A signature stairs will be a main feature of your home so a little advance planning will go a long way to achieving that ‘wow’ factor.

Ideally, decide what type of stairs you require at the original drawing stage of your home, but don’t worry if you haven’t done this as we can advise on your options no matter what the stage.

Get the basics right. The width and pitch of the stairs, as well as the height (rise) and depth (going) of each step will dictate how easily your stairs may be walked (see building regulations in stairs anatomy).

Stairs require a solid fixing point at the bottom and top or each stairs. It costs a lot less (or not at all) to ensure that joists or poured floors are adequate at the building stage rather than having to try to do it later.

Under floor heating systems: Similar to above there is very little cost and it will ease the installation of your stairs or railing greatly if under floor heating is kept back from fixing points e.g. keep 12 inches back from the edge of a gallery area & top step fixing points and leave a void (approx 1 metre wide) in the heating system under your first steps.

Balustrade and railings are either glass, stainless steel, mild steel or a combination of each and they can be either top or face fixed depending on site conditions (see stairs anatomy)

Generally, with metal structure stairs, landings in the middle of the stairs require some bracing or support. At the early building stages these can be accommodated or hidden otherwise we can advise what to do.

Glass balustrades and open rises give a great sense of airiness and light during the day but with the right lighting (in particular wall lighting) you can get an equally spectacular feature from your stairs at night. Making provision for lighting early in the built will save you chasing plastered walls later.

Maintenance While stainless steel is low maintenance it does require an infrequent cleaning regime to be followed to maintain its’ finish. See the stainless steel handbook on the brochure section for best practice (internal link).

With our experience we can get around most issues and we are happy to advise you on your stairs no matter the stage, to ensure you get the desired feature within your home