number of shims varying depending on what your overall height is. You do not have to work this out for yourself; the fitting instructions include a table that tells you the number of shims required for every stair height within the kit range.

The cheaper version of the Genius staircase is called the Kompact stair. This model adjusts in a different way. The metal support element under each tread consists of a tube that is held in a clamp ring attached to the tread above. By sliding the tube up or down in the clamp ring you can adjust the height to suit before tightening the clamp.

This method has the advantage that it is infinitely adjustable within the limits of its range, where as the Genius system is only adjustable to accuracy of the thickness of a shim which is 5mm.

Most kit stair systems use one or the other of the above methods, and both make the kit capable of fitting a range of applications and allow for minor adjustments. The ability to adjust height or going is a major advantage over made-to-measure staircase that will be scrap if your order dimensions prove to have an error in them.

The adjustment of the going (horizontal adjustment) on modular flight stairs is possible because the holes for the nuts and bolts that clamp each metal tread support to the next one are slotted, thus allowing for horizontal adjustment before you tighten them up.

Kit spiral stairs such as the Genius T spiral stair or the Klan spiral staircase are also adjustable in rise but not going. With one or two exceptions all kit spiral stairs adjust height by means of the shim method. In practice this shim becomes a washer that goes between the staircase tread and the centre pole sleeve. As before the more washers that you insert the higher the tread rise will be. Also as before you do not have to calculate this, just read off the number of washers needed for you height from the table supplied.

A word of warning! For safety reasons the Building Regulations specify sizes for staircase rise and goings so be aware that just because you can adjust a kit staircase to a particular height and length is does not automatically mean it will comply with the Regulations. This requires a calculation that is balancing act between rise going and pitch, for this you need a man that knows like the poor old staircase doctor.

The Staircase Doctor

Are there different staircase regulations for different parts of the UK ?

2010-03-08T00:00:00+01:00

The answer is yes, and if you add the Republic of Ireland the answer is yes again, although it has to be said there is a common theme.

The following will tell who has the power of building life or death over you.

England and Wales together (God bless them for using common sense)
Scotland on its own (all the fault of devolution over common sense)
Northern Ireland on its own (ditto)
Republic of Ireland on its own (who can blame them)

You would think that as E U are trying to get us all together under a common set of rules, that a couple of little islands off the coast of the mainland could at least get there act together for the good of building kind, but not a bit of it. ‘We have our own nice new parliament so we will have our own building rules, thank you very much’

When you see just how far apart these small islands that speak the same language are, it does not bode well for the European Union, not to mention the ‘mankind to save the planet brigade’.

OK already, I will get off my frustrated high horse and stick to the point.

So we now know who is in charge of our own little castle (and what I think of it) but what difference does it make?

Well as regards staircases it is confusing because all the rules seem to based on the English/Welsh regulations, but with a few little awkward differences that seem to be added just to say “we have not copied sir honestly”.

For instance the requirement of the amount of tread that you have to stand on (going) on a domestic stair is

England & Wales, minimum 220mm (I cannot imagine who came up with this)
Scotland, minimum 225mm (either a sad joke or a mistake surely)
N.I., minimum 220mm
Ireland, minimum 220mm but optimum 250mm (what are you on about?)

Now this difference may seem like nothing, but most kit stair manufacturers based their designs on a compromise to try to keep everybody happy in Europe, and as lots of places have far less of a going requirement they chose 220mm as their maximum. This was all fine and dandy until the Scottish law makers rocked the boat and added an extra 5mm. This at a stroke excluded their population from using the basic (best thing since sliced bread) kit stairs that everybody else uses.

The Irish having introduced an optimum 250mm means that no building inspector would look happily at a measly 220mm again, although in my experience the farther West that you get the less this applies.

OK I have insulted just about everybody now but you get my point. Trying to design and work with staircases that have to have different geometry for different locations is an unnecessary nightmare.

The following is one example of that amuses me in the rules governing spiral staircases.

By the nature of the beast spiral stairs have great difficulty following the geometry of straight staircases.

You cannot for instance have a going of 220mm on a 1500mm diameter spiral staircase without causing head clearance problems as you ascend the stair. Take my word for it, or read the blogs relating to spiral staircases for an explanation).

The clever people at the British Standards institute realised this and produced a nice clear set of rules covering spiral staircases. The going requirement for a 1500mm spiral stair being a mere 145mm min.

So when the Building Regulation people came to write their rules, thinking about the geometry of spiral stairs made their head hurt, so they all plumped for “if you build it to BS 5395 it will be acceptable to us, end of story”. It is OK having to make rules but you do not want to work to hard thinking about it, “lets just shove an extra 5mm on some where and go and have a drink.”

There are other small differences between the various Regulations governing staircases, these can become important, so do not assume that if it is OK in Scunthorpe it will be OK in Coleraine. Always check with your specific Local Authority

The Staircase Doctor.

(On his way to the asylum the staircase doctor denied all knowledge of writing this epistle, please forgive him poor old chap, it has been a bad day)

Space saver stairs and the Building Regulations

2010-03-02T00:00:00+01:00

In England and Wales Part K of the Building Regulations specifies what you can and cannot do with staircases, in Scotland it is part 4 of the technical handbook, in Ireland it is part K of their Regulations and in Northern Ireland it is part H.

They are all different, and when it comes to space saving stairs I believe that only England & Wales have a separate set of rules covering the use of space saver stairs. I have to be honest and say that I have never been totally sure of who allows what when it comes to space saving stairs, the rules such as they are, can be open to interpretation, and in my experience different Local Authorities have different attitudes to space saver stairs. Over the years I have had discussions with Building Control people all over the shop and the feed-back I have been given is

England and Wales: Space saver stairs are OK as long as the meet part K 1.22-1.24 but a few Authorities will find any reason to object.

Scotland: They will not have them at any price

Ireland: Seem to be more easy going, I do not remember an objection to a sensibly used space saver stair.

Northern Ireland: Generally the same as England and Wales

So that is what I think is the case for all of our small group of islands, but let us face it, if in doubt you have to ask your own specific Local Building Authority, I have never ceased to be amazed at the different responses that I have heard on this subject. To be fair it is probably not the most common or the most important question that the average Building Control inspector will have to give a decision on, so I would expect a variation in response.

OK now that it is as clear as mud as to who allows what, let us now look at what exactly a space saver stair is as defined in Part K of the Welsh/English Regs.

The terms space saver stair or space saving stair are both nice and self-explanatory but strictly speaking the only way to save space over a standard staircase is to make it steeper. The only way to make it steeper and still have enough tread to stand on is to have a special paddle shaped tread which alternate left and right. So the Regulations refer to a space saver staircase as an alternating tread staircase.

The mind set of the Building Regulations as regards stairs is to make rules that make stairs safe to use in a normal situation, and adequate for evacuation in the case of an emergency. From this you can see that alternate tread stairs which are steep and require a bit of thought to walk up and down, are not suitable for evacuation for a large number of people who are in a hurry.

To that end Part K of the Regulations allow the use of space saver stairs in a domestic property providing the are used as follows.

They must only be used in one or more straight flights for a loft conversion and only then when there is not enough space to accommodate a full staircase.
They can give access to one habitable room with an associated ensuite bathroom.
The steps must have parallel nosing
There should be a handrail on both sides
The rise and going and non-slip treads should comply with the rules the same as full staircases.

These points are my brief interpretation of Part K but you can see the drift, and you can also see that they are open to discussion on what is allowed, the following are some of the different and odd views that I come across in my time in the staircase world.

"It says loft conversion so you cannot use it to access your single room cellar"

Thankfully a one off view that was over ruled by a more enlightened boss. Although you have to accept that a cellar with no windows is probably not the best place to have to evacuate from in the case of a house fire.

