I have had a long conversation with Mrs Winston who wants to put a stair access to her loft space with the very minimum use of space (don't we all). Unfortunately the concept of a space saving stair is a difficult one to grasp for a lot of people. So I suggest to her to look at say a Karina (alternate paddle shaped treads) which saves about as much space as any stair short of a ladder or fireman's pole. The response I get is "I do not like the look of that, I want a proper stair". Unfortunately life is never that simple, proper stairs take up as much space as any main stair that you find in any modern house. You cannot cheat on the geometry. Building Regulation compliant stairs are designed to give safe access, and that requires a minimum amount of space to stand on each tread, a maximum amount of step up between each tread, and a maximum angle of pitch of the whole stair. When you apply these rules you will end up with no room to save any space. The only way to save space is to go steeper with your stair, and the only way to achieve enough tread to stand on with a steep stair is to use the paddle shaped treads that you see on space saver staircases. So it is case of what will fit your space rather than your ideal stair. But do not despair space saver stairs are more comfortable to use than you imagine. They even can comply with the Regulations in certain circumstances, but seek advice on this before you buy.

The Stair Doctor