New Year, new you

New Year, new start

New Year, new … whatever

We seem to put a lot of faith into the transformative eruption that comes when poor, tatty ol’ 31st December explodes into a bright, shiny 1st January. We set personal goals just for ourselves, to get fit, thin, happy, healthy, save money and be kind. Most of these are admirable aims and you’ll be sharing them with millions of other people in that lovely, warm after-Christmas, happy glow.

But YouGov¹ asked people to cast their minds back to the beginning of 2024 and say whether they had kept their New Year’s resolutions. One in six (17%) said that they had but, of that group, only one in three claim to have kept all of the resolutions they made. And, of the overall group of people quizzed, one in five (19%) admitted that they failed to keep any of their New Year’s resolutions.

” It could just be a simple case of challenge and reward. “

So, do we seem to be flirting around the edges of insanity at least once every year? Because, according to Albert Einstein, the very definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” but I think that’s a little harsh for the millions of New Year’s repeat optimists. (Although I once doubted Einstein’s wisdom when I read that he said “You can’t blame gravy for falling in love.” Then I found out it was a typo and should have said “gravity”. I still didn’t understand the great man but at least he wasn’t dissing gravy.) Anyway, back to making resolutions, and it could just be a simple case of challenge and reward. And giving yourself a little reward sounds like a very sensible idea to me, not at all bonkers. Studies² have shown that setting goals triggers the release of dopamine, commonly known as the feel good chemical. Dopamine helps to manage pleasure and reward centres in the brain while regulating emotional responses. Neuroscientists have found that pursuing goals can significantly impact our emotions as it triggers pleasure centres in our brains, regardless of the outcome. This suggests that pursuing a goal is just as important as achieving it.

“perhaps we should concentrate on what we’d like to achieve realistically – at any time of the year”

Maybe we shouldn’t worry at all if we set our own goals and fail to achieve them. It’s quite possible that our resolutions were rather unrealistic (giving up social media for a month, climbing Everest, never eating chocolate again) and were doomed to failure. But, if we get pleasure from setting and pursuing goals, then perhaps we should concentrate on what we’d realistically like to achieve – at any time of the year. Let’s ease off on the New Year Resolution demand and relax a bit. Take the pressure off. Why not wait a few weeks and then take stock and assess what your goals for the coming months should be. Think of something you want to achieve rather than something you want to resist. Consider realistic and rewarding goals, such as decorating your living area, seeing your family more, learning a new language at your own pace using an app like Babbel , seeing if you can carve out 12 minutes a day to follow the Royal Canadian Airforce workout used by Helen Mirren, or firming up your plans for your loft conversion (we might be able to help with your staircase!). Just think about the massive dopamine hit you’ll get this time next year having something to show for setting and achieving your goals!

¹[Source: https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/YouGov_-_New_Years_resolutions_2025.pdf]

²[Source: https://www.parinc.com/learning-center/par-blog/detail/blog/2024/01/02/the-psychology-behind-new-years-resolutions]

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But it's not for everyone, particularly when it comes to houses and interior design. Retro has its own time limits and what's retro today is going to be old fashioned tomorrow. That's not a good idea for something as fundamental as your home, which is too valuable to need to be updated with every swing of the fashion pendulum.

There are still probably hundreds of thousands of houses built in the 70s and 80s which still reflect that period in their interior design. You know what I mean – ranch railing on the staircase, formica kitchen units, or just lots of B R O W N!

But this also means that it offers you a blank canvas for bringing your home right up to date and give it some design integrity, some quality elements which will carry you and your home comfortably and stylishly well into the future.

Let’s look at the ranch rail staircase, which is probably the first design element that hits you as you walk into your 80s house. Quite often the staircase was pretty cheap construction, a result of the need to build homes on a massive and economical scale. But it also means that it is usually a simple and straight forward task to remove that staircase and replace it with something which will add real impact and build on the style and vibe that you are creating in your home.

So, it’s actually a great weekend project for you by using one of the DIY staircase kits available now in the UK. These staircases have been available for many decades throughout Europe and the UK and they are tried and tested, both in their design and manufacture. It’s just that the concept is a bit… well, a bit “out there” to many of us who imagined that their staircase would have to stay there forever. But most of these simple straight staircases (or with one or two turns in them) are usually just fixed to the edge of the upper floor and possibly with some fixings into an adjoining wall. So, they can also simply be unfixed and another staircase installed in their place.