"The treads have to be parallel so you cannot have a turn at the bottom"

Again rarely enforced, the truth is that a turn at the bottom of a kit space saver is actually very useful and jumpable if you are in a hurry to evacuate. In my opinion two small straight flights with a quarter landing in between will comply, but is no more safer than winding treads.

"A study is not bedroom so you cannot use a space saver stair"

Actually wrong because the Regs say a habitable room, but the point is valid in the case of say, a kitchen (more risk of fire), or a lounge (potential for lots of people at a party)

"You can put a full stair in one of your bedrooms so you cannot use a space saver stair on the landing"

Sheer badness brought on by a falling out over other differences of opinion between inspector and client. A staircase is always an easy target, a bit like telling a policeman at a random vehicle check that he should be out catching criminals. I guarantee he will find a fault with your brand new Merc.

In this age no one should be put off using space saving staircases, in my opinion they are more safe to use than you think, and they provide access in places where you just could not reasonably get a full staircase. I have been involved with hundreds of them and know for a fact that they work without problems. ‘Touch wood’ I have yet to hear of an accident that could be said to have occurred due to the use of a space saving staircase in lieu of a full staircase.

Having been around for a long time I can also say that modern Building Control Departments are far more helpful and user friendly than they ever were in days of yore. In most cases if you ask first, you will get good practical advice and a common sense attitude from you local guy or gal. "It pays to talk"

The staircase doctor

Can you have non-slip wooden spiral staircase treads?

2010-02-16T00:00:00+01:00

Good question; it applies to flight style staircases as well as spiral staircases. There is actually a requirement in the BS 5395 for treads to pass a slip test. Unfortunately unless someone has paid a fortune to have say a wooden spiral stair tread officially tested to B.S. it is very difficult to know what is acceptable. Not many stair manufacturers are likely to go that far because the costs are prohibitive.

Also Continental kit staircase manufacturers (which is just about everybody) would spend forever trying to get these tested and approved to the varying standards of each country that they market to. Personally I think common sense has to be applied, ask your mum what she considers to be non-slip. If a six year old in socks can slip on it, then it is slippy. But then again just about every surface in house can fit that category, so a judgement call has to be made.

Do you spoil your nice oak tread spiral staircase or do you sacrifice the kids, no contest of course, no one spoils a perfectly good spiral staircase. In answer to the original question I think the surface of any planed timber particularly if it is sealed would not pass the BS test . Unfortunately we like our wood smooth and usually shiny and that will always be slippy to a certain extent.

There is no magical type of timber that can defy this rule. There are some specialist surface finishes that are sold as non-slip, but I have yet to hear of any staircase manufacturer that has attempted to apply these to timber staircase treads. As you have asked the question, you are obviously concerned about slipping on a spiral staircase that is understandable. The only way to really be sure if it is a big issue is to roughen, cover or groove.

Roughen.

Some spiral stair manufacturers do leave the surface of the treads slightly rougher in an attempt to add a bit of non-slip, but it is not really enough, and not a good selling point either. Just like cars we buy by looks not safety. So the only option is to get spiral stair treads rubbed down again with a coarse sanding belt until you think you have an acceptable surface and then reseal it. Resealing will of course make it some what smoother again.

Cover Carpet, non-slip mats or non-slip tape.

The first two are obvious the third is a selotape type product that you can buy. It is in fact just sticky backed tape but with a coarse surface. This is simply stuck to the finished surface of the wood in strips or little squares. It is usually clear tape but will still be visible on the surface. It works and does not look too bad. It is also ideal to retro fit if someone complains about the slippy treads. Carpet or mats are always difficult to finish neatly at the edges, the best solution, although the most complicated is to rout out the middle of the tread to the depth of the carpet, leaving a border around the edges, so that you end up with a carpeted insert like a door mat well.

Groove.

Just like your garden timber decking you can groove the surface to create no-slip but unfortunately it will look a little like decking.

As you can see there is no magic solution to this potential hazard, personally I am not really sure how big a problem it is in a domestic property. Varnished timber is not that slippy and regular use educates people to be aware. If you have the very young or the very old likely to being using the staircase I think I would retro fit the tape first and see how you get on. It has the added advantage that you can take it off again.

The Stair Doctor

What are riser bars for on spiral stairs and modular staircases?

2010-02-08T00:00:00+01:00

The term riser bar is not really an original building trade term like noggin, tingle or hip iron, all of which would be recognised by your carpenter grandfather. It is a relatively new description of a device which was introduced to allow open tread stairs including spiral stairs and straight stairs to comply with the UK Building Regulations.

Under all versions of the regulations including England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland there is a rule that states, a 100mm sphere should not be able to pass through the gap between treads on open riser stairs. This rule is designed to prevent sprogs of all ages from getting limbs stuck in holes. Open tread stairs (ones without a vertical piece of wood blocking the gap between treads) are now all the rage, because they create the open see through look that is in vogue. The down side is that they do not comply with the dreaded 100mm sphere rule. So in order to meet this rule along came the riser bar.

As long as this imaginary 100mm ball cannot go through the gap everything is honky dory. Therefore there is not need to close the gap completely, a simple timber batten say 90mm deep screwed to the back of one tread will reduce a typical gap of say 180mm enough to comply. To create an even more see through look most kit stair manufacturers have gone step further and supply a simple steel bar or tube, usually U shaped that again is fixed to one tread and allows the gap to comply, but has the added advantage that it leaves a clear see through view.

These kits are available for most types of kit stairs, including spiral staircases, space saver stairs and modular flight staircases. They are always sold as an extra, mainly because the UK and Ireland are just about the only places where this odd little rule is required. Our continental cousins scratch their heads in disbelief when we insist that they are necessary! I would be really interested to see statistics that compare between the UK and everybody else the number of kids heads per year that get stuck in stairs. I have a feeling we would be surprised.

The Staircase Doctor.

Building regulation stairs

2010-02-01T00:00:00+01:00

Building Regulation stairs Here in my royal palace at Staircase Kingdom I have noticed an increase in both phone and web requests from people asking for information on ‘building regulation stairs’. Nothing wrong with that, it is a good idea to ask questions if you are in need of a staircase and want to know that it complies with the Building Regulations.

The only problem with the request ‘building regulation stairs’ is that the people who ask it normally assume that ‘building regulation stairs’ are something that they can buy off the shelf and use anywhere for any purpose and they will comply with the regulations. Unfortunately life is not that simple, no staircase can be described as a building regulation staircase because no staircase can actually comply in every situation that you wish to use it in. The regulations vary depending on location and usage.

For instance it is quite obvious that a staircase that is suitable for your loft conversion would not be suitable as access to the gallery in a Cinema. The Building Regulations are designed so that such things as stairs and ramps provide safe access in both normal use and in an emergency evacuation situation. Therefore as a general rule the bigger the number of people using the stair the bigger the stair needs to be. It is obvious that non-domestic stairs require a higher degree of safety than domestic stairs that are used by less people.

So the regulations for non-domestic staircases are far tighter, and I have to say more confusing. Domestic stairs are covered by Part K (protection from falling, collision and impact) of the Building Regulations. For Non-domestic stairs you can add onto this Part M (Access and facilities for disabled people) and The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 for starters, not to mention various British Standards etc. So if you are into non-domestic stairs you need to be a specialist, and are in no need for advice from me, so this blog is about domestic stairs only.

Without getting too complicated Domestic Building Regulation staircases really fall into two categories (this is my description you will not see these categories in part K)

Main house stairs serving more than room
Secondary stairs serving only one room

Unfortunately there is no middle ground we are talking large or small, there is no provision for medium serving a couple of rooms, this can make life complicated.

Main house stairs.

