How Wide Should My Domestic Staircase Be? (England & Wales)
We frequently get asked how wide a staircase should be in a house.
There isn't a straightforward answer to this question, as it's typically defined by the location and scenario, which I'll illustrate with a few examples.
Please note; I'm only covering domestic staircases, i.e., private houses and apartments in England and Wales.
What Do The Building Regulations Say?
Minimum Width:
There is no defined minimum width for a staircase in England & Wales. However, the "generally accepted" minimum is 600mm; any narrower than that can cause issues; the general consensus is:
- For a loft conversion, 750mm is the minimum recommended width.
- For a primary staircase, a minimum recommended width of 850mm is required.
Maximum Width:
There's no maximum width, but the widest staircase you're likely to see in a domestic property is 1000mm, while the narrowest would be 600mm (though we do not recommend this).
Examples Of Staircase Widths:
Allowing Adequate Finger Room:
We recommend the opening be 100mm wider than the stairs (per side with posts).
This will allow adequate space for your fingers between the handrail and the floor opening when walking up the stairs.
How Does StairDesigner Help?
Our custom StairDesigner is programmed to understand the current UK building regulations and will apply constraints on your staircase based on selections made, for example:
Building Regulations:
Selecting different building regulations will result in varying minimum widths.
Changing Widths:
You can select multiple widths, and StairDesigner will adjust the staircase dimensions to suit in real-time.
Try our StairDesigner today to help you design, price & buy your next staircase from TKstairs.
Can A Staircase Contain Multiple Widths?
Yep! A staircase with multiple flights can have multiple widths and there's often good reason to do this:
Example 1:
This is an extreme example, to illustrate what can be done, though I can't think of a reason you'd do this.
Example 2:
In this example, you're restricted to 3850mm of width and 1100mm of depth.
To fill the space I have:
- Used quarter landings instead of kite winders (these take up more space).
- Increased the widths of flights one & three to 915mm.
However, due to the restriction of 1100mm on the depth, I need to reduce the width of flight two to 855mm to ensure the stairs fit within that 1100mm of space.
Please note, alternatively, you could add a tread before flight one and remove it from flight three.
There are always multiple options when it comes to stair design; this is just an example.
Get in touch if you need help designing your staircase!
Space Before & After Staircase:
"All landings should be at least as wide as the smallest width of your staircase; landings can be part of the floor area of the property." - Building regulations document K 1.20
What This Means:
This means that, for example, if your staircase is 850mm wide, you must allow 850mm at the top and bottom of the stairs before any walls are installed.
This needs to be considered when deciding on the width(s) of your staircase as to whether you have enough space before and after the stairs, as any "landings" must be at least as wide as the smallest width of the stairs.
Staircases Between Walls?
If your staircase is between walls, deciding on the width to order can be tricky.
However, the key point here is that it's better to be too small than too big!
If you make it narrower than it needs to be, you can cover up any gaps with a moulding (we sell these in our shop).
It's unusual for two walls to be perfectly level, so our advice is to measure the width in multiple places, take the smallest measurement, and subtract a minimum of 10mm from that dimension.
How Wide Should A High End Staircase Be?
The typical width of stairs in new-build houses in the UK is between 800mm and 860mm. Once a staircase is over 900mm wide, people tend to perceive it as a "wide staircase".
This is a critical consideration when designing a house with a wide staircase, as it's essential to allow adequate space.
It is hard to perceive the width from a photo. However, I have provided some examples.
Examples:
Example 1: View Case Study.
Example 2: View Case Study.
Example 3: View Case Study.
Example 4: View Case Study.
Example 5: View Case Study.
Please note, we make every effort to ensure that the content on this blog is correct and accurate.
It's written to the best of our knowledge, and we check everything before publishing.
However, we cannot guarantee it, and you should check with your building inspector before making any critical decisions.
