A Bespoke Spiral and Straight Staircase for a Loft Conversion

We love a challenge here at British Spirals & Castings. For our recent project on an Edwardian home, we used all our CAD design skills to overcome the building’s quirks and create a truly bespoke Scandinavian style staircase. The staircase was being installed as part of a loft conversion and needed to be tailored to the tight dimensions of the landing whilst also fitting in with the home’s aesthetic.

The available space for the new staircase presented a number of challenges. The foot of the stairs needed to sit on a small section of landing right next to a doorway into a bedroom. This meant the first part of the staircase needed to be a spiral design and rise fairly rapidly to provide plenty of headroom beneath. At the same time, to comply with Building Regulations, we needed to ensure there was sufficient headroom above all the treads whilst also aligning the head of the staircase with the entrance to the converted loft. To achieve this, we added a 75-degree rest plate followed by 3 straight treads.

The complexity of the project meant bespoke CAD designs, such as the one shown above, were essential. Homeowner, Tim Yates, explained: “There was no option other than a bespoke spiral staircase. Even then it took Ben Harding and me several months iteratively refining the design and tightening the design accuracy with each step”. In order to help visualise, and speed up the planning approval, the team created a number of detailed CAD designs, providing Tim with technical drawings that modelled how the staircase would look once installed. “Without a 3D CAD model with millimetre perfect measures, I wouldn’t have committed to the spend.” Tim added.

The final staircase includes a total of twelve rises from the extended top landing plate to the bottom, 8 of which formed a spiral. For each tread, a plain baluster alternates with beautiful floral infills to compliment the original features that the homeowner wanted to enhance. We powder coated the handrail, spindles and infill panels in a cool blue which is warmed by the solid oak treads.

DIY SOS

As well as being a project that relied heavily on the 3D CAD service provided by BS&C, this was also a DIY venture for Tim. The stair support was crafted from steel plate, and the entire unit weighed around 220kg. Installing the stairs under the loft conversion was no mean feat in such a unique build, however Tim labelled the process as ‘straightforward’ thanks to all of the drawings and photos we provided. The upper straight element proved the biggest challenge, as Tim explained, “I needed to get it in place at height early to sort out the alignment. I did the entire build myself – with two people, it would have been much easier”.

The ornamental appeal of a spiral staircase helped transform this loft from an unused area to a new space for the homeowner and their loved ones to enjoy. On their final thought on the project, Tim said, “After a very long journey to find a suitable design solution, we are absolutely delighted with the final outcome – the stairs have 100% met all our expectations and look absolutely fantastic. A view shared by all our family and friends”.

If you are interested in having a bespoke spiral staircase, railing or balcony 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.