Creating a solid 'stair guard'...

[dpm_dpmartin]

Morning all,

I'm not even sure "stair guard" is the right term to use, but I have a loft room which has good stairs (not a ladder) going up to it and the staircase has an L-shaped spindle-handrail guard at the top... protecting you from falling down the stairs when you're in the loft room. It's got open pieces along its length and it appears to be bracketed to the floorboards and the wall. It's a bit rickety and has a bit of movement.

I'd like to rip this out and replace it with a solid, no gaps, L-shaped block... something akin to what you see in these images (the second image is not an L-shape, but you get the idea - and it looks like it should be as there's a gap left at the other side of the stairs)...

Apart from employing a Builder - as this is the DIY(not) forum - where does a person start?

I initially thought it would be a wooden frame with plasterboard - but that would surely create me something that's hollow and kinda temporary feeling in nature? I want to go for something that's got a really solid feel to it, no movement or even a feeling of movement... something I can put skirting board around and a nice wooden top on, something I can affix a handrail to (on the stair side) even...

Am I looking at needing bricks? Am I talking about making a big block of concrete? Oo'er! While I want solidity I guess I should pay attention to weight as well... I've gotta be careful.

Should I be looking at employing a Builder or a Joiner? Is my chosen terminology of "stair guard" even correct?

Any insights - as always - will be appreciated.

 

[OwainDIYer]

wood frame with plasterboard. It just needs to be solid enough. Ideally lift the floorboards and bolt the uprights to the joists. Two layers of plasterboard overlapped and the cavity filled with insulation /foam will stop the 'hollow' sound.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

Thank you. This is the current effort, for what it's worth... doesn't do it for me.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

So, instead, I have asked someone to quote exactly along these lines - double layer of plasterboard around a wooden frame (attached - bolted - to the joists) and filled with some kind of insulation to obviate the hollowness sound.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

I ended up with this in the end... 4" by 4" vertical posts bolted to the joists, double layer of plasterboard and stuffed / crammed with acoustic insulation (nearly a whole roll of it).

Quite happy with the outcome...