Staircase advice sought

[ChrisD]

I would be grateful for any helpful suggestions on the following issue:

The staircase in our recently purchased 16th C house is original to the building and mentioned in the listing. The small landing area shown is hazardous to young children and will need to be addressed before we move in. Before discussing this with our CO I’d like to understand what may have been there originally – you can just make out witness marks on the floor and newel post. Any suggestions for an appropriate solution would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Chris.

 

[Moo]

Why not instal something temporary, a bit like a stair-gate, to tide you over while you make up your mind/the children have grown up a bit?
You'll have enough to sort out initially, if your move is anything like ours!

 

[christianb]

Why not instal something temporary, a bit like a stair-gate, to tide you over while you make up your mind/the children have grown up a bit?
You'll have enough to sort out initially, if your move is anything like ours!

I agree with Moo. And your stair "set-up" looks remarkably similar to the one in my cottage!

All has been remedied by the installing of one of those "fits all sizes" child gates.

 

[AMc]

Welcome to the forum

The staircase in our recently purchased 16th C house is original to the building and mentioned in the listing. The small landing area shown is hazardous to young children and will need to be addressed before we move in.

If it were mine I would probably look to put some form of non fixed furniture there - chest of drawers, small cupboard - that you could reach standing on the stairs and simultaneously block the cliff edge. Perhaps with an antitopple strap holding it to the wall if you're concerned about that.

If you're kids are really young then a wide stair gate would make sense.

In the short term you'll almost certainly have a couple of full boxes of stuff that you can put in place to prevent any mountaineering. If you're anything like us you may still have them 3 years later, consider that warning

 

[Flyfisher]

It looks, to me, as if the bannisters have been removed for some reason. It's also interesting that the remaining post is in front of a window. Such are the quirks of older houses.

As for making the stairs safe for young children, even if the bannisters were still in place you would have to consider some sort of gate at the top of the stairs. Fortunately, the wall to the left of the stairwell should make it a fairly simple job and I agree with the previous advice about using one of those expandable stair-gates.

Not sure why you'd need to discuss such a thing with your CO though, unless you're contemplating replacing the bannisters?

 

[Schoolmarm]

I can see several problems if I am looking at the right things. Firstly the far end drops straight off onto a lower level of the stairs.
Secondly, people can walk on there by mistake and thirdly there is nowhere to safely clamp both ends of a stairgate, and it be in a useful place.

I would be attempting to prevent all access to it using that newel post and whatever safe fixing you can get at this end.

Mine fell through our horrible shiny wooden open tread stairs a few times and that was bad enough.

Does that newel post go right down to the bottom of the stairs?

 

[Penners]

If it were mine I would probably look to put some form of non fixed furniture there - chest of drawers, small cupboard - that you could reach standing on the stairs and simultaneously block the cliff edge. Perhaps with an antitopple strap holding it to the wall if you're concerned about that.

I agree with AMc - that's what I would probably do. Remove any temptation or capability for people to stand on the precarious ledge, while simultaneously increasing your storage capacity.

It's what my sales manager used to call a "win-win solution".

But he had a million cliches like that. :roll:

 

[chuckey]

This is exactly what I had other then the "modern" wall was built closer to the stair case. The room was open plan to the staircase with just the balustrade making it safe. This is also the room that originaly had the yorkshire flagstone floor.
Frank

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I'll match your dangerous staircase and raise you this one!



Being a radical neo-Darwinist, I considered it a trial of the kids' genertic inheritance. Fortunately they both passed and we fitted a new staircase a couple of months later...

 

[AMc]

To be fair any kid over the age of about 5 is probably more co-ordinated and nibble than an adult. On either staircase I reckno I'd come a cropper eventually without taking sensible precautions.

 

[ChrisD]

Thanks for the replies,

It's good to see that I don't have the most dangerous staircase out there!

I really thought the best way to fix this was to re-instate what may have been there originally which would have involved a lengthy investigation, LBC, engagement of a trusted craftsperson and I would have ended up with safe but useless area at the top of the stairs. What a silly idea!

So, I will now instruct Mrs D to scour the local antique stores to find an appropriate large chest to block off the danger area. A much simpler and better solution.

Many thanks,

Chris.

 

[Penners]

find an appropriate large chest to block off the danger area.

Just be a bit careful, though. A large chest can itself be hazardous, in the wrong hands.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Yes - make sure you don't settle for the first large chest you find. In my younger days, I made sure I became fully conversant with as wide a range of large chests as possible, and their various handling characteristics - before settling on a model I was very pleased with.

The best ones can be kept for life, you know; but not all of them improve with age.

 

[Schoolmarm]

:roll:

 

[Penners]

'Marm, are we to infer that you don't value furnishing advice?

 

[Schoolmarm]

My furniture didn't improve with age.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Did you remember to give it a good rub down regularly?

 

[Penners]

My furniture didn't improve with age.

That's not necessarily true, you know. We old blokes value patina.

 

[worms]

Did you remember to give it a good rub down regularly?

I was told this saying by an old gamekeeper many years ago:

Once a day for a week
Once a week for a month
Once a month for a year
Once a year for life.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I was told this saying by an old gamekeeper many years ago

He didn't go by the name Oliver Mellors by any chance? :wink: