Houses with spiral staircases

[Bloodybridget]

I do a lot of idly browsing houses on Rightmove, and have seen several that are very lovely but only have spiral staircases - that would be an absolute no-no for me unless it was practical and affordable to replace it! I suppose some of them are wide enough so that getting furniture up and down wouldn't be too difficult, but they always look a bit scary to me (DP and I are old-ish). Would you be put off?

Yes, it's one of our dealbreakers. We are young enough (30s/40s), but it just sounds like a nightmare. Someone didn't put a lot of thought into that conversion. Obviously a flat with a mezzanine where it is necessary for space saving is one thing, but in massive detached houses, it's just a bit dumb.

I like them in photos, I wouldn't want to live with one. If you become disabled you can't put a stairlift on a spiral staircase I don't think?

As personal access to my own reading room, perfectly acceptable.

Any other situation, total deal breaker unless it could be replaced easily.

Hate them, seen a couple on line too. Firstly I think death trap with children and second the house seems almost childish with them

Hate them.
My ex had one and I fell down it many times in the middle of the night needing a wee -also had downstairs bathroom.
All I remember at one point was thinking of being pregnant or carrying a newborn down them without breaking my neck.
Or replacing the beds or wardrobes.

Nope nope nope hate them.

I loved mine but eventually took it out as it was a bit of a death trap. Has given me a lot more space in my small living room too - not sure what possessed the developers to put it in in the first place but loads of houses round here have them!

Ghastly things, I’d never buy a house with one.

I also hate those staircases that are just treads with gaps - no risers.

I’m sure our local authority had issues with them being the only staircase in a property. So it could be an issue with planning and indeed with surveys and mortgages?

I think they do look lovely though it would be a problem getting a wardrobe or super king bed up one!

It would be easy though to use the hole to put a tubular lift in for those with mobility issues (like dick and angel have in escape to the chateau) but you’d still need another staircase for was cape during fires, power cuts etc.

It's a dealbreaker for me. I'm clumsy at the best of times and would probably end up breaking a limb!

They’ll stuff your knees - don’t do it

@Lemonpiano

I like them in photos, I wouldn't want to live with one. If you become disabled you can't put a stairlift on a spiral staircase I don't think?

Yes you can!!

I always think they are done on the cheap rather than making sufficient space for a proper staircase. I know why people sometimes put them in, but they put me off.

I've had one and hated it. It was treacherous and very difficult to use.

I hate walking on any spiral staircase and feel really unsafe. I would never live in a house with it.

A member of my family was a paramedic, and they hated them. Think you'll fall going for a wee? Now try getting a heart attack patient down the wretched thing strapped into a carrying chair. Or an appliance down them as a delivery driver.

I vowed a house with one once and it totally put me off - just looked really out of place and took up loads of space . Plus you can't really have a cupboard under them.

I’ve seen one in a Grade II listed house, it’s currently for sale and I’m interested in it, but do wonder how feasible it is to re-instate a proper stairway ‘cos it sure as hell wasn’t like that when it was built 300 years ago!

I have lived in 2 houses with them, the first as a child, we never fell down them, my mum had my younger brother and he learnt as a baby how to get up and down, you just get used to them and I don't remember any real drama getting furniture up and down them, the second house was my home with ex dh, he used to ride his Harley in through the front door and chain it to the stairs at night (seemed perfectly normal at the time )

I thought they took up more space than a normal staircase?
I think they look faffy to get down if you were carrying stuff (even just washing for example, not neccessarily anything big)

I love nosying on righmove!!!
Yes, I am definitely put off by spiral staircases. Some lovely house but those spiral staircases! 😡

I am absolutely terrified of them. I can go up but not down
Once in Germany DD (about 6) set off up a bit tower with hundreds of them. I had to follow but coming down was awful (not for her she skipped down) and I had to have several Jaegermeisters to recover

How about if they’re the secondary staircase? I have normal staircases at the front of the house and a spiral staircase at the back. You can access the entire house without using the spiral staircase.

I used to live in a house with a spiral staircase and it was fine, not too narrow - unlike a different house where I lived which had a really steep/narrow tread staircase. The only minor issue with the spiral staircase was that it was open between the treads so I once dropped my phone when I was walking to the first floor and it fell through the gap all the way down to the basement which had a tiled floor! It was fine though, the screen didn’t even crack.

Always a deal breaker for me unless they can easily be removed. I hate them.

We stayed in a holiday cottage with one a couple of years ago and I had one in an apartment in the Canary Islands that I rented for a week.

Both were enough to confirm my opinion that I would never own one myself. Terrifying!