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How Much Space Do I Need For A Staircase?

Posted on Fri April 4th 2014 by Dan

If you’re building a staircase from scratch, it’s vital you work out how much space you need before you begin. The ultimate nightmare scenario would be beginning work on constructing a flight of stairs only to discover it’s not going to fit or that you’ve made a miscalculation and have to improvise to make everything fit.

This blog will examine the various things you have to work out to ensure you don’t run into problems regarding space and fittings.

The first thing to work out is the required rise. That is the distance from the floor at the bottom to the floor at the top. Once you know the rise, you then need to work out the number of required risers (steps). The maximum height per riser for a domestic building, in accordance with Building Regulations Document K, is 220mm, though on most staircases this is 200mm. So for example, a total rise of 2800mm would mean you’d need 14 risers.

Next you need to work out the size of each tread. The minimum is 220mm but must also fall within the maximum pitch of a staircase, which is 42 degrees.

To work out the length (or run) of your staircase, multiply the length of each tread by the number of treads. This should help you determine whether a straight staircase will fit in the space you have available. If you find there is not enough room, you can divide your staircase using landings. These use the same mathematical formulae as a regular straight staircase – you just treat each section as a separate staircase. For example, if your staircase is divided into two sections using one landing, you will measure from the floor to the landing for the bottom section and from the landing to the upper floor for the top section.

If you want a door at the bottom of your staircase, you should allow extra room, while it is not advisable to have a door at the top of a staircase, unless there is an extended landing after the top step.

If you are looking to build a brand new staircase, UK Stair Parts can give you any advice you need and also supply a wide range of quality stair components, including treads, risers, handrails and spindles. And if you need stair parts fast, they can deliver straight to you by 9AM the next day.

Written by David Chapman of UK Stair Parts