The Lemon Fool

Some advice would be appreciated.

I just viewed a house which met all my criteria but for two faults. Firstly, the staircase leading to the first floor is incredibly steep and the foot spaces very narrow. I can manage at present but in the future this will become a problem. I would like to rebuild the staircase so that it is a L shape with more generous room and a gentler angle of ascent.

Secondly, the back garden is about 10m wide x 30m long. It is partially but illogically concreted, and very uneven. It would need to be levelled out and the concrete removed with the garden laid to lawn.

Does anyone have a clue as to how much I should (conservatively) allow for these kind of alterations? This will greatly assist in my decision making. I will engage with professionals about each kind of job but your input would be welcome.

Yell

Location could make an enormous difference in prices

Slarti

Thanks - in that case, location is Isle of Wight

I have no idea what the cost would be but I think you need to be sure that your proposed alteration to the stair will be feasible. It sounds currently verging on the dangerous. I thought there was a minimum step width (tread technically?) and riser so that it is not like a ladder which is more or less what you are describing. Presumably it was originally installed that way for a reason. I would be inclined to get a tradesman in who could advise you re the changes you want and I assume planning permission may be required. I think it could be quite expensive by the sound of it.

Re the back garden that does not sound particularly expensive. Again though a local contractor is surely the answer. Small machine for less than a day should sort it . Maybe you then need topsoil and turf. Should be straightforward. Not answering your question though, sorry.

Dod

Also no real idea, but I suppose the staircase would depend on the detail of your requirements, and on whether something off-the-peg would fit. (In which case you can save a lot of money compared to craftsman bespoke.) And would any joists need to be moved, for instance, so as to provide enough headroom at the bottom turn?

My off-the-top-of-my-head guess would have been £2,500 to £3,500. Turns out that I'm well high, though. https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/inst ... -staircase. Either way, a thousand pounds more or less wouldn't stop me buying a house. Why don't you ask a carpenter/builder to come and visit the house with you, so as to give you some ideas? It's commonly done, and the agent will be cool with it.

Staircases are a building regs thing, so you will probably need to budget for some extra fees and possibly a planning lag. You'll find that there are dimensional standards for things like the height of the bannister rail or the maximum gap between the baluster uprights. (They tend to fret about children's heads or adults' feet getting wedged in the gaps). And some inspectors will cheerfully waive the rules whereas others will stick bum-numbingly to the rules.

BJ

Re the garden consider site access, it can make a big difference re cost if material moving is minimal and skips/trucks can access it direct.

This point is currently uppermost in my mind as I have been shoveling excess soil into rubble sacks in my garden over recent weeks as the only access is a 3.5 ft lane down the side of the house, vehicle access is impossible. A lack of access really add to the cost (and back problems) of bringing in and removing bulk material.

Charlottesquare wrote:Re the garden consider site access, it can make a big difference re cost if material moving is minimal and skips/trucks can access it direct.

This point is currently uppermost in my mind as I have been shoveling excess soil into rubble sacks in my garden over recent weeks as the only access is a 3.5 ft lane down the side of the house, vehicle access is impossible. A lack of access really add to the cost (and back problems) of bringing in and removing bulk material.

A mini digger and mini dump truck would easily fit down a 3.5ft lane.

John

pds2008 wrote:Some advice would be appreciated.

I just viewed a house which met all my criteria but for two faults. Firstly, the staircase leading to the first floor is incredibly steep and the foot spaces very narrow. I can manage at present but in the future this will become a problem. I would like to rebuild the staircase so that it is a L shape with more generous room and a gentler angle of ascent.

Recently bought a number of staircases from Jeld-wen. Prices vary depending on your configuration but a straight flight with winders at one end would be about £450. Winders at both top and bottom would be about £550. Start getting fancy with 3 flights so it turns back on itself and it's more like £750. Add wall handrail £40, balustrade £25, 3 coat priming £60, tread protection £9. Delivery to IoW - no idea.
Carpenter to fit - £400?
Add VAT to all the above.

Hope that gives you some idea.

Gaggsy wrote:

pds2008 wrote:Some advice would be appreciated.

I just viewed a house which met all my criteria but for two faults. Firstly, the staircase leading to the first floor is incredibly steep and the foot spaces very narrow. I can manage at present but in the future this will become a problem. I would like to rebuild the staircase so that it is a L shape with more generous room and a gentler angle of ascent.

Recently bought a number of staircases from Jeld-wen. Prices vary depending on your configuration but a straight flight with winders at one end would be about £450. Winders at both top and bottom would be about £550. Start getting fancy with 3 flights so it turns back on itself and it's more like £750. Add wall handrail £40, balustrade £25, 3 coat priming £60, tread protection £9. Delivery to IoW - no idea.
Carpenter to fit - £400?
Add VAT to all the above.

Hope that gives you some idea.

This aspect of the project could well be the cheap and easy part.

Finding room for an easier staircase will probably involve cutting away joists to provide the necessary extra headroom, therefore needing additional support for what's cut away. This might involve a structural engineer.

Then all the making good to the removed floor/ceiling...

Don't forget to consider head room above the pitch of the stairs. If you change the layout with winders or changing the pitch of the stairs it's often head room that causes problems. In domestic situations you need 2 metres.