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Welcome to First Step Designs, the UK’s leading bespoke staircase specialists, including one-of-a-kind metal staircases. We work closely with homeowners, interior designers, and architects across Manchester to create striking and visually inspired metal staircases that combine high-end design with exceptional craftsmanship, consistently delivering staircases for residential properties that exceed expectations.
As winners of the 2024 Build It Award for Best UK Staircase and recent contributors to projects featured on Grand Designs, we’re recognised within our industry for combining creative design with high-performance engineering. Whether your project leans towards industrial-inspired minimalism or refined luxury, our team can help transform your ideas into a fully bespoke metal staircase solution.
Whether renovating dated stairs and looking for a lasting solution, designing a dramatic centrepiece for a home extension, or planning a fully bespoke staircase for a new-build home, First Step Designs brings award-winning expertise, precision engineering, and uncompromising craftsmanship to every Manchester project.
At First Step Designs, we like to think that we’re the team pushing the limits of what a metal staircase can be. Incredibly rigid and sturdy, steel allows us to craft slimline stairs and pursue other design concepts which may not be possible in timber or other materials, including floating stairs, dramatic cantilever designs, and ultra-minimal central spine stairs.
Beyond its structural performance, metal also offers significant design flexibility as a finishing material in its own right. From exposed industrial-style steelwork and intricate balustrade detailing to smooth matte powder-coated finishes or multi-material configurations, steel doesn’t just have to be structural; it can be beautiful.
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Your new or renovated stairs are no more than a quick call, email or message away.
You can also use our Inspiration Gallery to save images of our work that you like. Then, simply send them along with any other photos, plans, or details through our contact form so we can discuss your project.
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After understanding what you’re trying to achieve, we’ll send a detailed and itemised same-day quote. Our pricing is honest and transparent, allowing you to quickly determine if we are the right fit for your project.
At your request, we’ll gladly quote for multiple configurations of your ideal stairs.
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After visiting your home to take the measurements we need, we draft and present fully accurate 3D renditions of what your staircase will look like in your home.
Once the details, timelines, and installation dates are locked in, we begin fabricating your dream staircase.
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That’s right: sit back knowing that our expert team of craftsmen is hard at work bringing your staircase to life, fabricating your dream stairs to our exacting standards.
Depending on the complexity of the design, this typically takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days.
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Our expert and experienced team of Staffordshire-based installers will install your new or renovated stairs in 2 to 4 days.
They have a wealth of experience in joinery and engineering, a seriously professional attitude towards work, and operate as unintrusively as possible.
Yes, it just requires some consideration. ‘Metal staircase’ may be interpreted as a staircase consisting entirely of steel, however, to many, the term means a staircase with a metal substructure that may either be concealed or visible during normal use.
However you define the term, when designed around the architectural and aesthetic needs of the home, a metal staircase can be a welcome addition to homes of any style, age, or design.
As a rough guide, we typically install the following type of metal staircases in these types of homes:
Metal staircases, whether referring to full-metal designs or a metal-frame staircase, offer several advantages compared to common alternatives like full-timber builds.
Absolutely. First Step Designs specialises in bespoke staircase design, ensuring that every aspect of the staircase—from the structural framework to the finishing details and accessories—is tailored to your home, style, and architectural vision.
We work closely with clients throughout the design process, refining staircase styles, layouts, treads, balustrades, handrails, lighting features, and surface finishes to create the best possible final result. By the time fabrication begins, every detail has been carefully considered and agreed upon.
All staircases require maintenance, and metal stairs are no different. That said, metal staircases do not require any special or additional maintenance, and regular dusting, cleaning, and wiping up spills as soon as possible is all it takes to keep them in top condition.
In the rare event of a significant knock causing enough surface damage to reveal the raw steel, a simple touch-up job is all it takes to avoid oxidation and restore the staircase to its former glory. Reach out to First Step Designs to learn more about our staircase renovation service.
Project timelines vary depending on the scope of the staircase, material selections, installation complexity, and level of customisation involved. In most cases, projects take approximately 4 to 6 months from first consultation to final installation.
For clients who approach us with a clearly defined design brief or architectural drawings already prepared, the process can sometimes be completed more quickly, with certain projects delivered in as little as 4 to 6 weeks depending on the design.
