Building & Renovation in France - Staircases
Choosing a staircase for a new-build property can be a lot harder than it sounds. There is a range of factors to be considered and a staircase can make or break an interior. It can also account for a significant part of the build budget.
The first thing to consider is setting out your staircase so that it works safely and is easy to climb. To make your staircase user-friendly, the pitch, treads, headroom and hand rail position all need to work together.
The first thing to do is to work out how the staircase will work:
- Where will it start?
- Where will it end?
- Can this be achieved with a straight flight?
- Does it need a turn or two?
A straight flight can be a practical solution. They are generally the cheapest option and are readily available ‘off the peg’. Most of the larger French DIY stores have a good range. Moving furniture up and down straight flights though staircases with turns can sometimes fit the available space better. In any case, there are usually several options as to how a staircase can be installed and it is worth thinking these through carefully. Ideally the base should be somewhere close to the main entrance of the house, generally at the centre of the property.
Site assembly
Staircases in kit form and a range of designs including one or two turns, are available from DIY stores and builders merchants. Some models, usually the cheaper ones, need to be assembled. Others will have been pre-assembled and are ready to be installed. Almost all such off-the shelf models can be adjusted by up to 7cm. This is done by trimming the bottom step, which is higher than the others, to fit. These stores also often offer a made-to-measure service, sur mesure. While the range of designs can be good, the materials used tend to be quite traditional so for a really cutting-edge finish, a bespoke staircase is the best option. In France the vast majority of firms offering bespoke staircases in materials such as concrete, steel and glass, tend to operate on a regional basis, so it is a case of trawling through Yellow Pages.
An alternative is to order a bespoke staircase from an international supplier and have it shipped to France for on-site assembly. The other and more frequently used method is to commission a local joiner, whether a menuisier or charpentier, or joinery firm. The total rise is the measurement from the finished floor below to the finished floor above. A ‘standard’ staircase tends generally to be between 2.6 and 2.8m. Once the rise has been measured, the number of steps or treads needs to be calculated. The vertical parts that connect the treads are known as risers. The ideal height for a riser is 200 mm. You may choose to go a little bigger to give the staircase a chunky look but make sure that the chosen height will be comfortable. A 2.6m staircase with risers at 200mm will therefore need 13 risers and a staircase with a rise of 2.8m will need 14.
Growing trend
Finally the tread depth needs to be calculated. This is the distance from the face of one riser to the face of the next one. The overall width of the staircase needs to be thought about too and 80cm is really about the minimum. Metalframed staircases with solid wood treads are also a growing trend and glass is becoming hugely popular in construction generally. This does add space and light but at a price. The glass will need to be thickened and toughened, fixings will have to be more robust and as a result, the overall price is likely to increase by around €4,000 (£3,144) upwards. A budget choice would be a kit staircase with glass treads; these can start for as little as €1,450 (£1,139). If you want a light and airy feel but don’t like the idea of glass, beech treads on an open rise staircase work well and are another budget option; expect to pay from around €650 to €850 (£510 to £668) upwards. Staircase costs are governed by design and materials. Obviously the simpler the design, the lower the price. In terms of materials, the cheapest stairs will be made of engineered pine and plywood. Staircases like this can be bought for as little as €300 (£235). Basic designs in hardwoods can start from around the €800 (£628) mark and for around €2,000 (£1,572) there is a good choice of styles and designs. A made-to-measure hardwood staircase should cost somewhere between €2,000 and €4,000 (£1,572 and £3,144) with prices obviously increasing according to size, style and the materials used.