Dear forum members,
Our prefab house is currently under construction. We have a retractable attic ladder installed in the loft. Beforehand, we carefully considered exactly where to position it on the upper floor. Since we do not have a basement and the loft has a height of about 1.6m (5 feet 3 inches), we want to use it not only for storage but also, for example, for a model railway.
Now to our problem: The position of the retractable ladder was changed by our house manufacturer without consulting us and rotated by 90 degrees. Originally, the ladder was supposed to open into the upper floor hallway. Unfortunately, it now opens towards the main staircase (the staircase between the ground floor and upper floor). The space between the last step of the retractable ladder and the main staircase is only about 45cm (18 inches). This means that especially when descending the small ladder from the attic backwards, you have to be very careful not to place your foot too far back. Also, when removing boxes from the attic, you must be careful not to stumble. Otherwise, you could step into empty space and fall down the staircase to the ground floor. Another issue is that when the ladder is open, it is difficult to access the upper floor. In other words, the ladder cannot be left open.
When we asked our house manufacturer about this, they informed us that the signed selection protocol states that the position of the retractable ladder will be adjusted according to the statically optimal conditions. Therefore, the change is considered valid. However, in all the plans we signed, the position was always as originally agreed. The change of position was neither discussed with us nor approved by us.
Therefore, my questions are: Is it technically acceptable to have only 45cm (18 inches) of space between the two staircases? We see this as a serious safety hazard. Does this change in the ladder position constitute a defect? After all, the new position was not agreed upon with us, and the changes have significant implications for how we use the loft. Would it be possible to request a price reduction if the ladder has to remain in this position?
Best regards,
Stefanie
Our prefab house is currently under construction. We have a retractable attic ladder installed in the loft. Beforehand, we carefully considered exactly where to position it on the upper floor. Since we do not have a basement and the loft has a height of about 1.6m (5 feet 3 inches), we want to use it not only for storage but also, for example, for a model railway.
Now to our problem: The position of the retractable ladder was changed by our house manufacturer without consulting us and rotated by 90 degrees. Originally, the ladder was supposed to open into the upper floor hallway. Unfortunately, it now opens towards the main staircase (the staircase between the ground floor and upper floor). The space between the last step of the retractable ladder and the main staircase is only about 45cm (18 inches). This means that especially when descending the small ladder from the attic backwards, you have to be very careful not to place your foot too far back. Also, when removing boxes from the attic, you must be careful not to stumble. Otherwise, you could step into empty space and fall down the staircase to the ground floor. Another issue is that when the ladder is open, it is difficult to access the upper floor. In other words, the ladder cannot be left open.
When we asked our house manufacturer about this, they informed us that the signed selection protocol states that the position of the retractable ladder will be adjusted according to the statically optimal conditions. Therefore, the change is considered valid. However, in all the plans we signed, the position was always as originally agreed. The change of position was neither discussed with us nor approved by us.
Therefore, my questions are: Is it technically acceptable to have only 45cm (18 inches) of space between the two staircases? We see this as a serious safety hazard. Does this change in the ladder position constitute a defect? After all, the new position was not agreed upon with us, and the changes have significant implications for how we use the loft. Would it be possible to request a price reduction if the ladder has to remain in this position?
Best regards,
Stefanie
Hello.. please take a look at your latest structural plan that you signed.
Is the staircase built as you requested, or is it as it currently exists?
If b), then the sales department is correct.
If a), then do not pay any additional money or accept it, as it does not comply with the agreed structural plans.
Is the staircase built as you requested, or is it as it currently exists?
If b), then the sales department is correct.
If a), then do not pay any additional money or accept it, as it does not comply with the agreed structural plans.
B
Bauexperte2 Jun 2014 10:53Hello Stefanie,
Although it may not be easy to install the prefabricated staircase in the intended location—appropriate openings in the beam ceiling (Kehlbalkendecke) have already been made—I would still favor this option. Mainly because I wouldn’t want to risk injuring myself; of course, this means your contracting partner will need to invest additional money.
The first step should be to ask your contracting partner to provide and prove the “static requirement” for changing the staircase’s position—they are responsible for this—and then you can decide how to proceed; it is possible that they acted correctly. Until this is clarified, further work on cladding, drywall, and interior plaster should be paused.
Best regards, Bauexperte
steffima schrieb:In similar cases, a tread depth of 1.00 m (39 inches) is mandatory; I don’t see this any differently for a prefabricated staircase (BET), although I haven’t encountered this exact situation before, so I can’t be certain.
So here are my questions: Is it structurally acceptable to have only 45 cm (18 inches) of space between the stairs?
steffima schrieb:Why does the first question always lean toward a price reduction?
After all, the current location was not discussed with us, and the changes made have a significant impact on how we can use the attic. Can we reduce the purchase price if the staircase remains as is or must remain as is?
Although it may not be easy to install the prefabricated staircase in the intended location—appropriate openings in the beam ceiling (Kehlbalkendecke) have already been made—I would still favor this option. Mainly because I wouldn’t want to risk injuring myself; of course, this means your contracting partner will need to invest additional money.
The first step should be to ask your contracting partner to provide and prove the “static requirement” for changing the staircase’s position—they are responsible for this—and then you can decide how to proceed; it is possible that they acted correctly. Until this is clarified, further work on cladding, drywall, and interior plaster should be paused.
Best regards, Bauexperte
We have received feedback from our prefabricated house manufacturer: the attic ladder was changed by the planning department without consulting the structural engineering department. After a review by the structural engineering team, we were informed that the original position of the attic ladder is indeed possible. This will now be adjusted accordingly. We are very relieved.
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