In order for a stair to be considered a ‘building regulation stair’ it would need to meet the rise going and pitch requirements of part K, plus a host of other requirements, but the first three are what determines the size of a stair and this is usually the stumbling block when people are considering a ‘building regulation stair’. “ Will it be too big to fit in my location? So if it serves more than one room think of the space that a typical house stair takes up and you will not be far wrong, because they also have to comply with the Regs. You cannot save space with a ‘building regulation’ main staircase for your house, the geometric requirements of the Regulations will not allow it.

Be careful with kit stairs these usually have adjustable rise and going so they may comply or not depending how you use them, and this again will be determined by the space you have available on the lower floor, the size of the aperture in the upper floor and your floor-to-floor height. Also be aware that if you are replacing a steep old stair in say a Victorian terrace, the chances are that neither the space nor the aperture will be large enough to insert a new building regulation stair in its place.

Secondary staircases serving one room.

The clever people at the Building Regulations realised that it would be impossible to force main house stair requirements on say a loft conversion, because a lot houses simple did not have the space to put a full staircase on the existing landing. So some clever clogs came up with the idea of allowing single room loft conversions to use a less stringent set of rules. The thought being that one bedroom will only be used by say two people and therefore less people will use this type of stair, so the requirements can be less stringent.

This type of stair specifically excludes kitchens (big risk of fire) or lounges ( big risk of lots of participants in a Roman orgy needing to run for it). Two or more rooms and you are back to a main house building regulation stairs. Spiral staircases have their own set of rules (BS53095 part 2) see my other blogs on this subject.

I also have to point out that there is no provision in the Scottish Regs for space saver stairs ( I can not imagine why!!) So in this special category of stair you are allowed to have a much steeper stair that will take up less room, approx half that of a main stair. This is achieved using special paddle shaped treads that allow enough tread to stand on one side only of each tread. They are called alternate tread stairs and actually work better than you expect and the space that they save is amazing. (see my blogs on space saver stairs for more specific details).

There are lots of other rules governing these stairs but generally you can have one made or purchase a kit that will comply with the regulations but as with the main house stairs you cannot assume that your space dimensions will allow a compliant stair to fit. The moral of this tale is do not ask silly questions that assume any stair can be a building regulation stair in your castle. Give ‘a man who knows’ your details and let him advise you.

The Staircase Doctor

What is a trapezoidal landing on a spiral staircase

2010-01-25T00:00:00+01:00

First we have to define what we mean by a trapezoid or we will all be confused! This is not as simple as it sounds; I blame the Greeks (probably Proclus and Euclid) for not getting their act together. The result is that a Brit like me thinks a trapezoid is an irregular quadrilateral i.e. a four-sided figure with no parallel sides, where as my American cousin The Elevator Doctor thinks it has two parallel sides.

As my middle name is John Bull I am sticking with the English version in this blog, so there! So we have this odd shaped four-sided lump of wood, but what has it got to do with a spiral staircase. Well a typical landing to any spiral staircase, and particularly a kit spiral stair, has a triangular shaped top tread that acts as both the last step and a landing area at the top of the spiral stair. It also has the function of securing the centre pole of the spiral staircase to the top of the structure, so it is an important element in spiral stair construction.

The triangular landing tread usually has 60 degree angles so in practice this makes it about twice the size of all the other treads. This in turn helps to make the whole spiral stair structure more stable because it allows for more than one fixing point to the structure at the top of the spiral stair. It also makes the landing function of the top tread big enough to work as landing. The down side of a triangular landing is that if you have a square structural aperture in the upper floor, the spiral stair landing can only be fixed in the centre of any of the four sides, so there are only four exit points 3,6,9 & 12 o’clock. You have to take my word for this or draw it a scrap of paper and you will see that you have to change the triangular shape if you want to step off anywhere else, like say at one of the corners.

A point worth noting is that if you make circular aperture this does not apply you can finish the landing anywhere with a triangular landing as long as you scribe and cut the outer edge of the triangle to suit the shape of the circle. Therefore you will end up with a segment of a circle landing instead of a triangle, but lets not go any further down that alley, it is really not what this blog is about, and circular apertures are more difficult to construct than square ones. So the solution if you want step off your spiral staircase in the corner rather than the middle is to use an odd shaped landing, which we Brits and most Europeans call a trapezoidal landing and our colonial cousins call a trapezium.

If you are concentrating you will by now be thinking why does it have to be an odd shape, why can it not be just a square that fills the whole corner of the aperture? Well in some circumstance you are right you can use a square landing but in most case it is fraught with danger. The problem with a square landing is that it projects more than any other landing shape over the lower treads, and this can create serious head clearance height problems as you ascend or descend the spiral.

The solution to this is to cut the corner off the square to create more headroom, and what you are left with is a trapezoid shaped landing. So using a trapezoidal landing gives you 8 (2 at each corner) more options for stepping off positions at the top of the spiral stair. You will also have more variations for stepping on points at the bottom of the spiral stair. So by choosing between a triangular and trapezoidal spiral stair landings you will have a dozen variations, one of which hopefully will suit your project.

Bear in mind that when a spiral stair kit manufacturer produces a range, they have to consider how many variations in parts that it is economic for them to produce and stock. The result of this calculation is that usually the cheaper entry-level spiral staircases such as the Arke Klan are only offered with the more common triangular landing. Where as the more up market spiral stair ranges such as the Albini & Fontanot Genius range offer both triangular and trapezoidal landings.

Another word of warning, some manufacturers have scratched their heads and attempted to design a universal landing that is all singing and dancing for both triangular and trapezoidal landing situations. In my opinion no one has yet managed to cheat the geometry and make one work without compromising the width of the exit point. Personally I stick to the ‘either or’ systems I know that they do what it says on the tin.

The Staircase Doctor

My stairs take up too much space I want to change them, advise me please.

2010-01-19T00:00:00+01:00

Oh dear I wish it was the first time that I have been asked that question! In these modern times everyone is trying to create more space within the confines of the box in which they live.

It is no longer acceptable to have your clothes in a wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom, one just has to have a separate walk in dressing room. I am being cynical, there is nothing wrong with making use of the unused space in our castle, after all we have mortgaged ourselves up to the hilt for it, so why not use it all I say.

The problem starts when you cast you eye around looking for unused space on the ground and first floor of your palace, you then realise there isn’t any. Eventually your eye falls on that total waste of space the hall, stairs and landing. All we have to do is plonk a spiral staircase in there, save loads of space, and put the snooker table in it.

To understand why life is never that simple, we have to first consider the past. Most of the housing stock in the UK is less than 150 years old, during the whole of that period designers of houses were striving to make the best use of space within the properties that they were designing, it is not a new idea to get the best use out of limited space.

The point I am making is that you are almost certainly not the first to try to do it in your property. The chances are that the first guy knew what he/she was talking about and did as good a job as is possible. OK in older designs there may be too many internal walls creating boxy little rooms that were the fashion then. Removing a few of these will be no problem, but the staircase is a different matter all together.

Other than in ’space no object’ grand designs, stairs were never a selling point and so designers always did their best not to waste space with them. The geometry of a safe building regulation compliant staircase is such that you cannot make it smaller in size (that is also true of changing a traditional staircase to a spiral staircase). You can change the shape and reposition it within the building, but you will not gain any extra space as such.

If you are thinking of repositioning the staircase to make better use of your space then it probably will only become viable if you are ripping out all of the internal walls on both floors to totally change the room layout. Stairs have to pass through a hole in the upper floor, and the shape of that hole is very specific to the shape of the stair.

A change of shape or position means serious alteration to upper floor structure. If you are prepared for that sort of upheaval then the world is you oyster, modern open plan flight stairs or spiral staircases are works of art, they look superb in open plan living areas that are in vogue right now.

You could end up with your dream home in that former boring sixties semi, it will cost you, and you will not have gained an inch of space, but it will feel like it has.

