Spiral stairs

MacTheKnife1

I am toying with the idea of spiral staircases in my new house.

Has anyone got one in their house? If so how do u find them. Are smaller children more likely to fall on spiral stairs than standard staircases?

Thanks for any replies.

Mellor

MacTheKnife1 wrote: »

I am toying with the idea of spiral staircases in my new house.

Has anyone got one in their house? If so how do u find them. Are smaller children more likely to fall on spiral stairs than standard staircases?

Thanks for any replies.

Not trying to scaremounger, but everyone, kids included are more likely to fall down spiral stairs than a striaght flight

MacTheKnife1

Mellor wrote: »

Not trying to scaremounger, but everyone, kids included are more likely to fall down spiral stairs than a striaght flight

Thanks, - pity they are a great space saver!

muffler

Wouldn't recommend them at all.

RKQ

They are ok as a second stairs or to a mezz level.
They are difficult to navigate and impossible to get furniture up!

MacTheKnife1

RKQ wrote: »

They are ok as a second stairs or to a mezz level.
They are difficult to navigate and impossible to get furniture up!

Thanks for all your replies. I will go with a normal stairs. The furniture issue was going to be dealt with via an open volume area. But the risk of someone falling is a NO-NO.

smashey

RKQ wrote: »

They are difficult to navigate

Especially after a few beers as I found out a few years ago. :pac:

muffler

smashey wrote: »

Especially after a few dozen beers as I found out a few years ago. :pac:

I fixed that for you

lebbo1

MacTheKnife1 wrote: »

I am toying with the idea of spiral staircases in my new house.

Has anyone got one in their house? If so how do u find them. Are smaller children more likely to fall on spiral stairs than standard staircases?

Thanks for any replies.

Mac,
if you want to go for planning, they wouldnt let you put in a spiral as a primary stairs. do u have space for a second stairwell?
spirals are awkward when carrying furniture up and down. Allow min. 100sqft for the "normal stairs".

muffler

lebbo1 wrote: »

Allow min. 100sqft for the "normal stairs".

Im lost. Can you elaborate?

lebbo1

muffler wrote: »

Im lost. Can you elaborate?

If you would have your mind set on a spiral stairs somewhere in the house as an architectonical feature, you would have to provide some where else a "normal" straight stairs as primary stairs. The approximate space needed for the straight stairs would be - depending on your room and ceiling heights - approx 10sqm - 100 sqft. incl landings.

Cuauhtemoc

Mac,
if you want to go for planning, they wouldnt let you put in a spiral as a primary stairs. do u have space for a second stairwell?
spirals are awkward when carrying furniture up and down. Allow min. 100sqft for the "normal stairs".

Our house will be easily accessible upstairs and downstairs from ground level outside as it will be built into a slope.
We were planning a spiral staircase as a space saving idea.
Would there be a planning issue in that regard?

Thanks.

C.

muffler

Planning wont be an issue but maybe building regulations would. You need to check with your designer.

muffler

lebbo1 wrote: »

If you would have your mind set on a spiral stairs somewhere in the house as an architectonical feature, you would have to provide some where else a "normal" straight stairs as primary stairs. The approximate space needed for the straight stairs would be - depending on your room and ceiling heights - approx 10sqm - 100 sqft. incl landings.

Kinda defeats the purpose if you have to fit 2 flights of stairs.

If you are including the landings and the space on both floors that would add up to what you stated otherwise 3.50 x 1.00 metres would be more than adequate for a standard stairwell.

Poor Uncle Tom

I think spirals, or derivetives thereof, can look and feel very special in a building. I normally widen out the central pole area as much as the design allows. I put it at 1.65m in one job, got the wheelchair accessible WC into the central area and I got the 'spiral' into one third of a revolution, opened the area directly to the roof and domed it in glass. The light flooding in makes the area very special. Anyway it is possible, but I think the design will dictate whether you use it or not. I wouldn't put one into a standard dormer just to add a 'feature', this wouldn't work, imo.

MacTheKnife1

Great site for planning those stairs, spiral or otherwise:

http://www.stairplan.co.uk

No6

If its a large dia helical stairs it can comply with the building regulations, theres a whole BS on it, I have it somewhere!! A small dia spiral around a central pole is not suitable as a primary staircase in a house unless it serves only one habitable room.

If you are using an accessible toilet as a pole uncle tom I'd say its helical!!!:D:D

Poor Uncle Tom

No6 wrote: »

If you are using a pole as the accessible toilet uncle tom I'd say its helical!!!:D:D

Fixed that for you, No6, and it works just fine, ta.