Help: to replace the stairs or not- massive dilemma

[bananashoes]

We need an unbiased opinion.

We’ve started work on the house we’ve just purchased. We had a specific budget laid aside for flooring, knocking through a wall and decorating.
Since we’ve hired the builders, I’ve managed to fall down our main staircase 2 times and severely injured myself. First time I ended up with 10 stitches in the top of my foot, the second time I reopened the stitches and broke toes. I am 8 months pregnant. But the stairs are narrow and steep in quite a small space with just barely enough headroom.

They are winding at the top, which is where I fell once and another time towards the middle. The carpet on them is about 20-25 years old and slippery and worn as can be.

Current measurements are 14 treads, 210 go and 195 rise. The winders are very narrow and a window is in front of them. I’ll attack photos.
We’ve had some staircase guys out who seem to think we can drop a tread- so 13, lift the rise to 200/205 and increase the go to 240. But we will run into slight headroom issues- cutting into the already small room above. However it’s a concession we are willing to make so I or my children don’t die on the stairs

The builder seems to think it’s an unnecessary expense after we carpet and add more hand rails- but I’m worried he feels like that bc we are having to extract decorating from our building budget (roughly 4-5k).
It does feel insane to spend £4K on losing a step, and adding what works out to being 13” total or an 1” each step.

Please give me your thoughts- I’m going nuts.

Thank you for this reply-

there is barely enough headroom- I think building regs require 6’7” and I think ours is 6’4” which my husband having to move his head. We could cut out a bit of room above which would eat into my sons already teeny 6x7’ room. There’s already a bit cut to make room already.

im going to measure the width now because I think a second hand rail and less slippy carpet will help

Change the way your baby gate opens for start, you're already removing space from the first stair with that opening on to them.

Re-carpet and put a hand rail the other side. I don't think the inch difference will make all that much difference, and like someone else said, your balance is probably a bit iffy right now.

72cm wide!

Go for the easy option first, of new carpet and decent handrail. See how you are when your new baby is 6 months old. If it's still a problem then, then reconsider a new staircase. I reckon the carpet and rail will sort it though.

I've lived in seven different houses from brand new to very old. Only time I've seen that narrow turn was in a new build I rented, but it was four steps from the bottom.
I would right now this weekend, install a handrail on the left going down. It's a DIY job. Can the baby gate be attached on the right? You need a piece of handrail in its place.
Idea being is the eye will be drawn to the left to hold on to the rail, thus avoiding that narrow part.

If it were my house, I would be looking at a better solution. A pine staircase isn't expensive compared say to a new kitchen, not when your life could depend on it.
The closest I've seen to your stairs was a straight, top step down to face your window, on to a platform, then a straight run. That might work for yours.

There's plenty of help online, you can even play around with software. But get that handrail fitted! You might also want to secure the stair carpet as a temporary measure.
Staircase Manufacturer UK | Design Stairs Online! | TKstairs.com

IMO, The problem you've got is that the handrail is on the side with the narrow steps at the top, so you're drawn to putting your feet on the narrowest bit of the stair. Put a handrail on the other side, and you're far more likely to walk down the left hand side of the stairs

There normal
my guess is your turning on the narrow part of the step near the landing instead of of the wider part near the the wall

the stair guy will of course agree with everything you say about them being narrow and dangerous he’s not going to talk you out of spending 1000’s with him and say there ok he’s seeing pound signs

When you fell, were you holding the handrail and were you carrying anything? What did you have on your feet?

I slipped once on the carpeted stairs of a previous house where the stairs were very steep compared to yours. I was wearing flip flops and running. I think the issue was me running in flip flops tbh.

I'd remove the carpet as the main issue is you seem to have slipped on it and you mention it repeatedly. Replace it once the work has finished and for now you can put grip tape at the front of the steps. Yes it'll be noisier without the carpet, but you'll be/feel safer. I wouldn't change the stairs at that cost.

The first time I fell, I was near the bottom and my toddler wouldn’t hold the handrail and I leaned over to grab his hand and I slipped and fell. The second time I was near the top at the windy bit and I think everyone’s right I was trying to hold the handrail on the narrowest part and the carpet is very loose there and slippery and I slipped down.

I think everyone’s helped me make my mind up that I should try the easiest option first. I think I have been very traumatized by falling down and it’s made me a bit reactive

Oh, and I should say I was barefoot both times. But I have weirdly smooth feet for someone who doesn’t lotion them regularly.

OK I read and checked photos again. Things that could be done, going from the simple to the complicated.
1-The baby gate is definitely not helping - as others have said, it stops you from walking where the steps are wide and safe. Move it to the other side, even if you have to buy a different one (you're talking about spending 1000s, spend 100 straightaway).
2-Railing. Ignore the building regs unless you're doing something that requires building inspection (and if you are, do this directly after the inspector has visited. Sod them.). Place a railing on the wall side, and maybe something on the right below the existing railing, fixed to the banister. Maybe something screwed into the wall to hold on to, so it takes less space, maybe child-suitable height.
3-Stairs themselves. Check head height above your stairs if you want them less steep. Regs (again) said 20 years ago it should be 2m but 1,9 was tolerated in my house. Draw a side view of your steps and of the head space and work out what head room you can scrape.
4-If you can scrape headroom, your option to make the stairs less steep is doable, I'd do it. As a PP has said, it's cheaper and more important than kitchen cupboards.
5-If there's no headroom, you still have 2 possibilities: a)change the room above to make head room; b) take up space nearer the bottom of the stairs, to have another 1/4 turn and arrive in the ground floor corridor. This gives space to make the stairs less steep but uses space on the ground floor - you can only if your corridor is wide enough.

Do baby gates fold? If they do, by fixing one on the opposite side and always leaving it folded blocking the right if not in use, will also steer you to the widest tread.

That's all that's wrong really, those dangerous but legal winders at the top. Do that, attach a hand rail and fix the carpet. It might be enough.

This, plus the runner is making you target the carpet, which is on the centre of the stairs. I love runners but I think you need a full carpet so you can use the entire width of the step itself.

Handrail, new, full-width carpet and reposition the stairs gate and I think you'll be fine.

They look like the house where we lived when my eldest was born except that we had a small turn at the bottom and if you fell down the main run, it was into a wall. The first time DH went away overnight, I fell with DD on the stairs. I’m accidentally prone - but we moved…….

I’d wear grippy shoes/crocs at home and would make sure any carpet is a bit textured rather than smooth. I wouldn’t want wood either as you’d really hurt yourself if you fell on that.

Grippy carpet and a second rail would be a cheaper option.

That staircase looks fine to me, and I’m old and a bit wary of stairs. It is very like a staircase I had in a previous house. You have said the carpet is loose and slippy, that's the issue. So remove that and it should be fine as long as you are careful and use the handrail as necessary.

I suspect the reason you fell the second time was because your foot was already injured from the first fall. I don’t think it means the stairs are a deathtrap.

I sympathise, I fell on our garden steps last year, but it’s just one of those things, I take additional care now.

Is it possible to cut the top stair right into the landing. So your landing becomes an up and down on either side?

Oh and I thoroughly don't recommend a plain hardwood staircase. That is a deathtrap

Change the carpet and add a handrail then if you think there is space/width for a handrail.

When I was pregnant I went down sideways holding the handrail, or down the stairs backwards with my toddler.