How to plan loft stairs

help2013

Hi,

We're hoping to finish a loft conversion in our house - the previous occupier has reinforced the floor and insulated the walls and ceiling to make a storage platform with velux windows, but stopped short of adding stairs. We'd like to add stairs up from the landing and do anything else to make it legally usable as a bedroom (we only need an office but it seems to make sense to ensure it meets building regs for a bedroom for when we come to move on).

We've had four people round to quote for the work and everyone has a different opinion about the stairs and what is required for building regs. It would seem the stairs need to come up in the middle of the loft to get a 2m doorway in - but this means either partially blocking a window in the hallway (it's semi-detached and has a large window above the stairs which currently bend round in an L up to the landing) or losing part of the 4th bedroom to start the stairs further down the hallway so they can come up away from the landing at 90 degrees and round and back on themselves before the position of the window.

If they cover the window the line of the stairs will match the existing flight - going out from the landing, bending right up the outside wall of the house above the existing stairway then up into the loft above the existing rise up to the hallway. Surely this is preferable (even though the top of the window may be blocked) to turning the fourth bedroom into a single and having stairs that don't cover any of the window?

I'm so confused by conflicting opinions about what will and will not meet regulations - is it a good idea to get an architect to look or is that overkill, or to speak to the building inspectors myself before accepting a quote?

Many many thanks!

tacpot12

To my mind, this sort of work is only with doing if doesn't take away space you already have and isn't going to look bad. I can't visualise how bad it is going to look if you build the stairs partially over the windows. I would be inclined to move the window so it looks like the new stairs have always been there.

ellie27

Having the stairs directly above the other ones is the preferred option - I believe. In that case, you should move/remove the window or is it possible to get a smaller window?

getmore4less

floor plans help people understand the potential options.

Doozergirl

What are they disagreeing on? Building Regs are clear, where to put the stairs is a matter of personal opinion. Building control aren't going to advise you on that.

I would certainly want drawings of the stairs to ensure they meet regs and fit correctly before they're made, but a joiner might be able to produce those.

Of course it's preferable to use existing hallway space and not a bedroom, but how the loft room space is affected is also a major consideration.

Hoploz

Yes this is the tricky bit! I can do all the rest of the visualising and planning, but I still find it REALLY hard to work stairs out! It's the main reason I got an architect to do plans for alterations I'm making to my 1980's loft conversion.

ellie27

Is it just the 1 bedroom upstairs in the loft conversion? In the future would you consider converting more upstairs? If so then it is really important to get the stairs right that will allow any future conversion.

Position of stairs is so important.

We moved into our bungalow a year ago. About 15 years ago, the then owner had 1 room in the loft conversion. About 10 years ago, the next owner added 2 more rooms upstairs and repositioned the stairs to do so.

Now we are in... we feel the stairs are in the wrong place... they are in the dining room and we are having an architect in next week to talk of plans to change that. Because every single bit of space upstairs is used as bedrooms then we will lose a bedroom to do this.

Good luck!

sew_what

Our loft stairs cut across our tall landing window - we've got a funy little corner on the top stairs and the window disappears beyond the ceiling on the lower stairs. The window has frosted glass so only casts an odd shadow outside and we really don't notice it inside!
The new stairs being above the old stairs is by far the most efficent use of space!