Hello,
I am building a single-family house with a general contractor.
After the screed was laid, it was noticed that the staircase is offset by 10cm (4 inches). That means it starts 10cm too early.
According to the plan, there should be 1.05m (41 inches) of space in front of the stairs, but currently, there are only 94cm (37 inches).
As a result, the last step at the top is 10cm (4 inches) lower than planned (according to the plan, the last step was not supposed to be a full step).
The staircase is a straight two-stringer staircase. Since the house has a basement, the staircase cannot simply be shortened because it would otherwise be unsupported.
Are there any options to reduce the stairwell opening? The floor (or basement ceiling) is made of 18cm (7 inches) concrete (prefabricated concrete slab).
Even during planning, the 1.05m (41 inches) space in front of the stairs felt a bit tight; I would be glad to have at least 1 meter (39 inches) here.
Thank you,
morgenstern
I am building a single-family house with a general contractor.
After the screed was laid, it was noticed that the staircase is offset by 10cm (4 inches). That means it starts 10cm too early.
According to the plan, there should be 1.05m (41 inches) of space in front of the stairs, but currently, there are only 94cm (37 inches).
As a result, the last step at the top is 10cm (4 inches) lower than planned (according to the plan, the last step was not supposed to be a full step).
The staircase is a straight two-stringer staircase. Since the house has a basement, the staircase cannot simply be shortened because it would otherwise be unsupported.
Are there any options to reduce the stairwell opening? The floor (or basement ceiling) is made of 18cm (7 inches) concrete (prefabricated concrete slab).
Even during planning, the 1.05m (41 inches) space in front of the stairs felt a bit tight; I would be glad to have at least 1 meter (39 inches) here.
Thank you,
morgenstern
M
morgenstern5 Jan 2022 08:35A brief update:
We are building with the general contractor (with whom we are so far completely satisfied). The flooring is already installed on the upper floor ceiling level because, in agreement with the general contractor, we will commission the tiler directly from the contractor.
The site manager has been informed and is looking into what options are available. I wanted to get some feedback here beforehand on how serious you think this issue is (since opinions are quite divided) and especially what options there are.
According to the site manager, the staircase builder did nothing wrong, as they were instructed by the general contractor to measure the stairs on site and adjust them to fit the stairwell opening.
The stairwell opening matched the plans, so the error lies in the planning (although the staircase builder could have, of course, spoken up).
Of course, this could have been noticed earlier; we checked many measurements, but not the stairs.
We are building with the general contractor (with whom we are so far completely satisfied). The flooring is already installed on the upper floor ceiling level because, in agreement with the general contractor, we will commission the tiler directly from the contractor.
The site manager has been informed and is looking into what options are available. I wanted to get some feedback here beforehand on how serious you think this issue is (since opinions are quite divided) and especially what options there are.
According to the site manager, the staircase builder did nothing wrong, as they were instructed by the general contractor to measure the stairs on site and adjust them to fit the stairwell opening.
The stairwell opening matched the plans, so the error lies in the planning (although the staircase builder could have, of course, spoken up).
Of course, this could have been noticed earlier; we checked many measurements, but not the stairs.
Sorry for just quoting you now… it’s more convenient 😉
I assume the argument will be made that 95cm (37 inches) does the same job as 105cm (41 inches).
You probably will have to accept it officially: the door performs its function. I guess the only valid argument is if you as a resident personally bump into the 190cm (75 inches) height.
Regarding the tripping edge at the first step, I agree with you – having looked at it now, there seems to be a wardrobe built in front, I assume? That is the path to the guest bathroom?! So I don’t even really see the tripping edge. Sorry!!! But I would be annoyed too!!!
It’s the same staircase we have. Only ours has a turn at the top. I almost said, why not just shift the staircase 5cm (2 inches) forward and shorten the top step... but then it wouldn’t have any support at all, right?
Our staircase was installed after the screed. There were recesses made for the brackets. Also, the holes in the wall were only milled out later… were those already there in your case?
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
That’s not a minor defect at all 🙄 The whole family passes the staircase every day, and missing 10cm (4 inches) is simply annoying, probably for a long time.
I assume the argument will be made that 95cm (37 inches) does the same job as 105cm (41 inches).
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
For example: would you accept a door that is 190cm (75 inches) high instead of the ordered 200cm (79 inches)?
You probably will have to accept it officially: the door performs its function. I guess the only valid argument is if you as a resident personally bump into the 190cm (75 inches) height.
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
I see a question of proportionality regarding dismantling or modifying the construction.
Regarding the tripping edge at the first step, I agree with you – having looked at it now, there seems to be a wardrobe built in front, I assume? That is the path to the guest bathroom?! So I don’t even really see the tripping edge. Sorry!!! But I would be annoyed too!!!
It’s the same staircase we have. Only ours has a turn at the top. I almost said, why not just shift the staircase 5cm (2 inches) forward and shorten the top step... but then it wouldn’t have any support at all, right?
Our staircase was installed after the screed. There were recesses made for the brackets. Also, the holes in the wall were only milled out later… were those already there in your case?
morgenstern schrieb:
The stairwell opening matched the plan, so the error lies in the design (although the stair builder could have pointed it out as well..) If these are the same plans you showed here, the stair builder should have noticed (no measuring needed) that the first step is flush with the wall. So how can the beam already be protruding? 🙄
And in your plans/floor plans, that exact area in front of the stairs was repeatedly criticized – not enough space. The client should have noticed this as well.
Three options: leave it as is, redo once, or cut back the first step.
morgenstern schrieb:
According to the construction manager, the staircase installer did nothing wrong because he was instructed by the general contractor to measure and fit the staircase on site to the stair opening.Then the word "nothing" in this sentence is apparently incorrect.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
morgenstern5 Jan 2022 13:13ypg schrieb:
So I don’t even see the nosing. I don’t see the nosing either; I’m concerned about the staircase’s overhang.
ypg schrieb:
I almost said, why not just move the stairs 5cm (2 inches) forward and shorten the top step… but then the top step wouldn’t have any support, right? Yes, that would be my preferred solution. That’s why I’m asking if it’s possible to make the stair opening smaller.
ypg schrieb:
In our case, the stairs were installed after the screed. There were recesses made for the brackets. The holes in the wall were only milled afterwards… were they already there in your case? The stairs were installed before the screed and before the interior plaster.
11ant schrieb:
Then apparently the word “nothing” in that sentence is incorrect. That’s because the general contractor and the staircase installer apparently agreed that the installer wouldn’t follow the plans exactly but would adapt to the on-site conditions. So the installer is off the hook, although they still could have noticed and pointed it out.
driver55 schrieb:
The client should have noticed that as well (or at least they needed to). Yes, that’s right. It is so, although it was after the underfloor heating and screed but still before tiling.
morgenstern schrieb:
This is because the general contractor and the stair builder apparently agreed that the stair builder would base the work on the actual site conditions rather than the plans. This means the stair builder avoids responsibility, even though they should have noticed and addressed the issue. I don’t understand this: especially if they had measured on site, wouldn’t the result be closer to reality than to the plan (???)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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