The main areas to consider are:

1. The finished floor to finished floor height. This will confirm the number of treads/risers you need. (The tread is the physical piece that you stand on. The riser is the gap between the treads and it can be filled in or open. For our modular staircases like the Stilo and the Vector, the last tread is one riser down from the upper floor. So you probably have 12 treads but 13 risers. See the diagram below.)
2. The space you have on the ground floor for the staircase to take up. This is called the overall “going” of the staircase.
3. The size of the opening in the ceiling. This makes sure that you have enough headroom as soon as you step on to the first tread at the bottom of the staircase and that you can fit all the treads that you need. Also check the width of the opening as this will dictate the overall width of the new staircase, bearing in mind that you need a minimum of 50mm around your handrail so that you don’t jam your knuckles against the edge of the upper floor as you walk up the staircase. (I wish I could have £1 for every time that I’ve caught my hand on a stairwell that was a bit too narrow and I hadn’t noticed when I was going upstairs!)

If you are simply replacing the existing staircase with another in the same format and size, then this should all be pretty straightforward. If you have any questions about this or need advice on replacing your staircase, you can always get in touch with us by phone or email. You’ll also find plenty of information on our Knowledge Centre pages which features installation guides and advice.

Installing one of our Stilo or Vector Modular staircases is a straightforward job and will usually take a couple of people 2 or 3 days to complete. Any careful DIYer, carpenter or tradesperson will have no problem installing these staircases – after all, they are designed for easy installation and the instructions take you through the process step by step (pardon the pun!). But don’t be tempted to take any short cuts, re-design the staircase or stray from the instructions!

So, how about it? This is your chance. A long weekend, kids at the grandparents… tools, polyfiller, stepladder, tea and biscuits, and time set aside to read and follow the instructions.

And what a transformation you’ll achieve!

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Did you see the rather moving episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs Series 22 Episode 8, which featured Tony and Ara’s healing house set in a wonderful woodland garden? This turned out to be quite a big project, starting with the demolition of Tony’s childhood home nestled in an idyllic woodland setting.

Their intention was to create a home of “healing” dedicated to health and wellbeing for themselves and guests, a project which they knew would be challenging and costly – but they had no idea just how challenging it would become.

Four Years of Hard Work

It took the couple an unexpected four years of tremendous personal effort and distressing health setbacks. For Tony, though, he faced an uphill struggle of his initial lack of the skills needed for a selfbuilder but he persevered and overcame that steep learning curve. The shock of Ara’s health challenges were more difficult to come to terms with, but they hope that the house, that was created as a home of healing, would give Ara some comfort, now she is living in a place she calls “paradise”.

“It’s delightful!” said Kevin

We were delighted when Tony chose one of our Modular Staircases to create the beautiful entrance hall of the house. You can see the visual impact of using one of these contemporary, clean and elegant modular staircases when you look at Kevin McCloud’s face as he stepped into the spacious hall. “It’s delightful. It’s airy!” he exclaimed as his eyes swept across the stairs and hallway. Tony’s brief was for a stylish, modern staircase that would fit his open plan hallway, would be easy to install and was cost-effective. The final result clearly fulfilled his expectations – and more!

Perfect use of a Modular Staircase

Take a look at the Channel 4 show to follow the project and you’ll get an understanding of the many, and serious, challenges that the couple faced. From finances, skillsets and serious health issues, the project was fraught with difficulties that had to be overcome as far as humanly possible.

You can watch the Grand Designs episode online

You can watch the episode (Series 22 Episode 8 “Henley”) on this link.

