Has anyone moved a staircase in there renovations?

[MinimalistMommi]

Talk to me!
We're thinking of having staircase moved but know we need to look into building regs etc. Don't know where to start, figure out who should do job etc (builder? Joiner?)
I'm clueless, help me.

Should have been 'their renovations' sorry

Phone up your local planning department and see what advice they give regarding regulations etc.

If you have a builder already, speak to them about what you would like to do. They can tell you what choices there are and they have probably fitted new staircases before, so they probably have a trusted joiner already.

ILike no builder which is why I feel like I'm stabbing in the dark. During half term holidays I will walk to planning office and try and talk to somebody about it. I just don't want to mess my house up

Yes, the builders had a joinery dept who built it in sections ( softwood, will be painted with oak handrail). I think the staircase was about £3k - it has 14 steps with 2 turns with newel posts and about 1.5m rails at the top landing.

But there were other associated building costs too - splicing in joists and remaking the floor / ceiling in the old void. We also had to have a cranked beam to hold the ceiling in the new location where a wall was coming down. Needed more work from the structural engineer ( approx £500).

It was necessary to get the layout we needed and mkaes a huge difference to the house, but it wasn't cheap. But then nothing is.

You want to speak to building control rather than planning

I think you can also get ready made staircases for cheaper (google), but ours had to fit a particular turn / roof shape so had to be made to order.

We moved ours - but DH did it himself, as part of a much bigger rennovation and extension. The rules about staircases are complicated - rise, minimum width, tread size, and head room, and distance from doorways. You might get a builder to draw it up for you, or maybe and architectural technician, and then get it approved by buliding control.

If you need a bespoke staircase it would probably need a joiner, otherwise if it is fitting a simple prebuilt one then probably most builders would be fine.

ILike thank you I will find out where building control is.

better we are moving staircase because of layout....our upstairs is silly at moment, can't get off staircase to get to bathroom without walking through a bedroom at moment. It's stupid!

The easiest thing for us to do will be to turn the staircase completely around, so it starts and ends in the complete opposite direction it does now.

Yes! We did it. According to our local building office (get to know and love them) we didn't need permission because it was actually re-instating, not just shifting. Ours had been moved over 60 years ago, to turn the house in to flats, and we were moving it back.

Ours cost over £20k (more than our first flat!!), but is a thing of great beauty, and huge.

It was made and installed by a specialist joiner. The old stair case was taken out by our local builder.

We also made use of the Shelter free architect for a donate scheme, and had a local architect in to talk about options before we went ahead. That was £50 well spent imo because it confirmed we were doing the right thing. If you can do the same, it might be a good place to start.

It was a huge job, but worth the upheaval - it has transformed our house.

Good luck!

jenny £20,000

What is a shelter free architect for a donate scheme?

Friends have done it, one of themis on MN, keep bumping up.

Oh brilliant, thanks Horrible
Hope they find this thread

jenny found it! Seems great idea, I will look into it.
www.architectinthehouse.org.uk/what_is_aith.php

Here's the link for 2013 incase anyone else is interested: england.shelter.org.uk/get_involved/events_and_challenges/architect_in_the_house

england.shelter.org.uk/get_involved/events_and_challenges/architect_in_the_house

The Shelter scheme isn't running at the moment. It runs once a year and architects volunteer their time to give people a consultation in exchange for a donation to the charity Shelter.
Most small architects will give you a free or cheap initial consultation so you can work out if you want to work with each other or not. But if you know what you want and it's not too complicated there may not be any need (I say that as an architect) , you will need drawings for building regs and either an architectural technician or draftsman can probably do this. Another method would be to get a staircase company to do the whole thing for you.
If you want to check the feasibility yourselves the building regs are available online (google building regs part K)

Apologies its come round quick this year... Feels like yesterday I was doing my consultations

Thank you wonky didn't know we would need drawings.
Wish I could wash my hands of this, seems complicated but we NEED to do it so I can't ignore it.

Wonky I'm guessing getting a staircase company to do whole lot is expensive option?

TBH I have no idea how much a staircase company would be as i've never used one but it might not be a bad idea to get one out to quote for you just to get an idea they might also be able to give you some pointers as to how easy/ realistic your proposals are. I would be careful about joiners and staircases, most are fine but I'd want to see completed work and references. We had a oak open tread staircase built (and moved 90 deg from original position) for a job and the first guy did an awful job (twisted creaky treads, poor workmanship). The client ended up taking him to court to get money back and getting in somebody who did a beautiful job in the end.
Unfortunately I wasn't involved in picking the contractors or I would have warned him off the first guy due to lack of past work to show.
Drawings do not need to be complicated just show heights stairs/risers, stair & tread widths/depths, distances from doors & sizes of landings, head clearance etc. Can be hand drawn by you if you are confident enough to do it.

Wonky - the Shelter scheme looks great but the website is still just for 2012. As an architect do you know when it's ready to go for 2013? We need someone to give us some ideas about a renovation including loft etc.
Sorry for hijacking MiniMommi ;)

Minimalistmomi - we have the same layout upstairs and our soloution would also be to move stairs 180 degrees, then partition a corridoor through bedroom to access bathroom? Your house Victorian c1880? All the houses in my street are the same.
I have been told by next doors landlod that would cost around £7k.
We aren't going to bother as is just DH & I living here, and the cost would not increase house value above local ceiling IFKWIM.

For the poster who asked looking at the RIBA newsletter I've got it says from now. Consultations should be completed by November which is what confused me.
www.architectinthehouse.org.uk/
I'm not doing it this year (personal life too hectic) but I did last year and it's a fab scheme.

Wonky - thanks. Have registered.

BMW6 - you're spot on, it was built around that date!
£7k
I was thinking it was going to cost more like £3k....
We already have a landing in place at the side upstairs where someone has tried to improve the layout, so I am able to get to bathroom down long side corridor from master bedroom at front rather than having to go back onto little tiny original landing (like square in between the two bedrooms at top of stairs) and through back bedroom to access bathroom. It has made upstairs into a bit of a circuit though which my DC delight in running around (each bedroom has two doors because of extra corridor and they slam food as they go.... So when we change stairs the new stairs can go up onto new landing which is already in place and hopefully strong enough but I guess all that can be checked....