New house stair case !

tizer21

I'm thinking of buying a property but the one thing putting me off is the stair case. It is steep and the steps are very small. Does any one know if the stair case can be changed ?

PasturesNew

Changing staircaes is tricky and expensive.

I know what you mean though, I was in a new build for 2-3 days and really felt unsafe on the stairs. I have tiny feet and they weren't even as deep as my feet - and the angle was steep.... I'd have not bought it on that alone. I KNOW I'd take a tumble [a] before long regularly -and- [c] probably terminally.

whitewing

Why don't you see if the vendor will let you send someone in to price up a change? At least it will give you some idea, and it may help them anyway if it puts off other people too.

Old_Git

check with building control before you remove a stairs

G_M

Assuming there is space it will cost.

leveller2911

PasturesNew wrote: »

Changing staircaes is tricky and expensive.





I know what you mean though, I was in a new build for 2-3 days and
really felt unsafe on the stairs. I have tiny feet and they weren't even as
deep as my feet - and the angle was steep....

Hi Pastures,
On new builds they must comply with current building regs so the treads (step) must be a minimum of 220mm wide and rise (height of each step) no more than 220mm in height. Maximum pitch (steepness of stairs) must be no more than 42 degrees which isn't that steep....

You sure your feet are tiny?.............:D

moneyistooshorttomention

There is a firm that advertises regularly in the magazines for replacing peoples staircases and they do look modern/nice.

Wonders if anyone can recall the name of this firm?

If so, then I guess the best bet would be to contact the firm and explain the set-up and ask them for a rough ballpark figure of cost and the amount of time it would take to do the job.

I wouldn't want to take on moving staircases (as they seem to do with gay abandon on programmes like "Homes under the Hammer":eek:) - but I would investigate replacement stairs in the same position and have it in mind that I would think they could maybe do it in just a day or two and would expect to be told somewhere along the £2,000-£5,000 mark as likely price.

I may be way out as to timing and/or cost - but would go in asking a firm to tell me how near the mark I might be on this if I came across a house like that.

(just had a quick google with term "replacement staircase" and came across a previous MSE thread - started in 2006 and continuing onwards from there - and a quick glance revealed I probably have about the right figure in mind, depending on what quality you want the job done to).

bclark

PasturesNew wrote: »

Changing staircaes is tricky and expensive.

I know what you mean though, I was in a new build for 2-3 days and really felt unsafe on the stairs. I have tiny feet and they weren't even as deep as my feet - and the angle was steep.... I'd have not bought it on that alone. I KNOW I'd take a tumble [a] before long regularly -and- [c] probably terminally.

New builds have to comply with pretty strict building regs on things like stairs so you must actually have pretty LARGE feet if they weren't as deep.

lessonlearned

I think someone has the wrong end of the stick here. Tizer said a new house not a "new build" house.

All new builds will comply to building regs and this will ensure that staircases are not too steep, nor will the depth of the steps be too narrow. They will also be wider than staircases in older properties to meet EU 2007 regulations which state that all staircases in new build properties have to be wide enough to allow a stair lift to be fitted if necessary.

Tizer you will need a structural engineer because you will need to check out floor joists etc. Presumably if the staircase is steep you will be looking at changing it's position to allow for a less steep angle and greater step depth.

If it's a simple staircase replacement then a basic staircase can be purchased for as little as £200 and a competent joiner can do it in a a couple of days.

However, if you are need to make the layout changes I have mentioned ie changing the landing layout or changing the direction of the staircase then you may well need a specialist firm to undertake the project. It will cost more and take longer.

Whilst changing a staircase can be costly and of course messy - it can make a huge difference, not only in terms of safety but also to the way in which the property works.

Narrow, worn treads and steep inclines are a very serious safety threat, whilst a badly sited staircase can impact on how a space is used.

agrinnall

lessonlearned wrote: »

I think someone has the wrong end of the stick here. Tizer said a new house not a "new build" house.

No, they've read the thread properly. They are clearly referring to PasturesNew's gigantic feet, after specifically stating he/she had been to see a new build.

bclark

agrinnall wrote: »

No, they've read the thread properly. They are clearly referring to PasturesNew's gigantic feet, after specifically stating he/she had been to see a new build.

This. I was aware the OP wasn't talking about a new build but felt I just needed to respond to yet another 'aren't new builds rubbish' type comment.