Choice of Modular Staircases

If you would like to create a hallway with such amazing impact, please take a look at our range of Modular staircases and see how we can inspire you. The modular staircase which Tony chose was from the Genius range which, sadly, is no longer in production. Alternative modular staircases are the Stilo70 Modular Staircase Kit or the Vector70 Modular Staircase Kit which have very similar profiles and would look equally stunning in your home. And, of course, they share the same straight forward DIY installation benefits as the Genius which Tony used. If you go to our Modular Staircases pages, you will find plenty of inspiration. And, if you have any questions or would like advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

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Regulations

There are two main areas of legislation involved – Planning Permission and Building Regulations. Planning Permission focuses on the look of the project, how it fits in the neighbourhood and how it might affect neighbours, and Building Regulations deal with the safety and structural integrity of any proposed work. There is also good information freely available on the Government Planning Portal by clicking here.

Many loft conversions won’t need Planning Permission as they probably fall within permitted development rights, or unless you are thinking of putting in a dormer window, changing the appearance of the building, or if you’re in a Conservation Area, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or a World Heritage Site, or if it’s a Listed Building. There are a few more specific and/or local details, but your architect or builder should be able to advise you on this.

However, the work will need to comply with the current Building Regulations. The purpose of the Building Regs is to secure reasonable standards of health and safety for people in and around buildings, and converting an attic or loft into a liveable space falls under these regulations. As the regulations covering loft conversions are fairly detailed, we will just outline the main areas for you here and you can find out more by talking to your local Building Control Officer at your local authority.

1 Structure :: To make sure that the floor of the loft is strong enough to support the weight of the new room and if any new walls are required to support any alterations to the roof.

2 Fire Safety :: You will probably have to take steps to make the new loft room fire safe; fire doors and a mains powered smoke alarm are included in this section.

3 Sound Insulation :: Using the loft as a room could be very noisy for the room below. Suitable sound insulation will need to be installed.

4 Stairs :: The new stairs will need to comply with Part K of the Building Regulations. You can’t use a retractable loft ladder now but, as a last resort for extremely limited space, you can use a fixed Miller’s Ladder. (But perhaps you can find a little extra space and see if one of our spacesaver staircase kits might be a better fit for you!) You’ll find plenty of information in our Knowledge Centre .

PARTY WALL AGREEMENT

If the proposed work is going to affect any walls which are shared with your neighbours, you’ll have to arrange a Party Wall Agreement with them. You’ll need to issue a Party Wall Notice to the neighbours to make sure that everyone is aware of what work is going to take place and all affected neighbours are in agreement with it. Again, your architect or builder may be able to help with this but there are also plenty of templates available online. If your neighbours have any concerns about the proposed work, they might choose to instruct an independent party wall surveyor to approve the work; this will have to be at your cost. More info on the Government website about this – https://www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works

BATS IN THE ATTIC?

If you think that you might have bats living in your attic, you’ll need to arrange a bat survey as they are a protected species. This will be another of your costs that you need to consider. (You can get more information from the Bat Conservation Trust.)

According to the Bat Conservation Trust:

“Having bats roosting within a building does not necessarily mean that work cannot be carried out. What it does mean is that the work will need careful consideration, especially in terms of time of year and materials, so that the area can continue to be used by both bats and people. Therefore, the earlier in the process the bats are taken into account the less disruption to building plans there will be.”

Realistically, converting your loft will not be a quick or cheap process but the time you spend on preparation and research will pay dividends in saving you time and money in the long term. And think of that fabulous space you’ll have when the work is finished!

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Well, if you’ve been following this series you’ll have an idea about the structure and safe access to your new loft room, but what about filling your room with daylight?  There are four main types of window for lofts –

1) a dormer window, which projects outwards from the roofline,
2) a roof window, which fits in the slope of the roof,
3) a window in a gable wall or
4) a roof lantern (raised sections of the roof structure using double glazed units).

There may be planning implications relating to the look of the property, the impact on the area and on neighbouring properties and your decision should be made in consultation with your local planning officer.

If you are unsure just how many windows you need, a good guide is for the glazed area to be at least 10% of the floor area, and the lower the pitch of your roof, the longer the window needs to be for the best possible view. Windows positioned on both sides of the roof will help with the light distribution but whichever windows you use, they should all conform with the statutory requirements for ventilation and emergency escape if required (we’ll be casting an eye over this aspect in the next part of the guide).