The stair doctor.

Why can't I have a spiral stair that only rotates through half a circle.

2010-01-13T00:00:00+01:00

The answer is that you can but it almost certainly will not work in your property. The problem is all a question of the size of your feet! In order to be useable the centre of each tread of a spiral stair needs to be big enough front-to-back to safely take your size twelve's.

Although I do not know how they did it, the nice people at the British Standards Institute have clearly defined how much tread you need at various points on the width of the tread in order for the spiral staircase to be safe to use. Once you accept that fact, it will determine how many degrees of rotation each tread will require in order to provide this safe footfall dimension.

This is not a fixed number of degrees it will vary depending on the diameter of the spiral staircase. The bigger the diameter of the spiral stair the smaller the number of necessary degrees of rotation will be needed to provide the magic minimum dimension (think about it and you will understand why).

"So how does this all affect my need for a half a circle spiral" Well a typical height domestic spiral stair will need 13 treads to safely reach the upper floor, any less and the step between each tread will be too much, not to mention being over the Building Regulation maximum tread rise of 220mm.

Each of these spiral stair treads will need to rotate between approx 30 degrees (1200mm diameter spiral stair) and approx 27 degrees (1600mm diameter spiral stair). Multiply by 13 and you will see that for a typical spiral staircase your stepping on and off points will be about a full circle apart.

Were you to attempt to cram 13 treads into half a circle rotation it would be possible but you would not have enough tread to stand on. Obviously things change if you have a very low or very high floor-to-floor height that requires more or less treads, and as already said larger diameter spirals will need less degrees of rotation. However as a rough rule of thumb you can think of a spiral stair rotation as the hands of a clock each treads rotates 5 minutes giving 12 treads to a complete circle (bigger spiral stairs go up to 16 treads or more).

There are other things that a spiral staircase manufacturer has to consider when considering the geometry of a spiral stair, but the main purpose of this blog is to dispel the idea that you can make a spiral stair do anything you wish as regards the stepping on and off points. Unfortunately you cannot cheat on the geometry just because you want to.

The Staircase Doctor.

How do landing balustrade kits work with kit staircases?

2009-12-30T00:00:00+01:00

When you construct any staircase either a straight flight stair or a spiral stair, it will normally have to pass through an aperture in the upper floor. This aperture will need protection around it to prevent users falling through the hole. This is normally done with either walls or landing balustrading.

The landing balustrading will generally be of the same construction as the stair balustrading. Nearly all kit staircases have matching landing balustrading available that is supplied as an extra to the basic kit and is sold in a standard kit length say 1000mmm or 1200mm. These kits have to be sold as an extra because it is not possible to predict the size of aperture, so including a set length in the stair kit would never work. In my experience people tend to under estimate the amount and the cost of landing balustrading, thinking they will save money and sort that out later.

In reality both stair and landing balustrading are costly and important elements which should not be overlooked in the original budget. Typical kit staircase balustrading will cost approx £100 per metre, and to go all the way around the circular aperture of say a 1600mm diameter spiral stair you will need approx 4000mm of landing balustrading (this excludes the stepping off point).

Therefore you will need to spend approx £ 400 on top of a typical £ 1500 spiral stair kit, not a small sum! It is also doubtful that there is much of a saving to be made by buying in standard timber balustrade elements from any of the DIY stores. In my experience when you add up the cost of the elements that are needed you will find a similar cost to the matching kit supplied by the stair manufacturer.

The moral is that stair balustrading is not that cheap. So how do these kits work? The answer is not that complicated, you first have to establish the overall length that you need, and simple purchase enough kits to cover that length. Most manufacturers include all the parts that you need in each kit to make up any shape that you want (check before you buy that your manufacturer does this). So each kit will include for instance

A handrail joining element that allows you to join standard handrail lengths (usually 1200mm. Long) into one continuous length.
A handrail elbow, allowing you to join two lengths of handrail at 90 degrees.
A wall fixing allowing you to attach the balustrade to a wall.
A reaction bar, which is a bow shaped element that gives balustrading stability in longer runs.

Add to this the facts that you can cut to length the handrail to suit any length and that you can order kits for round or square aperture shapes plus join landing balustrade onto stair balustrade and there is very little that you cannot achieve with a well designed balustrade kit.

A serious word of warning, kit balustrading does not have newel posts. A newel post is the vertical solid post that you see on traditional stairs that give the balustrade rigidity. This important topic is discussed in another blog ‘What are newel posts for’.

The Staircase Doctor.

Will a space saver staircase work with the doors on my landing?

2009-12-23T00:00:00+01:00

A question that is asked all the while these days, when everyone is trying to utilise all that wasted space in the loft. The big problem is not having the loft space but getting up to it. This is particularly the case in smaller Victorian terrace style house where landing space is at a premium. You will find that I have dealt with ‘ putting space saver stairs over the house stair’ in a previous blog, so this blog goes on to cover situations where that is a non starter.

Trying to put any stair on a small landing is difficult, and even with a space saver stair like say the Karina it is far from certain that you will have the room. Lets look at some dimensions, a typical space saver stair kit will require just a small floor area of approx 1550mm long by 600mm wide. However 600mm is a lot to take out of a typical terrace landing width which will probably about 1200mm. wide. So if you have to walk past the space saving stair on the landing it will only leave a 600mm clear walkway. Not a lot, particularly if you are of the well built variety of Homo erectus.

Let us assume you have the basic width to accommodate yourself and the space saver staircase on the landing, now the problem is, are the doors in the way? This is the basic question to be answered by this blog. I have lost count of the number of people who have come to me with ideas for using a space saver stair that they can just fit in providing you can access a bedroom door beneath it. In the vast majority of cases this is simple not possible, although some people find this difficult to believe, ‘there is loads of space above the door’ is the cry.

The answer as to why not, is all maths I am afraid, so try to stick with me.

A typical floor-to floor height is say 2750mm (9 ft)
The top tread of a space saver stair starts one step down from the upper floor at approx 2550mm
The steel work supporting that space saver stair tread projects down another 450mm so it is 2550-450 =2100mm from the lower floor to the underside of the steel support.
A door is approx 1980mm high so from the top of the door to the underside of steel for the top tread you only have 120mm (5”) clearance.
Each tread moves down say another 200mm (8”) approx so the underside of steelwork to floor for the next tread down will be 1780, that means it will project down over the doorway by 80mm (3”)

So in a typical situation you can only have the doorway under the very top tread of the space saver stair over the doorway, which is not a lot of stair.

In most typical terrace or semi-detached houses you will only get a space saving stair up to the loft if you can put it over the main house stair or you move walls around to create more space on your landing. There are exceptions and some house designs are perfect for a landing space saver stair, but make sure you talk to ‘a man who knows’ before put the snooker table in your new loft games room.

The Staircase Doctor.

What are newel posts for and why are they not used on kit stairs?

2009-12-17T00:00:00+01:00

Traditional timber staircase construction uses newel posts at each end of a run of balustrade (banister) to give rigidity to the balustrade. You will see them at the bottom and top of just about any domestic stair in the UK. They work just like garden fence posts whose job it is to give stability to the fence panels between posts.

As you already know fence posts work because they are built into the ground, and this gives stability to the exposed part of the post. Newel posts work on the same principal. If you look you will see that the bottom newel at the foot of the stair is fixed in at least two places to the timber side support to the treads (the stringer).

The top newel post is extended through the entire depth of the floor joists, to which it is securely fixed (it may also be fixed to the stringer) On long flights of stairs or long runs of landing balustrading you will find intermediate newel posts to give extra support. In modern metal and wood kit staircase construction newel posts are excluded because there are usually no stringers on the staircase to attach the newel posts to.

