Question on standard stairway for two storey house Porirua

[merv]

Is anyone in the building trade able to give me a suggested ballpark figure to give me an idea about the cost of getting a standard stairway built for a house in the Porirua area.

This is to be a standard carpet quality stairway (presumably with chip board treads and timber nosings etc). The stairway requires to be 1 metre wide and is split in two at a landing where the stairway does a 180 deg reverse i.e. go up one stair to landing turn right on landing which is 1 metre wide and 2 metres long then go back up second set of stairs to top storey. House is standard ceiling height of 2.4m so from floor to floor is about 2.65m.

So what is ballpark cost and who would you recommend as the stair manufacturer? I can search on line and found Stylecraft Stairways as one local manufacturer. I see they are offering free measure ups on projects over $20,000 and I thought surely the stairway of a normal two storey house is not that expensive, or is it?

A rough ballpark would give me an idea as to whether to start the project at all.

Your comments please.

[tigertim20]

Can't help you on an approximate cost, but don't underestimate it, by the time you get all your permits, and deal with councils etc who all want their cut, sort out whether or not anything structural is being modified etc etc - even those small projects can cost an arm and a leg.

Gone are the days when you can just bash out a wall to open up the lounge with a sedgehammer and a couple sheets of GIB.

[Swoop]

Is anyone in the building trade able to give me a suggested ballpark figure to give me an idea about the cost of getting a standard stairway built for a house in the Porirua area.

This is to be a standard carpet quality stairway (presumably with chip board treads and timber nosings etc). The stairway requires to be 1 metre wide and is split in two at a landing where the stairway does a 180 deg reverse i.e. go up one stair to landing turn right on landing which is 1 metre wide and 2 metres long then go back up second set of stairs to top storey. House is standard ceiling height of 2.4m so from floor to floor is about 2.65m.

So what is ballpark cost and who would you recommend as the stair manufacturer? I can search on line and found Stylecraft Stairways as one local manufacturer. I see they are offering free measure ups on projects over $20,000 and I thought surely the stairway of a normal two storey house is not that expensive, or is it?
Hi Merv,

It will be well under 20k!!
I would think somewhere up to 2-3k~
You want a dog-leg stair by the sound of it. Any competent joinery company would do this, but nowadays trade professions have "specialised" into smaller areas of expertise, but a good shop will still be able to do this.
Are you installing yourself, or fully installed by the tradies?

Either that or get some timber for the strings, make up a router jig and do it yourself.



Gone are the days when you can just bash out a wall to open up the lounge with a sedgehammer and a couple sheets of GIB.
Like fuck it is!!

[ellipsis]

Hi Merv,






Like fuck it is!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[merv]

Thanks for your help guys, what I'm basically looking at doing is replacing one stair set with another in the same place because we've never been happy with the ones there now - treads too short - if it is in the few grand range it would be worth doing, over 10 grand probably not, but I had no idea what price the stair sets are supplied by the joiners and thought I'd ask first before approaching someone. So shouldn't be any major structural work involved, just ripping one set out and replacing them and making finishes good.

[Swoop]

So shouldn't be any major structural work involved, just ripping one set out and replacing them and making finishes good.

If you aren't happy with the treads of the existing stair, there might be challenges ahead. You have two constraints: total rise (vertical movement) and total going (horizontal travel).
You can add a step into the landing, which may help the equation. Really you need a joiner to do a measure-up and give you a better idea.

Get a few different prices (if that really needed to be said) and from out of town too.

A mate had a kitchen built in Palmy then trucked to Wellytown since it was cheaper than using Wellytown suppliers.

[Laava]

If you aren't happy with the treads of the existing stair, there might be challenges ahead. You have two constraints: total rise (vertical movement) and total going (horizontal travel).
You can add a step into the landing, which may help the equation. Really you need a joiner to do a measure-up and give you a better idea.

Get a few different prices (if that really needed to be said) and from out of town too.

A mate had a kitchen built in Palmy then trucked to Wellytown since it was cheaper than using Wellytown suppliers.

Yep as above, assuming you have this landing of 1x2m then you can split this into 2,3 or even 4 treads. Without looking at it, it is hard to say but normally I could custom build these on site in two days, plus materials, probably close to $2.5k

[Akzle]

DIY cunt. glue and chipboard, can't do worse than some of the shit i've fuken seen

[jellywrestler]

Is anyone in the building trade able to give me a suggested ballpark figure to give me an idea about the cost of getting a standard stairway built for a house in the Porirua area.

This is to be a standard carpet quality stairway (presumably with chip board treads and timber nosings etc). The stairway requires to be 1 metre wide and is split in two at a landing where the stairway does a 180 deg reverse i.e. go up one stair to landing turn right on landing which is 1 metre wide and 2 metres long then go back up second set of stairs to top storey. House is standard ceiling height of 2.4m so from floor to floor is about 2.65m.

So what is ballpark cost and who would you recommend as the stair manufacturer? I can search on line and found Stylecraft Stairways as one local manufacturer. I see they are offering free measure ups on projects over $20,000 and I thought surely the stairway of a normal two storey house is not that expensive, or is it?

A rough ballpark would give me an idea as to whether to start the project at all.

Your comments please.

your photos aren't showing up at all, please reload them

[Swoop]

Yep as above, assuming you have this landing of 1x2m then you can split this into 2,3 or even 4 treads.

