A guide to moving a staircase, including what the job involves, things to cosider and the costs.
Today we use our homes differently than in the past. Moving your staircase may be a necessary measure to improve the design of your home so that it fits your contemporary needs. If you are thinking about moving your staircase, read this useful guide to learn about what you can expect if you decide to relocate a staircase.
The average cost of moving a staircase is around £3,000 - £6,000, dependant on the pitch, length, type etc.
Your carpenter will usually work at the cost of around £150 per day.
Today many renovations need to be carried out on our homes so that they are more suited to modern living and relocating your staircase may be one of them. Moving a staircase can open up your home to create more space, let in more light and improve access, as well as improving the design of rooms on the ground or upper floor. Your staircase is an important feature that can completely transform the look and feel of your home.
While moving your staircase, you may even decide to change the orientation of your staircase at the same time so that you have a contemporary spiral or floating staircase, which further enhances the light and space.
During the work to move your staircase, you will be relieved to know that your old one can still be used - which helps to make the renovation much less disruptive. To fit your new staircase, supporting joists will be located at the top of the staircase and posts will be inserted at the edge of the new opening to strengthen the floor during the renovation.
A new opening will be created and support posts, insulation and beams added. Next, the new stairs, including the balustrade, handrail and other fixtures will be put in place and secured. Finally, the old staircase will be removed, and the flooring repaired.
While moving your stairs, you may find that there is additional work needed from other tradesmen, such as a carpenter to repair flooring or create new fixtures for the staircase, or a plasterer and a decorator to plaster and decorate newly exposed walls. These additional jobs will, of course, need to be included when you are considering the overall cost of the renovation.
As part of the renovation, you may need to get planning permission for the work, so you will need to factor that into your final costs. Fitting a staircase that is similar to what you had previously will be an easier and quicker job than if you are going to have a different type of staircase installed.
If you want a new style of staircase fitted during the relocation, then the type of staircase that you choose may well increase the cost of the work. Specialist features such as lighting will require additional tradesmen such as electricians or specialist carpenters. While certain styles of staircases will need larger numbers of carpenters on-site and the inclusion of more expensive materials will cause the overall cost to rise.
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Here is a list of commonly asked questions regarding relocating a staircase.
Moving a staircase is a technical job. There are a specific set of building regulations for staircase renovations that must be followed and approved. You may also need planning permission if:
If the new staircase is the same as the one before, it is unlikely that you will need planning permission
Whatever the case, contact your local council for advice before beginning any work.
Any work to your staircase must comply with specific UK building and safety regulations for staircases which include the following specifications:
For full details, contact your local council before you commence any work.
Any staircase must meet building and safety regulations. The minimum going should be 220m and the maximum pitch allowed is 42°. For the width, there are no restrictions. The accepted range for the width of a main flight of stairs is between 800mm and 900mm. Most flights tend to have a width of 860 mm.
However, you will need to get in touch with your local council to obtain full details of UK building regulations for staircases before you begin any work.
It is useful to bear in mind too, that planning permission may be required, so contact your local authority to find out about the specific requirements for your staircase renovation.
There are specific building regulations for staircases. If your stairs have more than 36 risers in consecutive flights, you should have at least one change in direction between flights.
If your stairs are: spiral, tapered, alternating tread or helical stairs, you will need to consult building regulations for the specific requirements for the style of staircase that you have.
If your building is not a dwelling, you can have:
There should be no single steps.
You will need to contact your local council for full details of the building regulations for staircases before you begin any work.
