How to save money when buying a staircase

It can make things difficult when working on a building or home improvement project, with the costs of materials often rising as work goes on, shrinking your remaining budget. Here at British Spirals & Castings, we are committed to providing the best service and value throughout your project, whatever your budget.

Here are some tips to save costs and get a staircase that looks great and fits perfectly:

Choose a design from our standard ranges

Whilst we can produce completely one-off designs, like this floating helical staircase, we also offer a number of popular standard ranges of spiral and straight staircases that are more affordable.

For our cast spiral staircases, these ranges are based on the pattern of the treads. They include:

• Traditional Victorian
• Modern Art Deco
• LCC
• Diamond

We have pre-existing pattern moulds for these treads in a number of widths. By selecting one of these existing sizes, we’re able to produce the staircases more quickly and affordably as there is no time needed to create a new mould. Get in touch and we can help you to find the most suitable size for your project.

Explore our Scandinavian Range

Our Scandinavian range of spiral staircases combine a cast aluminium structure with timber treads. Whilst we can provide these with a range of hardwood treads, they can also be designed with marine grade birch plywood. This is our most affordable design of spiral staircases and they perfectly complement the practical, Scandinavian aesthetic which remain highly desirable for homeowners.

Go for a more minimalist design

We offer a wide range of spindles and decorative railing panels that can be used for the baluster. However, all our standard square and circular profile spindles are produced with the same care and attention to detail as the more ornate alternatives – and can provide a modern aesthetic whilst still saving on costs.

The same is true for the handrail, where we can offer a simple all-metal design with visible top fixings. This can create an industrial aesthetic whilst also being a more affordable alternative.

Think carefully about the staircase dimensions

In addition to picking one of our standard widths of treads, it’s also worth considering what size of staircase you actually need. Here in the UK, there are clear regulations which set out the minimum width for different designs of staircase depending on where they are being fitted. For example, a staircase going up to a single bedroom, such as a loft conversion, can be much narrower than a main staircase.

Learn more about the minimum width of staircases.

By opting for slightly narrower treads, less raw materials are needed which will have a knock-on effect with the cost of the finished staircase.

Think about materials and finishes

Often, when customers come to us for a metal staircase, they think the only available options are cast iron or wrought iron. In fact, we produce almost all of our metal staircases from cast aluminium at our Staffordshire foundry. Cast aluminium is much lighter than these alternatives meaning a less extensive footing is needed for exterior staircases and the need for additional internal supports when fitting a staircase for a loft conversion.

Additionally, whilst we offer a professional powder coating service for a smooth finish on our cast aluminium pieces, we can also supply them unfinished – allowing you to hand paint them yourselves, further saving on costs.

Measure and install the staircase yourself

Finally, we’ve worked with homeowners both in the UK and abroad who’ve saved costs on their project by carrying out the measuring and installation themselves. We can provide clear guidance on how to measure the space along with fixing instructions for when the staircase arrives. Keep in mind that some of the components will be heavy or cumbersome, so you’ll need a few friends to help with the installation.

Get in touch

If you are interested in having a bespoke spiral staircase, balcony or railing designed and installed in your own property, visit our gallery to view some of the options and submit a quote or get in touch via phone or email.