Choosing a Staircase

Advances in technology means that we are now spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a staircase interior or exterior. There are many different specifications suited to space needed. Also many different designs suited to different surrounds.

How does one buy a staircase? Steel Metalworks believe those interested should either have pre-drawn plans or a budgetary range when they first contact the company. While Whitten Metalworks can design according to a budget, or quote based on a plan, it’s virtually impossible to design without a clear notion of cost.

There are two primary ways a staircase comes into existence: either through what is known as a design, construct and install service, or a construct and install service. In a construct and install service, an architect presents plans to Steel Metalworks which the firm uses to create a quote, thoroughly detailing the cost of every design element. The client then approves both the quote and the drawings. Steel Metalworks fabricates and installs the staircase. After the approval of the quote a time estimation can be specified.

In a design, construct and install service, the process differs only in that the client asks Steel Metalworks to design the staircase. Design drawings can be supplied prior to fabrication for client approval.

The most costly aspects of a staircase are not the materials, but the style. Potential clients may browse the online portfolio and visualize the structural style of their ideal staircase. A custom design can then be created which combines the desired form and the client’s suggested budget.

Stair Types	Features	Advantages	Disadvantages	Requirements
Straight Flight Stairs	Simplest design No turns Used most in homes	Easy to construct Less expensive	Long open space or high ceiling required Difficult to accommodate in the floor plan
L-Shaped Stair (quarter-turn stair)	One landing at some point along the flight of steps	Useful when the space required for a straight stairs is not available Possible to be located in the corner Provision of resting place and the reduced distance of fall (same as L-shaped stair)	Probable to need more floor space than a straight stair More difficult to construct than straight stairs	The length and width of the landing should not be less than the width of the stairway. Landings should have a minimum vertical clearance of not less than 2000mm. Landings must be less than 750mm (where this involves a change in direction, the length is measured 500mm from the inside edge of the landing). Landings have a gradient not steeper than 1:50.
U (double L – shaped) stairs (half-turn stair)	Two flights of steps parallel to each other 180° turn at one large landing	Useful when there need many raisers but small floor space Provision of a place to rest and the reduced distance of fall (same as the L-shaped stair)	Same as L-Shaped Stair (quarter-turn stair)	Same as L-Shaped Stair (quarter-turn stair)
Winder stairs	Pie-shaped stairs which are substituted for a landing	Less space required then L and double L stairs	Less safe than L and double L stairs due to the lack of step uniformity of winders	The width of winders should be sufficient at midpoint. The going of the winders should be constant
Spiral/Circular stairs	Circular stairs sweeps in a broad curve from one level to another Spiral stairs twists around a centre pole, from which steps radiate out	Can be used where little space is available Ideal for access to attic, basement rooms, and lighthouse Better aesthetics	Hard to climb Not safe as they have winder steps Not suitable for primary stair	The radius to the centre-line of the stairway should not be less than 600mm. The maximum width of the curved stairway should be 750mm.

Straight-flight stairs

In residential installations, the most common solution is to use a straight flight of stairs in a single flight, because this is almost always the most efficient and economical way to achieve the necessary rise. The stair can be concealed to some degree behind a partition or set against one of the walls. This removes the necessity to provide balustrade on both sides of the stair, further reducing the cost and the footprint of the stair. This is the most commonly installed format of stair in Steel Metalworks residential projects. While a straight-flight staircase is the simplest layout, it by no means should be interpreted as a least interesting approach.

Straight-flight stairs

Straight-run stairs with landings are the most suitable for great heights. The landings allow the users to rest without breaking the rhythm of their ascent and to break the climb. Each landing included obviously increases the overall footprint of the stair, as space is consumed without a corresponding increase in rise.

Spiral Staircases
Designing a spiral staircase is not simply a matter of slip-mounting stair treads around a central column; it is instead a process of realising the perfect assembly of material, and synchronizing it to the demands of a particular space.

A spiral staircase can be anything our clients want it to be. Advances in technology allow us to push past the ordinary boundaries of traditional design to forge together new and innovative works that challenge the notion of what a spiral staircase is. No matter what the particular requirements of the space, we work closely with our clients and the construction companies to design and execute our fully original staircase designs. Our dedication to innovative design continues to win us commissions in schools, restaurants, offices, and private homes.

Other spiral staircases incorporate balustrades, or merge quietly with their surroundings to provide a sense of connection without an overbearing presence. Some staircases are designed primarily as vantage points from which to survey the interior of our client’s homes. Other spiral staircases serve as examples of our svelte creative functionality. We are also able to provide a compact mobility while enhancing the beauty of the interior space in busy working environments.

Commercial Stairs

Commercial staircase often form part of a show-piece layout in high-exposure foyers, showrooms, or corporate offices. A poorly implemented Commercial Staircase if Implemented poorly can incur additional costs to the project and safety risks.

Many more examples of Steel Staircases can be found at www.steelmetalworks.co.uk