Loft conversion staircase solutions

When well designed, your loft staircase can be a feature in itself. However, it can be tricky ensuring you achieve the look you want, as well as tying it in with your property style, and adhering to building regulations. We walk you through the staircase options available to you and the rules you need to follow if you decide to convert your loft.

Let us kick off proceedings by covering the rules and regulations…

Loft staircases building regulations

The main factor here is to make sure you have the right amount of headroom above your loft conversion stairs before you commence works. If you get this wrong it will be very difficult, if not impossible to rectify after the build is completed. Regulations aside, you do not want to be ducking your head to get into your new loft bedroom!

When you add any kind of structure to your home, there are strict building regulations that must be followed. Converting your loft will see the structure of your home change quite dramatically – you may need to extend the roof or even lower the ceiling of the room below the loft to make way for the new rooms above, so there will be a lot of different regulations that you will need to meet. With over 30 years in the business, there isn’t a lot we can’t tell you about building regulations or planning permission. We also have a skilled structural engineer on board, so we can offer bespoke advice, whatever your situation might be. It is important to employ a loft conversion company you can trust, because failing to comply with building regulations will not only result in an unsafe home, but a very expensive bill trying to rectify the build.

The stairs are a pivotal part of these regulations, and the headroom, quality and pitch must all be taken into consideration. Here are some of the basic requirements:

• The maximum pitch of the stairs is 42 degrees.
• There must me at least 1.9m of headroom at the centre of the flight.
• There must be at least 1.8m of headroom at the edges of the stairs.
• The vertical surface of the stair (risers) must be of equal level.
• There is no minimum staircase width but anything less than 600mm is likely to be unpractical. Plus, if stairs have a drop of more than 650mm – a handrail is required.
• Landing areas need to be a minimum size before the staircase and at the top of the stairs.
• Vertical spindles should boast a 99mm gap between them.

Your staircase will also need to comply with fire regulations which will include having a suitable fire door located at the top or the bottom of the new loft stairs.

Here at Touchstone Lofts, we will take detailed measurements of your home to ensure there is enough room to fit all components of the project, including the staircase. The team will then plan your conversion in full so that you can apply for planning permission, if necessary, we will even take care of the planning process for you – we know the process well with 98% of our plans getting the go-ahead first time.

Designing your loft staircase

The main staircase options available for your new loft conversion are either straight stairs or stairs with a single or double wind.

New loft conversion staircases need to match the existing staircase and blend in suitably enough to appear indistinguishable from the existing stairs in the rest of the house. We will design and make your staircases, so it is crafted bespoke to your loft conversion, and we like to consider the design when the floor structure is in place – in full consultation with you. We have experience with fitting spiral staircases, alternating tread (the tread being the part you step on), and retractable ladders.

If you have a small landing and space is tight, a space saving loft conversion style such as a spiral design is often a popular choice. We can work with you to design a staircase that not only meets all regulations but meets our needs and wants as well, whether that be optimum natural light, glass balustrades, or funky lighting.