My husband and I are on the brink of buying a building for a dojo (for aikido). It’s a converted Quonset hut that has a partial second floor. We like the second floor, and intend to leave it in place, but we’re going to have to take the staircase out that leads up to it, as it’s right in the middle of the mat (I mean, where the mat will be). Right in the middle of the damn place.
We’re counting every dollar here, so initially we’re going to have to leave the second floor accessible only by ladder. If we build up a little cash to put a staircase back in that runs alongside the wall, what is the cheapest way to do it?
Also, is there any way to salvage parts of the current staircase to have rebuilt into a future staircase, or is that pretty much a lost cause/
We’re willing to put in sweat equity, but we have only the most basic carpentering skills, I work, and he’s got a bad back and bad knees. So we will have to pay people to do most of the staircase installation.
That’s why I thought of asking you. The Greater SDMB Community. Someone out there has got to know something that I don’t even know I need to know.
Someone who knows structural engineering from at least the practical experience of a master carpenter, or contractor should check the second floor to see if the stairs represent a support element for the floor above. Taking out the stairs may be just fine. Taking out the stairs may be dangerous. Check it out.
I say put in a rope in the center of the matt, and have it represent a third dimension in the available combat options. Think what Jackie Chan might do with it!
Tris
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle ~
Good point but the OP said they were counting eevery dollar. A spiral staircase is significanly more complicated than a straight run and would probably cost a lot more (unless of course I’m missing something here).
Actually, you can buy do-it-yourself kits for about a thousand dollars (give or take), which is certainly cheaper than having a carpenter come in and build a set of stairs. Local building codes might be an issue, though.
Do you have a “re-use centre” in your area? These places sell used building supplies, parts, and all kinds of stuff, all the way down to junk. Some of them are run by demolition companies. Might be a good place to pick up a used staircase on the cheap.
Assuming it’s a regular staircase made out of wood, and that you’re careful in deconstructing it, you should be able to re-use most, if not all, of it.
We just rebuilt a staircase and used the old treads, risers, and bannisters because we wanted to keep the original wood. Would have re-used the stringers (the supports that the stairs are laid on) except that we were returning the stairs back to their original size (long story). We found some very helpful websites on building staircases; I’ll try to find them this weekend.
I second the idea of having someone check to be sure the staircase isn’t supporting your loft. If it is, you’ll need to add some support for the loft before you take it down.
$1000 is probably a bit much for this project as it’s a semi-industrial space, and I’m assuming the steps won’t be carpeted. The OP should be able to pick up a couple of long 2x12s and a pile of 4-foot wide 2x10s for a good bit less. I’m assuming you’ll be able to get by with open risers (eg: there are no risers on the stairs - just treads)
If you can live with an inevitable odd half-height step at the bottom (you might want to disguise it with a 4x4 foot or so platform landing so it’s not so obvious) you can also buy pre-cut stringers at most home centers. They’ll probably be in the decks and fencing area. With these, you just cut to length, nail them to the building and start slapping down treads and put on a railing.
Here are some articles on how to build stairs. There’s a lot of math and a lot of care needed if you want them to come out well. There’s as much art as science involved, and the finished product will almost certainly need to be inspected by your local building inspector. But, if you’re brave…
Whatever you choose, check with the local building inspector first. The last thing you want is to build something, then find out it’s not to code and has to be removed and done all over again.
Perhaps a bit more than you need, but I saw a neat gadget at a demonstration house recently. It is a kind of triangular brace that allowed one to build a stair with very little waste or cutting. A straight 2x6 is laid out and braces are slipped onto the beam. Each brace provides a 45 deg angle for the step. flat steps are simply nailed onto the brace and you are done! One brace on each side, two braces for each step. Of course there adjustments that are made to account for different run lengths. It is a pretty neat gadget and seems to take a lot of the mistakes out of making a stair. Braces, hammer, nails, wood = stair.
I once had a crappy apartment that was very small but it was two stories. It had a very compact spiral staircase built out of some kind of kit. It consisted of a big hollow pole cut to height and then each stair was formed out of metal, each one curved, and had a sleeve that just slipped over the pole one on top of another and stacked and locked together. You then fanned the stairs out the way that you wanted and locked them into place with precut holes and small bolts. It had this metallic black finish and didn’t take up much space at all.
It couldn’t have cost that much and it was fairly attractive and looked very easy to assemble.
Tease. I read your post hurriedly and clicked on the link, thinking it was going to lead me to the very cheapo metal spiral you described. Imagine my disappointment on reading they provide only the very finest quality with the aesthetics of artisans. And spring-loaded bolts to crash through your cheeks! Yeah, yeah, I could afford to eat a crunchy frog sooner than I could buy one of those staircases.
Can you re-use the staircase you are taking out? I’m writing from my loft at the moment. I built very simple stairs to it out of 2x8s. I did not ‘birds mouth cut’ the stringers. I fastened 2x2 with glue and screws to the stringers to support the treads. So far so good. About 50 bucks.
I would, however, recommend against the 2x2s to support the treads and use some pre-drilled angle steel (not sure what to call it, you can buy it at any hardware store.) and lag bolt that to the stringers. Much stronger than the 2x2 screw and glue method.
Most stairs are preassembled units from specialized shops. Each straight run is installed as a single unit with a few screws or nails at the top riser and bottom of the stringers and possibly glue.
Because of this you should be able to uninstall the whole unit with minimal damage and simply reinstall it where you want it. The worst part will be the glue if it has been used. Find and remove all the nails or screws you can and slowly and carefully pry the top riser, when its loose remove the nails from the stringer and lower the whole business carefully.
Our old landlord bought & installed the one pictured in image #1 when he converted our attic to living space. It went up in what seemed like a matter of minutes, and was sturdy & well constructed. He did not get the brass handrail kit, but went with the plebian one it came with. Still looked good. He did spring for the oak treads, though.