Owners of small two-story houses and apartments in townhouses often have to fit the stairs into a cramped space. How to reduce the dimensions of the flight of stairs without turning the ascent and descent into climbing exercises?
It is desirable to choose the type and configuration of the stairs ( mid-flight or spiral, with or without a platform) before starting the construction of the house. After the construction of partitions and ceilings, it will be much more difficult to provide convenient communication between floors and fit the stairs into the interior.
The projection dimensions of the stairs on the plan can vary within a fairly wide range, but it must be borne in mind that with an increase in steepness and a decrease in the width of the march, movement will become less comfortable.
Degree of steepness
There are several ways to save space when building a traditional staircase with bowstrings or stringers. Some of them can also reduce the cost of construction. However, it is not always possible to provide convenient inter-floor communication.
Increasing the steepness of the ascent to 45° or more (30–40° is considered the norm)
From a technical point of view, this event is not difficult: moreover, the load on the supporting beams is reduced (which means that they can be made thinner) and the number of steps and balusters is reduced. But the size of the treads and risers (that is, the depth and height of the steps) depends on the angle of the march; if the first value is less than 27 cm, and the second exceeds 18 cm, then it will be difficult to climb the stairs, and even dangerous to go down.
To save space, it is not necessary to increase the steepness of the ascent. You can, for example, arrange a pantry under the stairs for storing seasonal items or sports equipment.
Of course, you can not sew up the risers, use duck steps in combination with an anti-slip coating. And yet, such structures are essentially a hybrid of an inter-floor staircase and an attic one. Despite all the tricks of the designers, they remain inconvenient for the elderly.
Dimensional guidelines
The greatest comfort is achieved when the tread to riser ratio is between 300 x 150 and 280 x 170 mm. The maximum allowable size of the classic design is 270 × 200 mm. When constructing steep mid-flight stairs, it is necessary to use non-rectangular steps, which allows you to increase the tread in turn (either on the right or on the left). The optimal height of the railing is 90 cm, and the distance between the uprights is about 15 cm. The width of the handrail should be 55–75 mm; it is desirable that it be assembled without angular joints (smooth bends are preferred) and breaks.
Reducing the width of the march to 60–80 cm (instead of the prescribed 90–110 cm)
The gain in area in this case is small, and comfort is sharply reduced.
A one-way staircase will cause congestion (especially if you have a large family and like to host guests), and furniture will have to be lifted on cables through balconies and windows.
Winder device
The rejection of the landing when turning the march allows you to gain 1–2 m2 on the first or second floor (for example, you can place a guest sofa on this area) while maintaining a normal angle of inclination, that is, without serious damage to the convenience of ascent and descent. True, stairs with winder steps are mainly produced to order after taking measurements, moreover, such models are 10-30% more expensive than products with a platform (mainly due to the more complex configuration of the supporting beams).
Buy or order?
Nowadays, in building hypermarkets, sets of accessories for stairs are quite widely represented – steps, support pillars, balusters, there are even bowstrings with a standard slope (about 35 °). A home craftsman can easily assemble a direct march or a structure with a platform from these parts using bolt ties, furniture screws and wood glue.
As for the factory stairs, they are mainly delivered to order (buying a set from the manufacturer’s warehouse is a great success). When buying a domestic product, the prepayment amount is 5–50%, and the waiting period is 15–45 days; if we are talking about an imported staircase, then you will have to pay 50-100% of the cost in advance and wait up to 3 months. For the same period or even faster, a piece model will be made in the carpentry workshop – according to one of the standard projects or a sketch of your designer, and it will cost less than an imported factory of a similar type, similar dimensions and made of the same materials.
Using a modular swivel stringer
Such a construction is assembled from Z-shaped parts, which are inserted into each other during installation and fixed with screws or welded. The modules can be rotated relative to each other and the height of the steps can be adjusted within 20-40 mm by installing
distance washers, which makes it easy to turn the march without a platform and adapt the stairs to the dimensions of the room. Such designs are sold as prefabricated kits, and the parts require almost no adjustment on site; their cost starts from 80 thousand rubles.
Bearing elements of stairs (bowstrings, stringers, consoles, supporting pillars, etc.) can only be attached to beams and floor slabs, main walls
Spiral stairs
Spiral staircases take up little space, have a comfortable riser height (usually no more than 17 cm), and are easy to adapt to the layout of the room and ceiling height. Such models can be ordered from a carpentry shop or purchased as a kit of factory-made parts and assembled by yourself, which will save money and time.
Quality control
When choosing a manufacturer of wooden stairs, you must be careful, as many companies have mistakes. You can pre-evaluate the product by the quality of the wood used. There should be no knots on bowstrings and stringers, and on steps and handrails – areas with a porous core, large putty defects (it is not difficult to distinguish putty from wood: it is always a different shade, usually lighter). If under-cured wood was used, the parts will soon begin to crack and warp. A bad glue will cause a squeak. Alas, it is difficult to independently assess the moisture content of lumber and the quality of the glue, so study the reviews and make sure that the company fulfills the warranty obligations.
The steps of the spiral staircase are put on the central pillar, separated by spacers, and their second ends are connected with bolts. The latter, in tandem with the railing, performs the function of a three-dimensional frame. In custom-made products, instead of bolts, a twisted bowstring is sometimes used or the end of the steps is supported on the wall (at an angular location).
In the manufacture of piece models, polished stainless steel and forged railing elements are widely used, and steps made of laminated glass, porcelain stoneware, and quartz agglomerate are in vogue, as built-in lighting.
The height of the spiral staircase can be changed due to the number of steps – it is only important to observe the multiplicity of dimensions and correctly calculate the direction of exit from the march.
The price of prefabricated economy-class spiral staircases is 570 USD, and better quality production is 760–2300 USD. Custom oak products cost 1500 USD.
Staircase to the attic
If utility rooms are equipped in the attic of the house, it is advisable to get a comfortable invisible staircase. This design consists of folding or sliding sections and is removed behind a sealed heat-insulated hatch, which is built into the ceiling. It takes only a few seconds to unfold the attic ladder: it is enough to open the hatch cover using a special rod, and then pull the lower step towards you. Attic stairs cost from 250 USD.
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