Staircase... help wanted

[woodbutcher453]

I've just bought a house. It's only just a house... and, as you can see from the pics, it needs a LOT of work !

looking on the positive side... this gives me a blank canvas

The existing staircase is a) in the wrong place b) it could have been built better by a pregnant monkey and c) dangerous because the rise is WAY too severe.

This is why it is a tricky problem. There are goods and bads...

Bads:
1. It's in Africa, so good quality timber is not easily available
2. It's in Africa, so I don't have the quality or extent of equipment available to me

Goods:
1. It's in Africa, so I don't have to be tied down by restrictive building regulations
2. It's in Africa, where red booze is cheap and plentiful

As you can see, the place has a sort of 'cobbled together' charm, which I am VERY keen not to lose. As I am told regularly, the wood inside is 'Oregon Pine' which I've never heard of... I have my suspicions that it is Douglas Fir'

I want to have the new staircase going up to the big hole in the upstairs floor, leaving a minstrels gallery around it. Do I go for a straight run (only built better), two straight runs with a midway landing. Cut string, riserless... the choices are endless. I thought about a wreathed string staircase but they are a bit pompous and it needs cobbled together charm.

I've moved the existing staircase now to the new position. I'd now be tempted by a straight run, riserless with treads made possibly from railway sleepers, but I don't know...

ALL ADVICE WILL BE WELCOMED

 

[Boatfixer]

Possibly a bit trickier but I would have thought a spiral staircase might look good in that situation - it would also take up less footprint. I do like the look of that house.

 

[Dibs-h]

Yep - spiral would look nice and any large pieces could always be hauled thru the other "hole".

Out of curiosity - where in Africa?

 

[woodbutcher453]

Possibly a bit trickier but I would have thought a spiral staircase might look good in that situation - it would also take up less footprint. I do like the look of that house.

That was my first thought, but I think it is a myth that spirals have a smaller footprint... plus... I have built one once an it was a f%&king nightmare :lol:

 

[eoinsgaff]

How about two runs at 90degrees to each other with a midway landing. Should give a lot of scope for adjustment within that space.

Can you do anything with the ope? First impressions are that it would be relatively easy to move the opening if need be.

Eoin

 

[JoinerySolutions]

453, post the finish floor to finish floor height and the length of going(run) available. Throw in the opening size across strings and going, I may be able to nudge you in the right direction :wink: A dogleg stair may well suit, as Eoin suggested.
Rob.

Edit- Douglas Fir is also known as British Columbian Pine and Oregon Pine.
Depends on where it is sourced, botanical names are a mix too! Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pseudotsuga taxifolia and Pseudotsuga douglasii.
Gets confusing doesn't it?

 

[wobblycogs]

Wow I'd love to have a crack at a stair case project like that, not sure my skills are up to it yet but that hasn't stopped me so far . Anyway, have you considered having two intermetidate landings? I think that would look rather good in that space especially if the hole is rectangluar rather than square which it looks like it might be.

 

[woodbutcher453]

Douglas Fir is also known as British Columbian Pine and Oregon Pine.

Thanks Rob

 

[woodbutcher453]

Out of curiosity - where in Africa?

Eastern Freestate, South Africa. It sure beats any view of Leeds...

 

[cmwatt]

Looks like a great place with bags of potential. I may be moving to SA in the coming years also so it's interesting to see what kinda places you can get.

As for the staircase, what's the floor to floor height and the size of the opening? It'll help determine what you can physically put in there without banging your head of a ceiling/landing etc.

Also what about making the opening slightly larger taking it to the wall on the right of the 2nd photo and then running a stair along the wall?

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

My first thought for the hole in the floor was fireman's pole, (and no i wasn't thinking that the bottom of it could double as a pole dancer's pole *cough* honest *cough*)

Other than that nice place.. Can't wait to see what oyu do with it.

 

[woodbutcher453]

Also what about making the opening slightly larger taking it to the wall on the right of the 2nd photo and then running a stair along the wall?

The idea is to have a 'minstrels gallery' around the staircase, which will become the library (how poncy is that). It needs to have a 'wow..!' factor as it's the old flour mill and the only two story building in the town centre. At the moment I'm sort of thinking backwards by thinking about the balustrade that will be surrounding the opening.

 

[RogerS]

Whichever one you go for...or even if it's just an idea ..why not knock together a temporary staircase of the layout and location you want and try it out. Make it out of any grotty wood you can get. That way you get to live with it.

Also given the amount of trekking up and down them you will be doing in the course of your renovation project, the last thing you'd want to do is put the final staircase in place. It'll get trashed!

 

[woodbutcher453]

A bit of progress...

I've been having a think about handrails for the hole in the upstairs floor

 

[Max Power]

South Africa, beautiful place but the violent crime capital of the world :shock:

 

[knappers]

What, worse than Nottingham?

Si.

 

[woodbutcher453]

@ :!:

 

[woodbutcher453]

@Alan

The majority of South Africa is very friendly as long as you don't go around parading your wealth, but that would apply anywhere. There are bits of city centres that you don't want to go, but I bet there are bits of Newcastle that you would avoid...

There's been a load of Hoo Harr about that honeymoon woman being killed in Cape Town. Don't you think it's a bit stupid to go to a really dodgy area at that hour in the morning

South Africa is a charming place where everyone is polite, the food is good and the wine is cheap.

Paul

 

[MickCheese]

There you go, looks fantastic.

Sorry but useless with photoshop, but I would think that if you copied the sketchup as a jpeg but started with it in the right orientation and size should be quite easy to transplant one onto the other.

Mick