With loft conversions in Oxford, where you position the stairs and the type of stair you use can determine the overall effectiveness and success of loft conversions. If you are converting your loft space to create extra storage room, then ladders will suffice. However, if you intend to convert your loft into a permanently habitable space, it will require a staircase. At E Dumani Construction, we have over thirty years of experience in advising and installing on loft conversions in Oxford. This article aims to give you a quick overview of the requirements for stairs in a loft conversion.
What are the building regulations?
If your loft conversion is for a permanently habitable room, then you will need a fixed second staircase that will need to comply with existing building regulations. The regulations require the stairs to have minimum headroom of at least 1.9m, and a steepness pitch of 42 degrees. Any fixed staircase for a loft conversion will also need fire doors and be an enclosed space to prevent the spread of fire.
Where to situate the second staircase?
Most homes in Oxford have limited space on the second-floor landing due to bedrooms and bathrooms taking up most of the area. Therefore, a fixed second staircase on the main landing may not be possible. In this event, you may need to consider placing access to the new stairs in an existing room and increasing the scope of your planned conversion. If you choose this approach, it will leave you with space underneath the loft stairs that can become a handy storage area or even a modest home office.
We strongly advise you to take sufficient time and care to plan where the staircase is situated, as it has a significant bearing on the success of loft conversions.
