How To...
Specify a staircase
Unless you are a serial self-builder,
building or re-modelling your
own home can be one of the most
challenging, stressful, time-consuming,
but ultimately rewarding, projects you
undertake in your entire life.
At the very beginning you have a blank
space, white paper and a hundreds
of ideas all vying for a place in your
property; arranging these ideas on
paper to optimise your space and
create a home that works for your
family is the tricky part.
Richard McLane, Founder and Design
Director of Bisca, explains why
consulting a staircase specialist is as
important as consulting a kitchen or
bathroom specialist. Regardless of how
much it costs and how it looks and
what type of property it is going into,
there are some fairly standard points
to consider and understand when
choosing your new staircase:
BUDGET; if you have your heart
set on a bespoke staircase, it’s always
worth allocating a budget for the
staircase element rather than lumping
it in with main project costs as your
budget defines what you type of
staircase you can have. Prices for a
complete staircase and balustrade vary
138
from as little as circa £400 for a DIY
store MDF option to a fully bespoke
design from specialist staircase
manufacturers starting around £20,000
SPACE; consider the space as
a whole, not just the hallway or
immediate vicinity of the staircase.
If you have an open-plan configuration,
remember the staircase is on view from
other areas of the property.
Think about direction of traffic – how
do you approach the staircase - would a
curved staircase, or directional bottom
treads be an option?