Minimum width between stairs off a landing

[Colin Green]

We're a few weeks into a loft conversion and the builder has just flagged up a potential problem with the stairs. The stairs go up the middle of the house to a small landing. From the landing there are two steps up into the room at the front and two steps up to the room at the rear. One stair, then the floor of the room.

[/IMG]

The stairs are 750mm wide. The rise is 220mm so the going will be 245mm. The single stair at the top will be recessed into the wall a bit, leaving 35mm of floor under the closed door. The builder is worried that it doesn't leave much width on the landing between the top stair. Dimension X in the sketch. If the builder uses 100x50 timber in the stud walls plus 15mm of plaster on either side, dimension X will be 450mm. I'm happy with that but the big question is...

Is there a minimum width for this in building regulations?

 

[Colin Green]

Here's the pic again as it didn't seem to work

 

[big-all]

if i am understanding this correctly lol

a landing should be a stair width deep
turn them into wynders if the doors open in i think that may be ok lol

 

[^woody^]

It can be risk assessed, but those steps may need to be set back into the rooms to give a continuous landing and the doors moved back from the step - to stop someone opening a door and falling straight down the step.

 

[Colin Green]

It can be risk assessed, but those steps may need to be set back into the rooms to give a continuous landing and the doors moved back from the step - to stop someone opening a door and falling straight down the step.

The room at the back could have the step set back without a problem, but setting the door back as well is going to make life difficult. The room at the front opens into the slope of the roof. The builder wants to cut the corner of the door off so it will open. I want to put in a small velux for the door to open into. Setting the door back is not going to work.

I've just read through Part K of building regs and it doesn't mention doors at the top of stairs. Is this covered somewhere else?

 

[^woody^]

I've just read through Part K of building regs and it doesn't mention doors at the top of stairs

It mentions doors opening on landings doesn't it?

 

[Colin Green]

I've just read through Part K of building regs and it doesn't mention doors at the top of stairs

It mentions doors opening on landings doesn't it?

It mentions cupboard doors that open onto landings, it mention doors that open over landings at the bottom of stairs. It doesn't mention doors that open away from landings

 

[tony1851]

As this is a staircase to a loft conversion, I can't see a problem with that layout; the fact that the door is more-or-less over a rise can be beneficial because it is safer than having an unguarded step in that situation.
There is no regulation on dimension X - the only criterion is that the stair shall be safe, and much depends on how a BCO sees it.
However, Part K does allow that stairs to a single-room loft conversion can be to a lesser standard than a normal staircase from ground- to first floor.
Consider adding a grab-handle each side to give a little extra safety?