A half-space landing, broken into 2@ quarter-space landings, or then into three / four winders... The issue is that winders become more of a risk to use and more costly to make and install.

[merv]

your photos aren't showing up at all, please reload them

I didn't load any photos that's why you can't see any lol.

[Laava]

A half-space landing, broken into 2@ quarter-space landings, or then into three / four winders... The issue is that winders become more of a risk to use and more costly to make and install.

Absolutely. But it can be done if need be. Adding one extra rise in the landing area can make a huge difference to one of the two flights, might be all that's needed? All academic tho, as I am not doing the job, just giving a ballpark figure...
And if you are custom making on site, the winders are a piece of piss, very little extra time and materials.

[Laava]

DIY cunt. glue and chipboard, can't do worse than some of the shit i've fuken seen

You have a diy cunt? Made of glue and chipboard? Better than one of the goats?

[BMWST?]

Thanks for your help guys, what I'm basically looking at doing is replacing one stair set with another in the same place because we've never been happy with the ones there now - treads too short - if it is in the few grand range it would be worth doing, over 10 grand probably not, but I had no idea what price the stair sets are supplied by the joiners and thought I'd ask first before approaching someone. So shouldn't be any major structural work involved, just ripping one set out and replacing them and making finishes good.

is there room for a stairway that is longer?If you want longer treads it is gonna take up more room.If you need to move something up stairs that is a major.If there is room downstairs for more treads you have to watch out you dont run into headroom trouble where the downstairs flight crosses over the line of upstairs. a stairway in the scenario you say is ussually 15 risers so 14 treads.maybe you can have 1 step in the landing if things are getting tight.

[Drew]

Stringers aren't rocket science to make yourself. Buy dressed 10x2, a router, couple sharp chisel. Off ya go.

[Laava]

Stringers aren't rocket science to make yourself. Buy dressed 10x2, a router, couple sharp chisel. Off ya go.

Pretty much out of the reach of most DIYers. You obviously have done some yourself but most people wouldn't even bother wasting their time and money trying.

[AllanB]

Also if someone is making them for you there are now specifications for minimum rise and depth for stairs.

Have you done the old google? I know in CHCH there are companies that specialize in stairs. I can visualize one that had a sign advertising 'from $X per step'

[merv]

Again, thanks for your help guys and no worries I've got all the code stuff. The weird issue I have is the dude that built our house (about 18 years ago) had it fitted with stairs that are at the code specified angle of around 37 degrees (which is the specified max for main private stairways) but then he has fitted too many steps for the floor height so each one has a riser of only 165mm and this has led to treads of only around 220mm (which don't meet current code for a main stairway - in 1999 was that allowed?). It needs one less step for each half of the floor height, 7 instead of 8 and then the risers will be just under 190mm but then the treads can easily be 280mm with a 15 - 25 mm nose. Much more comfortable to walk on and less damaging to the carpet. We are due new carpet and it seemed sensible to fix the stairs first if a reasonable cost. So there is no problem with space, the things just need replacing.

We never even thought about when we bought the house but noticed it recently as the carpet was wearing badly at the noses because feet are landing too close to the edges and we then thought hmmm, these treads are a bit short.

Consensus seems to be it shouldn't be too expensive. Therefore we should do it before re-carpeting.

[Swoop]

The nose of the tread always gets worn quicker. It is even worse on winder treads where the foot lands and then pivots on the tread.
The best thing to do is fit some plastic nosings onto the front edge of the step. I did this on the stairs at home and the difference is huge. This sort of thing ---> http://www.amstep.com/

Whack it on top of the carpet like they do in commercial premises.

[Laava]

The general rule of stairs used to be 2Rise plus the Going =600mm. But you need to try and keep the rise closer to 175mm optimum. 190 is pushing it for a flight of stairs. Acceptable for a few steps up on to a deck for sure but a whole flight is different. Anyway the old equation made the going in that case about 250mm which even with a nosing fixed on to make it wider is still borderline too small, better to be 275-290mm. Using these approx sizes you end up with around the right pitch line. It is reasonably important to make sure they are all the same size as well, this should go without saying.

[jellywrestler]

I didn't load any photos that's why you can't see any lol.

really? I knew that, don't you think a pictures worth a thousand words?

[Akzle]

sounds about opposite to what i know (outdoorsies, not that i ever really gave a fuck about "the rules")

no gaps that a child could fit/jam their 150mm head in.

meaning 195/200 rise over <240 run. (depending on the inspektor :laugh:) cos doing them batten things underneath looks rude.
just bear in mind you're not getting younger so unless you have an elevator, easy stairs are a blessing.
they're also really shit if you're in a wheelchair.

[merv]

really? I knew that, don't you think a pictures worth a thousand words?

Really though it was a simple question for those in the trade - how much for a set of stairs between two floors of a standard house with 2.4m ceiling height with the stairs broken by a mid point landing? So not even a 100 words, so about less than 10% of a picture. I really just wanted to know before I talked to the stair makers how many grand they'd be looking for. Seems like not many so that is cool.

[BMWST?]

the landing can be completley seperate to the stairs themselves its just a platform built to a specific height,and strong enough to support the stirs themselves.Can be a useful storage space under stairs.

[merv]

the landing can be completley seperate to the stairs themselves its just a platform built to a specific height,and strong enough to support the stirs themselves.Can be a useful storage space under stairs.

The stairway is currently built like that with the whole area underneath being a cupboard under the stairs and I'll keep it like that.