Spiral Staircase coming down into a kitchen

[bouncerdrum]

Hi,

I'm in the process of buying a house that has a pre-existing spiral staircase situated in the corder of the kitchen that leads up to the first floor landing.

What I'm trying to understand is, if this installation meets current building regs - if it doesnt then I need to negotiate this off the price.

I've already had a builder look at it via the Estate agents - theyve confirmed that the metal staircase needs to re-secured to it's anchor points and that the stair treads need to be replaced with thicker hardwood treads.

Is the fact that the staircase comes down into the kitchen a concern?

many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You need to give us some history on the house/layout.

If for example the stairs once came down into the hallway and they have changed it to come down into the kitchen and they did that say last year then one could probably safely say that that would not comply as they have made the situation worse.

But maybe the stairs have always come down into the kitchen? Or maybe it was done 30 years ago?

There are millions of house in use today that do not meet current Building Regs. So more info required.

 

[bouncerdrum]

I believe the staircase was installed some time in the late 80's.

It's a hand crafted mild steel staircase - it looks like someone has had a lorry load of 25*4mm flat bar to get rid of and they've decided to fabricate a staircase! it's a mixture of bolted and welded structure that has been given a very ugly coat of white gloss. In terms of overall diameter I'm estimating between 1700 and 1800mm

I'm a big guy (18st) and the staircase does flex somewhat - which is made worse by the fact that it is not anchored securely to the wall at ground level.

The ground floor is open plan - with a waist heght wall being the only separation beyween the lounge and the kitchen.
The kitchen area is large enough to be considered a kitchen/diner - the staircase comes down in the corner next to where you would naturally site a kitchen table.

 

[bouncerdrum]

a couple of photos

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[freddiemercurystwin]

To deal with the fire issue it sounds like it complies as the whole of the ground floor is open plan anyway.

The design, quality and anchoring is a separate issue to fire escape. A lot of old spiral staircases are a bit creaky/shaky but not necessarily unsafe. if it was inherently unsafe then I guess you could ask for a reduction. Rather depends on the seller ......

 

[bouncerdrum]

I guess I'm after a steer as to whether I should price to have the spiral staircase replaced - either with a conventional staircase or a spiral staircase that meets current building regs.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

oh hang on ....

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Under what grounds do you think it doesn’t comply? Building regulations are not retrospective.

It’s up to you if you want to budget for a new stair. If it will pee you off or make you weary everytime you go up and down then allow for a replacement I guess.

 

[bouncerdrum]

I downloaded this from a staircase suppliers website and its the closest to the british standard I've been able to get to in terms of specifications etc... it makes reference to 'not in a kitchen' ....

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• 24 Sep 2014
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• bouncerdrum
• 24 Sep 2014
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I'm guessing I need to go and take some measurements to see if the staircase complies.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I don't really understand what you are trying to achieve. Are you expecting the seller to drop the price because the stair may be non compliant? Even though they've lived with it for 30 years?

 

[bouncerdrum]

in essence yes, I want the staircase to be safe and fit for purpose - and i don't want to have to spend more money after i've purchased the house

 

[cjard]

Decide what the house is worth to you as it currently stand and make that offer (or make an offer with the intent of being bid up to that amount). I'd the seller goes for it, great, you got your house for the price you're happy with. If he doesn't go for it, great, you saved yourself having to spend more than you wanted on a house that was not exactly what you wanted. The end

 

[clifford1]

in essence yes, I want the staircase to be safe and fit for purpose - and i don't want to have to spend more money after i've purchased the house

If a staircase has had 30 years of constant use and hasn't fallen down, I'd take that as an indication that it is unlikely to need more money spending on it.

 

[kbdiy]

I downloaded this from a staircase suppliers website and its the closest to the british standard I've been able to get to in terms of specifications etc... it makes reference to 'not in a kitchen' ....

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• bouncerdrum
• 24 Sep 2014
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• bouncerdrum
• 24 Sep 2014
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I'm guessing I need to go and take some measurements to see if the staircase complies.

2 things -
1st, the stairs have been there for 30 yrs and by default must be considered 'fit for purpose';
2nd, the existence of a BS now does not indicate that it may have been in place at the time and there is no law which says it has to comply, it is simply a code of practice. You will achieve nothing by trying to make this a sticking point with the seller.

You clearly have a problem accepting the stairs so either make your offer based on what you consider to be a reasonable price or walk away.

 

[tony1851]

I need to go and take some measurements to see if the staircase complies.

How would taking measurements help you decide whether or not the staircase 'complies'?