There are various designs of staircase which can be used for a loft
conversion, but unless you have a large property you are probably going to need
something which saves some space, giving you access to your conversion without
taking up too much room.
The standard types of "space saving" staircase (other than loft
ladders which aren’t really suitable for a habitable room) are:
·
Millers Ladder, or fixed ladder style
staircases. These take up relatively little space, but are steeper than a
normal staircase and care needs to be taken by the user, especially when
descending, as the tread “goings” are shorter than normal and there is a small
area on which to plant your foot - for this reason they usually have to have a
handrail each side to meet regulations.
They are cheap to buy and install, but frankly they do look like a
temporary staircase solution when all is said and done.
·
Space Saver Staircase, sometimes
referred to as a Space Saving staircase or Loft staircase, is a staircase with
offset paddle shaped treads. Space saving staircases offer the benefits of the
Millers ladder, in that you get a compact staircase solution, but because of
the design you get a full depth of tread going, which in my opinion is safer
than the Millers ladder type of tread. Most local joinery shops can make you a
traditional style of staircase with space saver treads, but for the ultimate in
flexibility and style there are now a number of modular stair kits available
from Italian manufacturers such as Spiral Stairs Direct and Misterstep. The
modular kits feature adjustable height treads, steel structures and usually
stylish and yet economical designs. In some models you can even build in 90
degree and 180 degree turns to make the space saver stairs even more
compact!
·
Spiral Staircase, the basic design of
the spiral staircase has
been around for centuries, and so it is a logical choice for lots of people who
want to save space. A spiral staircase features tapered treads mounted round a
central pole. In modern spiral staircase designs the tread heights are usually
adjustable, so there is no need to fabricate the staircase to suit the floor to
floor height. The advantages of spiral staircases are many and varied, but the
main benefits are that they are compact and stylish, can be fitted in a corner
location or against a wall to maximise room space, are safe and easy to use,
and these days due to the arrival of modular spiral staircase kits, they are
readily available from UK stockists such as Spiral Stairs Direct. The advent of
spiral staircase kits which can be installed by any keen DIY’er started in the
eighties - before that spiral stairs had to be fabricated by specialists and
were only for the wealthy few, or owners of castle towers! Now spiral
staircases are very much more affordable, and due to their ease of assembly
some excellent cost savings can be made by the home owner on a budget
·
Modular Compact staircase, the modular
Compact staircase has treads similar in style to a standard staircase, but is
generally narrower to take up less space than a full size staircase. Modular
stairs usually feature adjustable tread heights, like a spiral staircase, and
in addition they usually feature adjustable tread goings which may help in
getting the fit just right. Modular compact stairs can also include one or more
sets of winder treads, which turn the staircase through 90 degrees or 180
degrees. Where you place the winder treads is up to you, so a variety of
different layouts is achievable from one standard kit. The emphasis is on
versatility of layout - you don’t have to have a specially made to fit
staircase
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