Can you do a loft conversion with a small landing?

When it comes to loft conversions, positioning where to have the staircase is a crucial decision. Many customers that have a small landing worry that they will not be able to convert their loft for fear that their landing is not big enough to house a staircase. Rest assured, there are many options we can consider in homes with a small amount of landing floor space, in order to find the most convenient and practical position for the loft conversion stairs and execute a successful loft conversion that satisfies both your needs as well as those stated by building control. We take a look at the details.

First up, let us just recap the loft staircase rules…

Loft staircase building regulations

Adding any kind of structure to your home requires you to meet strict building control regulations. As experts in the field, we will be able to walk you through everything you need to know if you choose us for your loft conversion project. We also have a very experienced structural engineer on hand to offer bespoke advice, whatever you situation may be.

Here are some of the basic regulations that your loft staircase will be required to meet:

• The maximum pitch of the stairs is 42 degrees.
• There must be at least 1.9m of headroom at the centre of the flight.
• There must be at least 1.8m of headroom at the edge 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 meet fire safety regulations which will include having a suitable fire door at the top or the bottom of the stairs (the loft stairs).

Designing a loft staircase for small landing spaces

When designing a staircase, you need to consider what makes the most sense from a practical perspective, as well as what works well in terms of the space you have available, preserving natural light, all the while complementing your existing staircase and interior style.

When floor space is tight, things do become a little trickier, but rarely impossible. In an ideal world, we would advise loft conversion stairs to be positioned over the existing stairs because it is convenient and space saving. However, where landing space is limited or where it isn’t possible to put the loft access stairs above the existing staircase, we would look at either sacrificing a box room, or part of a spare bedroom/larger room that will not be so impacted by losing a small section of space. We do always endeavour to retain habitable rooms rather than sacrifice whole rooms entirely in order to solely house stairs.

Our thirty plus years in the business means that we have lots of expertise to offer at the design stage of your project to ensure that retractable ladders leading to your new loft space, and other less popular space saving options (unless requested) are only called on unless we cannot find a way to fit a traditional loft staircase.

 Loft conversion costs

Loft conversion costs will vary depending on the type of loft conversion you choose, as well as the layout and finishes you choose. However, our website pricing guide will provide you will a good idea of costs in order to help you budget for you proposed project. Likewise, we can provide you with an online estimate.

If you are looking to convert your loft and are pondering loft conversion staircases, we would be happy to chat through your options based on your particular property, requirements and style. Simple give us a call, and we will do the rest.