Also as the upper floor construction is an unknown factor to the kit stair manufacturer it is difficult to design and include newel posts to suit. The kits are also designed to be capable of retro fitting to existing structures, where disturbing the structure to fit newel posts is undesirable. Rigidity is gained in this type kit stair by designing stairs balusters (the vertical spindles) so that they go through the front of at least two treads which creates the same sort of stability as a newel post fixed to a stringer.

With landing balustrade (around the aperture on the upper floor) rigidity is created by joining runs of balustrade where they turn corners, such as connecting the landing balustrade to the stair balustrade, the 90-degree turn giving it a natural rigidity. With long straight runs of landing balustrade (over 1000mm long) an element called a reaction bar or baluster stiffener is supplied and fixed at 1000mm centres. This is a bow shaped bar that is fastened to both the floor and the vertical baluster to give extra rigidity.

I cannot over emphasize the need to carefully consider the landing balustrading when you are planning a new staircase; it tends to be an after thought in most peoples mind. That is a mistake, wobbly balustrading spoils the effect of your new staircase and is a definite health hazard, not to mention against the Building Regulations. Despite the current trend to the clean open minimalist look that is all the rage these days, I favour the traditional solutions when it comes to landing balustrading. This is probably something to do with the fact that I am an old codger but I do not care, I put safety over looks.

Personally if I had long runs of landing balustrading, say along the front edge of a gallery or bed loft, I would use a combination of traditional timber newel posts between which I would use the matching balusters and handrail supplied by the kit staircase manufacturer. You would need to supply the newel posts yourself, but I think the combination provides the best rigidity without spoiling the looks.

There are some excellent off the shelf newel post systems available from companies such as Richard Burbidge Ltd. Again my personal taste are for more modern simple plain newel posts over the traditional fancy turned newels, I think these look better with modern kit staircases. There are down sides to my ideas, you have to think well ahead and consider the position of the newels at the time that you are constructing the aperture, but I think the effort is worth it.

The Staircase Doctor.

What size hole in the ceiling do I need for a kit spiral stair?

2009-12-07T00:00:00+01:00

A question that I am asked every day. A reasonable question really, because the answer is not obvious to someone who is not familiar with the workings of spiral staircases. The answer is simply 'a little bigger than the spiral'.

A lot of people ask this question because they are trying to cram a quart into a pint pot, which in practice is not feasible. You need to maintain headroom as you ascend the spiral stair, and if you have a ceiling above you, you will hit you head on it at some point. The simple solution is to make sure that you have no ceiling above any of the spiral stair treads, then it cannot go wrong with head height clearance.

It is technically possible with a non standard landing to design a spiral staircase with an aperture that is less than the diameter of the spiral, but it is a specialist field and only really available on made-to-measure spiral stairs. Trust me it is not a thing you want to play around with, if you cannot afford the space on the upper floor for a full size aperture for a spiral stair, then look for an alternative staircase.

So to be specific with sizes, the rule of thumb is that the aperture for any spiral stair in the upper floor should be the diameter of the stair plus 50mm. (2").

Therefore a 1600mm diameter spiral staircase will require a hole in the ceiling of 1650mm. diameter for a round hole, or a square hole will need sides 1650mm long.

'Why the extra 50mm' I hear you cry? The reason is that typically the outermost part of a spiral staircase is the handrail, and the handrail will therefore touch the edge of the hole at the point where it passes through the hole, if the hole is not made larger. As you ascend a spiral stair you run your hand along the handrail, your knuckles will will normally be slightly on the outside of the handrail, and you will therefore be in a perfect position to rap your knuckles on the edge of the opening unless the opening is bigger than the spiral stair.

If you are really stuck for space and need to squeeze the aperture dimensions a few millimetres, there are a few tricks that you can play around with. However you need specialist advice to make sure of what you are attempting before you go too far. You can for instance reduce the size of the hole a little and move the centre point of the spiral stair off centre, so that the point where the handrail passes the hole has more space, and the otherside of the stair is slightly outside of the hole. This however is only possible in very specific situations and cannot be taken for granted.

As with everything, make sure you know a man who knows, before you proceed.

The Staircase Doctor

How do you adjust the floor-to-floor height of a kit spiral staircase?

2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

A logical question that is worth knowing the answer to if you are contemplating using a spiral stair kit.

First some details of how spiral staircase kits are constructed.

The main structural element of a spiral stair is the centre pole. This pole usually made of metal tubing rises vertically through the centre point of the spiral staircase from top to bottom. This pole has a base plate at the bottom that secures it to the lower floor. The top of the pole terminates and is held in position at the upper floor level by the last tread which is usually a double sized triangular tread that acts as a landing platform.

This landing tread is attached to the centre pole in the middle of the spiral stair, and secured to the perimeter of the opening by brackets that fix under the tread to the vertical face of the trimming floor joists. These upper and lower centre pole fixings are the only structural fixing points that are necessary to secure spiral stair. Onto the pole are placed alternately metal or wood tubular sleeves and treads, the sleeves creating the required gaps between the treads. When completed the sleeves and treads will completely hide the structural centre pole from view.

OK so far so simple, but the problem is that floor-to-floor heights vary between buildings so that in practice you have to be able to vary the height of the centre pole sleeves to suit any specific overall height. The object of the exercise being to divide your total height (overall rise) by the number of required treads, which will give you a uniform gap between all treads ( the height between the top of one tread and the top of the next being called the tread rise)

The way that you vary the the height of the spiral stair centre pole sleeves can be tackled in a few ways. The perfect solution available only to more expensive made-to-measure spiral stairs is to predetermine the overall height, and cut the height of the sleeves to suit at the manufacturing stage.

Kit spiral stairs by their very nature need to be adjustable on site,so that they can be pre-boxed and ready to suit any floor-to-floor height, so other solutions are needed.

There are really two main solutions, both have disadvantages, but both solve the problem.

The most common solution by far, is to supply purpose made shims or washers that you introduce between sleeve and tread to adjust the tread rise. Typically the fitting instructions will supply a matrix table that will tell you the number of shims needed for any given overall height within the spiral staircase range. The disadvantage of this most common method is that you can only adjust the height to the accuracy of the thickness of a washer, although over the full height of the stair this unlikely to make a noticeable difference.

A rarer alternative is to have an adjustable sleeve that is usually adjustable using a screw mechanism. This will allow infinite adjustment of tread rise within the spiral stair height range, but has the disadvantage of looking more like a piece of farm machinery rather than an elegant centre pole to a spiral stair.

If you have been paying attention, you will have realised that not only do you have to be able to adjust the height of the tread rise, but you also need to be able to have a variable height to the centre pole. It is no good having a nice uniform tread rise and then having a fixed height centre pole sticking too high out of the top of the spiral stair.

This is done by making the centre pole fit the minimum design height of the spiral staircase, and then having a screw out threaded bar which in conjunction with bushes ( same outside diameter as the centre pole) allow the pole to extend up to the maximum spiral stair design height. As the centre pole is not visible when the stair is complete, its adjustment mechanism need only be functional not attractive.

The staircase doctor

Fitting tips for an SAF electric loft ladder

2009-11-24T00:00:00+01:00

The installation of an SAF electric loft ladder is relatively straight forward as it is delivered to you in a complete preassembled and working unit. It will weigh approx 60Kg. and will be delivered to your kerb side on a pallet. The external dimensions will vary depending on which size you ordered, but typically it will be approx 750 wide 1050 long and 750 high. We recommend that at least two people carry it to its fitting location.

Whatever size of electric loft ladder that you order, for example 1000 x 700mm. that will also be the size of aperture that you will need to create in the ceiling. All fitting tolerances are allowed for in the frame during manufacture. Your aperture will need to be finished true and square to the exact dimensions. If the aperture is misshapen it will distort the electric loft ladder hatch frame, and that will in turn cause the hatch to jamb in the frame when you attempt to open it. The edges of the aperture should be formed on four sides with the same depth of joisting as the existing ceiling joists. There is no real need to put a facing on the vertical face or an architrave around the aperture, as most of the vertical face will be covered by the 125mm deep hatch frame. The 'L' shaped frame has a 30mm flange that acts as architrave to cover the cut edge of the plasterboard ceiling.

