At First Step designs we see all sorts of weird and wonderful creations in the home build and renovation industry. But sometimes nothing beats a classic design, this case study shows the journey that Mr and Mrs Powell took with First Step Designs, from moving away from the architects plans and designing the perfect solution to suit their chosen interior styling
What layout should my staircase be?
The plans above show the original architects plan and our refined design, the architect planned for a winder staircase. Winders are typically used if clients are trying to save space around the staircase, this was not the case for the Powell family. Additionally on this particular home if we were to use a winder the staircase would have actually come across a window in the storage area under the staircase! The architect clearly didn’t plan for this, but First Step Designs caught the architects mistake before we got started!
Free Visualisation and Quotation service
We wanted to achieve a grand staircase to do this there are three certain features that are required:
>Width of over 950mm (The average staircase is approx 850mm)
> Tread going over 250mm (depth of each individual tread)
> Staircase pitch below 38 Degrees (Most staircases as 42 Degrees
>If the staircase has a turn using landings as opposed to winders.
So we upgraded the staircase to the maximum width we could use in the space at 1100mm wide, a maximum tread depth of 257mm and the pitch was below 37 degrees!
Following the planning stage of the staircase design, we offer a complete visualistaion service so our clients are 100% sure their chosen specification of staircase is what they want. Mr and Mrs Powell really wanted a solid oak staircase all with a contemporary oak spindle to match. A style that will never go out of fashion, they chose the warm finish of a stop chamfer spindle with newel posts to match.
CAD MODEL
Alonside the CAD visuals, we also provide an interactive staircase model that you can view on any PC, laptop or mobile device. This allows plenty of browsing time to see all details of the staircase and the opportunity to ask any questions before production starts.
All of our staircases are manufactured in our own factory and completely assembled before coming into your home. This allows a higher level of quality control as opposed to assembling the staircase in your hallway. Additionally we can get a much higher level of finish when French polishing a complete piece of furniture as opposed to a selection of parts.
(Note, we can only assemble the staircases before hand if we can fit it through the entrance to the house, if not site assembly would be required)
The balustrade of the staircase are always fit on site once we have the newel posts in place. We can then install your chosen style of spindle equally through your landing and staircase. Each spindle is individually French polished before arriving on site.
Mr and Mrs Powell chose to fit a carpet runner to their staircase following our installation, this is a very common choice of finish for a few reasons. It adds an element of comfort when not wearing shoes and/or socks, slight noise reduction, some worry about damaging solid Oak treads that cannot be replaced (carpets obviously can be) and the fear of slipping on the polished treads.
But to battle this we would offer an Anti Slip finish to your staircase treads free of charge for that element of safety. But during your consultation we would discuss all your options and ensure the staircase is finished exactly as you wish.
If you are interested in a designer staircase in your current or future home, Call the team on 01782 959300 to discuss your project or any ideas you have, our free design and qutoation without a home visit could not be any simpler,! or email us [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you soon 🙂