Questions to Ask When Planning a Staircase

Your staircase has an extremely prominent position in the property, especially if you have an open-plan layout, so it's important that you get the design just right. There are many different materials and styles that you can choose from, and here we look at some of the important questions you should be asking before you begin any construction work.

Where Can I Buy a Staircase?

Often you will see a design for a timber or metal stair case and want to use something similar in your property, but you're unsure how to go about this and where you can buy one from. Many of the staircases that you see will have been custom-designed and built, but this is still achievable for you if you approach a specialist supplier who can work around your requirements.

What Can I Achieve on My Budget?

The budget you have available will be an important consideration in any construction project, and it's easy to get carried away at the design stage without taking the actual budget you have into consideration.

If your budget is too small for the exact design that you want, you could go for a more standard style of staircase and then customise it by adding in a decorative handrail or painting it a colour that complements your property.

What Style of Staircase Should I Have?

Another crucial element of the planning stage is how the staircase will go from one floor to another and where it will start and end. You can choose from straight, spiral or curved staircases, but they won't all fit into your space or meet your requirements, so you need to think practically as well as choose an option that is aesthetically pleasing.

For instance, a spiral metal stair case will look elegant, but it's not ideal if you need to get large items upstairs, whereas there isn't always the space for a straight set of stairs to fit.

What Materials Can I Use?

The great feature of designing your own staircase is that you have a say in which materials are used in the construction process. The main ones that are typically used for staircases are metal, timber, glass and stone, but these won't all suit your needs, so you need to work with your designer or supplier to decide which will work best in your property and fit in with your budget.