If you have a young, growing family you may be looking for some additional living space. You may have considered putting your home on the market and getting a bigger place. Yet have you stopped to consider what you can do in your current home? Look above you. Why not make use of the loft and take advantage of an innovative stair design in order to access?
Double Your Footprint
A lot of people overlook the space above them, not taking into account that they effectively have the same footprint to work with as they do on the lower floor. Yet they may not have a very effective way to access the space or may not have room for a conventional staircase.
Lofty Goals
If downstairs room really is a premium, then maybe a loft ladder would be your first choice. These are the ultimate space saver, are cost-effective and may take up very little footprint. You can place a ladder flat against the wall and with some clever design, can move it from one position to another. Of course, these ladders are somewhat more difficult to navigate if you have elderly parents to consider.
Stylish Spiral
If you really want to be stylish, consider a spiral. These also have a very small footprint that is effectively the width of the tread area. They are more stable than the ladder option and are a better choice if you have small children or older people to consider.
Do You Want to Alternate?
Another alternative to the ladder is the alternating tread staircase. These were designed to provide more stability where a steeper gradient has to be traversed. They can be made from metal or wood and come with a sturdy handrail. The configuration is somewhat unusual, though, and you need to consider whether the alternating tread stair design would be challenging to some.
For the Design Maven
With an eye firmly on style, consider a helical staircase. It utilises the same concept as the spiral, but there are fundamental differences. The spiral has a column in the centre, whereas the helical is essentially freestanding, is not as "tightly wound" and needs a larger footprint.
The Floating Effect
If you want to maximise the area underneath any staircase, perhaps you should consider a concept known as a "floating" staircase. This does not have any framework as such, although it is really stable. The treads themselves are usually bolted to an adjacent wall, or lie on top of a specially made steel bar. This is a very contemporary design for the forward thinker.
Storage Option
Finally, if you still find that storage space is at a premium, why not consider creating a staircase from storage units? These are typically made from wood and there is a handy drawer underneath each riser. In this way you are making maximum use of the area beneath the staircase to store all your belongings.
Share