It is possible to install an SAF electric loft ladder on your own, but you will need a block and tackle. Set up the block and tackle in the loft on temporary shear legs or attach it to the rafters directly over the centre of the hatch. You then attach the hook to ropes that are fixed to the ladder frame at three points, so that it hangs horizontally when suspended. You go into the loft and pull the electric loft ladder up into the opening, first making sure that you have a power point and a cordless screwdriver with screws handy in the loft.

Once you have the ladder sitting in the opening you can fix it with the 4 top of joist clamps that are supplied with the kit. At this point you can remove the hook and add screw fixings through the predrilled holes in the side of the hatch frame. Make sure that you do not distort the frame when you are doing this, and pack at any screw point where there is a gap between timber joist and frame.You can then plug in the transformer input lead into a 13 amp socket outlet. This then allows you to press the switch and the electric loft ladder will descend freeing you from the loft.

The alternative method needs at least two more people but less equipment. As before arm yourself with the tools in the loft, then get at least two beefy colleagues to lift the ladder by hand into the opening. They will probably need a 'hop up' in order to reach the height required. While they hold it, you quickly fix as before described.

The SAF electric loft ladder is factory tested prior to delivery so it will work for you providing you have not distorted the frame during fixing. the main reason for non-operation is because the electrical system has blown a fuse due to motor overload through to many fast sequences of operation. We have learnt to include spare fuses and a fuse location photo in with the electric loft ladder because of the number of times we have encountered a phenomenon called 'playing about with it'. What happens is, you fit your electric loft ladder and are delighted as you send it up and down to test it.

Fair enough, no problem, but then you get the wife to show her. She gets the kids, and the kids think it is a computer game and play with trying to work out what score they have made. All the while the poor little motor is getting hotter and hotter until it blows a fuse. No big problem it requires the plug to be pulled out and the fuse changed as indicated in the fuse photo supplied. More spare fuses are available from electronic specialists like Maplins etc. Your will probably find that once the game is over it will not blow a fuse in years of use.

Two warnings.

Only a suitably qualified electrical engineer should attempt to carry out any work on the electrical elements of an electric loft ladder.
Young children (and some not so young but stupid) have a habit of thinking that an electrically operated loft ladder can also be used as an escalator. One stands on a tread while another presses the switch. Not a good idea!!

An electric loft ladder, is it what I really need?

2009-11-18T00:00:00+01:00

Let us be honest, electrically operated loft ladders are a luxury item that you can live without. That said most of them are a joy to use, and for the less physically active or the regular loft user an electric loft ladder makes life so easy.Once you have taken the plunge and spent your hard earned cash you will not be able to imagine life without one. There is actually a third category of electric loft ladder buyer that I admit to being a member of, the bone idle gadget man, and yes it is always a man. Electric loft ladders can in some circumstances come under the banner of 'big toys for little boys'.

So as you are obviously not in the third category, lets look at the options now that you have already decided that you cannot wait for the next house party, when you can show your friends your new power access to the loft wine cellar.

There are a few variations on a theme, but basically electric loft ladders fall into two types, the wooden sliding or folding ladder and the metal concertina ladder (also known as a pantograph or scissor action). Both of these are invariably supplied complete with hatch and frame. The electric loft ladder operating mechanism needs to be secured to a purpose made frame, so they are not suitable as an add on to an existing hatchway.

Both types are also usually larger than a typical UK loft hatch size, usually a minimum of 1000mm.x 700mm. for the concertina type, and larger still for the wooden sliding type. Both types can be supplied with wall operating switches and or remote controls. Wall switches have the disadvantage that they need hard wiring to a wall. Remote switches have the disadvantages that they are easy to lose or break and are expensive to replace.

So which to choose? It is easier to give a list of advantages and disadvantages of both, then you can decide.

Wooden sliding or folding electrical loft ladders

Advantages

Can be made in various widths of ladder, and are capable of reaching up to very high ceiling heights.
Very solid with a nice wooden staircase feel.
Capable of manufacture with larger hatch sizes than the standard concertina models

Disadvantages

Far more expensive than the concertina electric loft ladder models, typically £ 3000 plus
Bulky and take up more room in the loft, particularly the sliding type which by their nature need to extend beyond the hatch when parked in the closed position. This can make them unsuitable for small or restricted loft areas.
Require larger more powerful motors to operate, these can be noisy.
Usually very slow to operate due to the heavier weight of the moving parts.

Metal concertina electrical loft ladders

Advantages

Cost less, typically £1800-£2500
Usually far faster to operate.
The concertina mechanism allows everything to fold up on top of the hatch, so they take up no extra loft space.
The lighter construction allows for smaller quieter motors.
The arms of the pantograph make perfectly placed secure hand grips ( most models of both types have handrails as well)
Generally quieter to operate.

Disadvantages

They are manufactured in standard sizes with fewer options for width and length of hatch.
Some pressed metal models can be a little noisy in operation, not a problem with aluminium models.
The metal treads can feel a little odd under foot unless carpeted ( carpets are standard are standard on some systems)

All in all I think that if your loft is a regularly used space in your house, then an electrical loft ladder will more than compensate for the initial outlay.

They are not only far more convenient to operate but also provide a far more comfortable access to the regular user.

Thus spake the lazy gadget freak

Advice on choosing your own stairs in a new build house or loft conversion

2009-11-11T00:00:00+01:00

I regularly get requests from self-build house projects for alternative staircases to the stairs drawn on the original plans submitted by the architect.

A typical scenario is that the self builder employs an architect to draw up plans for submission to the Planning and Building Control departments. Unless told otherwise the architect will quite rightly plonk a house stair on the plans that he or she knows will comply with the Regs. This will invariably be a nice safe traditional timber design that will cause no problems. Approvals are obtained and everyone is happy so far.

As the building work progresses, the self-builder will quite rightly start to get involved in some of the finer details like colour schemes, kitchen fixtures etc. At this point someone usually realises one of two things

A, there is a really boring staircase proposed for the hallway, or

B, they have gone over budget and cannot afford the feature glass spiral staircase that seemed a good idea before the recession kicked in.

On the other hand if you are reading this blog because you are in the early design stage of a house build or refurbishment, well done you, that is the right time to look at such an important fitting as a stair in your dream home.

Staircases can and should be ordered and installed later in the building project, but the hole in the floor that the stair passes through has to be constructed early. The dimensions of this aperture are likely to be specific to the original stair design, and may need adapting if you are trying to change things. Altering trimming joists in an already constructed first or second floor can prove expensive.

If you are in the first category and are trying late in the day to change a staircase up market, do not panic yet. Assuming that the original design worked, the floor aperture size should also allow a similar but posher design to fit. This is likely to be a made-to-measue stair that by the nature of the beast can be made to suit. It may however be trickier if you are trying to save money and are going for say a stylish kit stair. These are made to a module and though they are invariably adaptable and can be squeezed in, the squeezing may put it outside of the all important Regs.

Probably the most common request that I get is from self-builders who half way through the building work realise that there is a whole loft area that they had not considered, and would now like to add onto the project as bedroom number 8 or 9.There is nothing wrong with this; it must be cheaper to do it during the main building work rather than later on. However again space for the access stair on the first floor has to be planned early. There nothing worse than realising too late that a very small alteration to your floor layout before it was built, would have allowed a lovely kit stair to access your extra bedroom.

The moral is think ahead, stairs take up space and need to be considered early in the project.

Modern trends in domestic staircases versus the Building Regulations

2009-11-03T00:00:00+01:00

In the last twenty years there has been a major shift in domestic staircase design from functional to stylish. In my distant youth stairs were for going up and down on, not for looking at. Now staircases in new builds and conversions are out of the closet, they are works of art designed to show the owners taste and wealth. This is not a new phenomenon, the grand sweeping staircases of English manor houses of the past, were not about access, but about excess and the flaunting of wealth.

Personally, I like the modern trend, it is about time that such an important household fixture as a staircase caught up with its ostentatious cousins the fitted kitchen and the all singing and dancing power bathroom.

The only problem with this trend is the trend itself, which is leaning towards minimalist clean open lines in shiny stainless steel and glass. The stairs look beautiful, and in the ostentation stakes fit the bill superbly. The problem is the more minimalist the spiral staircase, the less likely it is to comply with the Building Regulations, which are about health and safety rather than grand designs.

In actual fact Grand Designs is probably the culprit, whether we like to admit it or not, most of us are heavily influenced by what we see on the telly. What we do see, are modern minimalist design staircases shown on the proliferation of home building or home make over programmes that have been in vogue for some time.

The main area of contention between minimalist stair design and the Regulations is the 100mm (4") sphere rule, which in a nutshell says that you cannot have a gap bigger than 100mm anywhere on a stair. This includes spiral stairs, spacesavers et al.

This together with the requiremnts for guarding of stairs ( balustrades), non-slip treads and non-climbable balustrading severely limits the degree of minimalisation that you can achieve. You will see on television, glass stair treads poking out from a wall with no other form of support or any form of balustrade. They look superb, but believe me you do not want to go there. Without serious modification, like balustrading and riser bars, such stairs will not pass muster with your inspector. Nor should they, I am all for style, but if you can fall off the side of a stair it is dangerous!

No one should be put off looking for a feature modern design staircase, they look superb and will totally change the entrance hall to your mansion. However be realistic from the start and seek advice before you set your heart on that stainless steel fireman's pole complete with leather landing pad that you saw on the telly.

Glass stairs a good idea or not?

2009-10-21T00:00:00+02:00

The most noticeable trend in customer's requests for house staircase designs in recent years is for glass treads and or glass balustrading. I am not sure what kicked off this trend, but I suspect that it has a lot to do with house makeover programmes on the TV. Whatever the cause it is flavour of the month, and I suspect it will run for a little time yet.

If you stop and think about it, you would be hard pressed to think of a less suitable material for staircase treads than glass. In its basic form glass breaks, it has a banana skin slippy surface, and from the engineering standpoint it is a nightmare to shape and to fix to other materials. OK modern technology allows us to overcome these things to a certain degree, but we are still pushing the bounds of feasibility.

Don't get me wrong even an old codger like me can see the style and wow factor in a glass staircase. I also need to point out that my concerns are mainly over glass staircase treads, glass balustrading on the other hand has long been used commercially, it looks good and any engineering problems have long been solved.

So let me give you my personal viewpoint on the pros and cons of using glass in your new dream spiral stair or flight staircase. Then no more snide comments from me, you can decide for yourself

THE PLUS POINTS

Glass in both treads and balustrade looks superb and gives the ultimate see through minimalist look.
Glass is actually a very hard and strong material capable of wiithstanding lots of wear and tear.
Combinations of laminating, toughening and etching the surface can overcome the safety issues usually assoiciated with brittle razor sharp material like glass.
Glass staircases allow light to pass through, opening up those dark corners and creating a feeling of space.

THE MINUS POINTS

It is seriously expensive material to use in staircase construction. Do not even contemplate it unless you are a banker or have a Member of Parliament expense account.
Despite its strength it can be chipped or worse a toughened unit can shatter if your plumber drops his wrench on it while drinking his tenth cup of tea. This is an expensive material to repair or replace, and with a spiral stair you would probably have to dismantle the whole stair staircase.
Without an etched surface it can be slippy, the Building regulations do not like that.
There are very few glass tread stair systems that allow for a balustrade system that complies with the Building Regulations 100mm sphere rule (see earlier blogs). This is particularly relevant to spiral staircases because it is almost impossible to use a vertical baluster system (they need too many holes in the tread for it to work with glass).
Glass is heavy and the extra loading on the structure needs to be considered with both landing balustrading and staircases, particularly spiral staircases.
Wearing knickers becomes compulsory whenever you use the stair.

There are stair systems around that can overcome the downsides, but always check their suitability for both your project and your purse before you get too excited over the prospect.

Minimum 50mm going at end of tapered treads to staircases

2009-10-08T00:00:00+02:00

I have been asked by a frustrated homeowner why his Kompact modular staircase kit has caused problems with his building inspector over the 50mm. minimum going on tapered stair treads rule.

Under the Building Regulations part K.1.18 tapered stair treads should have at least 50mm going at the narrow end. This refers to the triangular treads (winding treads) that are used to change direction on a flight of stairs. It cannot be applied to spiral stairs these are covered by alternative rules under BS 5395.

I have to confess that I have never seen the reason for this strange rule. I can only assume that the powers that be saw reason to maintain enough tread to stand on at the pointy end of of winding stair treads. In my ignorant and humble opinion this is not called for, A. you have no reason to walk there, and B. it is almost impossible to do so. You try it; I think you will agree. By the nature of the beast, I believe that you tend to automatically walk up the middle of a typical domestic stair winding treads. However for whatever reason the rules are the rules and we have to live them.

The problem that Mr frustrated homeowner has is fairly uncommon in this enlightened age. It all hinges on the difference between traditional staircases with stringers (wooden side supports) plus newel posts, and modern open plan staircases with centre spine supports and no newel posts. This second category covers all kit modular kit staircases such as the Kompact, Genius or Reflex.

With traditional staircases the newel post in the corner of the winder treads tends to cut the treads off short. that in turn tends to create the required 50mm going. However take away the newel post and continue the tread to a point as you do with a modern open plan kit stair, and you will have no going at all at the point. So it is really a question of where you measure to when you are talking about counts as the effective end of the tread.

Thankfully this is a rare issue, most inspectors are by now well versed in the ins and outs of modern open plan kit staircases, and realise that the taper detail meets with the spirit of this rule. Unfortunately Mr frustrated seems to have met the exception. Hopefully a little polite discussion will change things for the better.

Can you put a space saver stair over an existing stair?

2009-09-09T00:00:00+02:00

Using the loft space as a play area, study room or simply a more accessible junk room, is now becoming common practice. Getting up there is a problem, particularly in smaller houses where space is at a premium. OK we all have loft ladders, but these days we are all looking for an easier more convenient life.

So leaving aside, the fact that a permanent stair will require to comply with the building regulations, as will the space created in the loft etc., the answer is a space saver stair.

In smaller houses the only suitable location is very often a stair over the existing main house stair. So the question is "can we erect a kit space saver stair over our stair please". The answer is maybe it depends on the space available.

The normal solution is to use a space saver stair that starts on the landing at right angles to the existing stair, goes to the wall at the back of the stair, and then turns either right or left to run parallel to the existing stair. In my opinion the best space saving stair kit on the market for this situation is the Gamia Mini Plus.

The Gamia Mini Plus kit is unusual in kits in that it turns with a platform rather than turning the treads at an angle. This platform means that you can make a right angled turn, which allows the stair to stay next to the wall all the way up. Both the platform and the nearness of the wall creates a feeling of safety which is important on any open tread stair that is over an existing stair. You must remember that it looks a long way down to the ground floor from the attic when you are ascending the stair.

The Gamia Mini Plus as with other space saver stair kits has two main problems to overcome when considering if it will fit in your particular location.

The stair cannot start at the edge of the existing stairwell opening, the floor support to the space saver stair needs to mounted on the landing. In practice this usually means that the first two steps will need to be on the landing and not over the opening. This may impinge on the landing or a door opening. Depending on which stair you use, you will need to consider that the stair will start approx 500mm back from the edge of the stairwell.
Space saver stair kits like the Gamia Mini Plus use metal elements under each tread to support the stair. These elements have a depth of approx 500mm which means that they project down that sort of distance from the top of each tread. The depth of this metalwork can create headroom clearance problems under the space saver stair when you are ascending the main house stair below it.

Both of these potential problems need considering carefully before you proceed. Unfortunately there are no universal answers, it all depends on your specific house layout and other factors such as the pitch of your existing stair. It is good idea to visit a stair showroom where you can see the stair and have a better idea of how the stair elements go together. With a few dimensions of your existing layout the showroom technical staff should also be able to advise you on the feasibilty of using a space saver stair on your project.

What is a modular kit stair and will it comply with the regulations?

2009-08-25T00:00:00+02:00

The term modular refers to the module that a set of parts are made to, so that they can fit together to make a whole article. Meccano for instance is made of modular parts. With modular stairs it means that a set of standard parts are manufactured and stocked at the factory, so that they are readily available for assemble into various shapes and sizes of stairs. This is a cheaper an quicker alternative than to have a stair specifically manufactured for your dimensional requirements.

The clever design of modular straight flight stairs such as the Kompact, Genius or Reflex, gives these staircases the ability to be adjusted in both height and length, which in turn increases massively the range of applications that they can be used for. The beauty of this concept is that the supplier can pre-package the parts for typical stairs so that customers can quickly buy and receive a kit that will be capable of assemble into a suitable stair for their specific application.

The only downside of modular kit staircases are that you have work with the module, you cannot get them do everything, and you cannot ask for slight alterations to the design to suit you. That would be like asking Ford to supply a car with a central steering wheel just for you. The economies of supplying modular products do not work for one offs.

Fortunately the designs of Modular stairs cover an amazing range of applications, and you are likely to find one that works for, but you may need a little expert technical help in order to get it the right kit for you.

The answer to the constantly asked question " does it comply with the regulations?" is that it might. As an adjustable kit,a modular stair can be adjusted both into and out of the requirements of the Building Regulations part K, particularly the rise, going and pitch requirements. It all depends on your specific floor-to-floor height of your required stair ,and the sort of space you have available for the stair, whether or not you can make a Regulation compliant staircase. You usually can but you will probably need to ask help from a technical expert before you hang your hat on it. The end result is worth it, modern open plan modular staircase kits look superb, and offer massive savings over a similar bespoke stairs.

Are two storey height spiral staircases possible with a standard kit stair systems?

2009-08-06T00:00:00+02:00

Mr Sergiew who wants to put a spiral stair up to his loft room, has come up with the idea of getting rid of his main stair, and putting a spiral staircase from the ground floor right up to the loft. He asks is this possible with the Klan spiral stair kit?

The answer is yes it is possible, but it is fraught with many problems.

First off are the Regulations which require different size spiral stairs for different functions. So a main house stair going up to the bedrooms on the first floor, will need to be approx 2000mm in diameter (depending on the constructional details of the spiral). While a spiral staircase serving only one room in a loft conversion can be reduced down to approx 1500mm in diameter. All this is still possible but the larger diameter staircase is outside of the range of any kit stair, so you will need to go up market to a made-to measure stair system.

The bigger problem is the rotational geometry. The treads of any spiral stair rotate at a fixed degree of rotation per tread, and this degree varies with the stair diameter. What this means is that the stepping on and off points at the top and bottom of a spiral stair have a fixed relationship with each other, and these may not suit the layout of your property. This situation is made worse when you add another floor onto your spiral stair, because you add another exit point to the problem. In practice this can mean that the layout of your hall requires that you step on the spiral staircase at a certain point, but the exit point on the first floor may end up not where you want to be, but pointing at a wall.

So two storey height spiral staircases are possible and look superb in a property, but you may need to go to a made-to-measure range which will cost more, and you definately need expert advice very early on in the project to check the feasibility of the staircase with your specific house layout and floor-to-floor heights.

The Staircase Doctor

The 100mm sphere rule and staircases

2009-07-21T00:00:00+02:00

I wish I had a pound for every time I have had to explain the workings of this Building Regulation requirement that is much loved by Local Authority inspectors. Long ago someone on the Building Regulation committee (probably after a bad night) came up with the idea that little children could get limbs caught in the gaps between the guarding rails or the open risers of stairs.

"Fair enough" you say but who really cares "that’s what children are there for" I hear you cry. Well this chap did care, and he came up with the devious idea that it should be a rule that no gap on a stair should allow the passage of a 100mm diameter sphere. Just to muddy the water a little it was further decided that this rule need not apply to stairs in buildings which are not likely to be used by children under 5.

Quite who decides which buildings this applies to, is confusingly not mentioned in the Regs. As you are probably now aware I am no fan of this rule, it seems to me to create a problem that probably never existed, and then made a pig’s ear of solving it. However who am I to say, you will rarely meet an inspector who will give you leeway on the 100mm sphere rule.

You have been warned, you might have seen lovely minimalist modern open tread, non balustrade stairs on Grand Designs, but forget them, they will be a non starter with the inspector. The only safe bet is a full vertical baluster stair with spacing of less than 100mm.combined with a timber or metal riser bar kit between the open treads if it is an open riser style staircase.

What is a space saving stair ?

2009-07-15T00:00:00+02:00

I have had a long conversation with Mrs Winston who wants to put a stair access to her loft space with the very minimum use of space (don't we all). Unfortunately the concept of a space saving stair is a difficult one to grasp for a lot of people. So I suggest to her to look at say a Karina (alternate paddle shaped treads) which saves about as much space as any stair short of a ladder or fireman's pole.

The response I get is "I do not like the look of that, I want a proper stair". Unfortunately life is never that simple, proper stairs take up as much space as any main stair that you find in any modern house. You cannot cheat on the geometry. Building Regulation compliant stairs are designed to give safe access, and that requires a minimum amount of space to stand on each tread, a maximum amount of step up between each tread, and a maximum angle of pitch of the whole stair.

When you apply these rules you will end up with no room to save any space. The only way to save space is to go steeper with your stair, and the only way to achieve enough tread to stand on with a steep stair is to use the paddle shaped treads that you see on space saver staircases.

So it is case of what will fit your space rather than your ideal stair. But do not despair space saver stairs are more comfortable to use than you imagine. They even can comply with the Regulations in certain circumstances, but seek advice on this before you buy.

Do spiral staircases save space?

2009-07-06T00:00:00+02:00

The Staircase Doctor writes,

I am often asked about using a spiral staircase as a space saving method of gaining access to a loft conversion. This is in most cases a misconception, a regulation compliant spiral is likely to take up as much floor area any other compliant stair, it is just a different shape.

The situation gets even more complex when you look at what the stair serves. There are different requirements for spiral stairs serving say one bedroom or more than one bedroom.

For instance a spiral staircase serving one room needs what is called a clear width of 600mm.

The clear width is defined as the distance from the outside of the centre pole to the inside of the handrail. In practise this requires a stair of 1400mm or 1500mm in diameter depending on the stair construction. Where as a spiral staircase serving 2 or more rooms needs a clear width of 800mm. Again in practise this equates to a spiral of around a whopping 2000mm in diameter.

Probably the reason that you see so few spirals in large conversion projects.

Let us be honest spirals look great and add a wow factor to any loft project. No one should be put off using a spiral, but you have to realistic about the amount of space they will use. As with all stairs they are more complicated than what you think, and it is advisable to seek professional advice early in the design stage.

Never plough on with the project under the assumption that you get a stair to fit in that corner somehow, it always ends in tears.