But windows are not just holes to bring in daylight – they open up wonderful opportunities for design and can transform your room into a superb living space. Roof windows can be coupled together side by side and/or one above the other for a stunning effect. You can even create an instant balcony by using the Velux Roof Balcony a special roof window which opens up into a glazed balcony complete with side railings – a brilliant idea. Just imagine being able to throw open french doors or balcony window and look out over sun-drenched rooftops to the countryside, sea or city beyond. (Ok, so I’m getting carried away, but even rain-drenched rooftops can look charming from above!

One of the most exciting products we’ve come across is the tubular skylight or light pipe, which can be invaluable for bringing daylight into your loft room or landing area, particularly if you’re limited on the number of windows you can install. An unobtrusive 10″ (250mm) clear dome is installed on your roof and connects to highly mirrored tubing which goes through the roof structure to a flush ceiling diffuser installed on the ceiling of your loft room – either the ceiling above your head or the sloping sides of the room. This high-tech, simple solution can light an area of up to 150 sq ft with the equivalent of three 100w light bulbs – just pure, natural daylight! No major structural alterations, no maintenance and no running costs. What’s not to like!

Check out these sun tube manufacturers –

Solatube

Velux Sun Tunnels

We’ve touched on the thorny issue of statutory regulations over the past issues and we’ll be looking at these in more detail in part 4 of Room At The Top. Keep reading!

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Now when it comes to installation, these kit stairs really come into their own.  The manufacturers have invested considerable care and expertise in the design process to ensure the staircases are ready for straight forward installation with clear instructions which can be followed by any competent DIYer or tradesperson.   On our website you will find the installation videos where you can see the various stages of the installation process and get a good understanding of the general approach to take.   This is not the time to take short cuts – the instructions should be clear and straightforward and will be the quickest and best way to install your staircase.  One person installing the spiral staircases and “spacesavers” usually takes between 1 – 1 ½ days.  The modular staircase can take about 1 ½ – 2 days to complete.

Plus, of course, you have the backup of our Support team available to talk you through any queries or concerns.

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“Red tape delays goods for more than half UK companies trading with EU”

The survey of Supply Chain Managers revealed that “the delays have been prompted by a combination of bureaucratic requirements now that the UK has left the EU and extra protocols to deal with Covid-19.”  Well, sadly for TheStaircasePeople Team – and for you – there is little that we can do to ease the current situation and get our import process back to its smooth, and speedy, pre-Brexit state.

The result of the perfect storm of new import processes and documentation combined with the additional health and safety requirements of an unprecedented global pandemic, has been to take the usual delivery timescales for our Italian staircases from an acceptable average of 10 days to a frustrating average of 4 weeks. But there is plenty of reassurance out there that things will improve as the new processes bed in, vaccinations against Covid-19 become more widespread and the post-Brexit world finds its feet.  We will keep our eagle eye on this vital aspect of our service to you and the timescales on our website will be updated as soon as there is any change.

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For a conventional style of staircase, using a quarter or half landing may make better use of your available space on your lower floor. This would blend well with a traditional style of house. Or consider the innovative modular staircases such as the Stilo or Genius staircases which can be installed in a tight U shape using winder treads, and these can fit into a space as small as 1500mm x 1500mm (59″ square). However, if you have limited room for a staircase, you could consider a spiral stair. A spiral stair will fit into quite a small area, a typical spiral to a loft room could only need a square or circular floor space of about 1400mm (55″) and there are even square spirals which are designed to fit into a recess or alcove. Spiral stairs are available in a myriad of styles, from contemporary metal through to traditional solid timber and many of the models come in kit form for self installation.

A spiral stair isn’t to everyone’s taste and it may not even fit into the space you have available. For situations where space is extremely tight, the spacesaver stair may solve your problems. This type of stair has treads which are partly cut away leaving a paddle shaped tread with the wide part on alternating treads, so that you can comfortably fit one foot on each tread. This design has a huge advantage in that it takes up a little over half the space of a conventional staircase and can be an innovative solution for access to a loft conversion consisting of one room, or one room plus a bathroom. You can see these on our Spacesaver pages.

Failing all else, the Building Regulations will allow a fixed miller’s ladder as access to a loft converted to one room – but only if nothing else will fit. I think for most people, this really would be a last resort!

And while you are assessing what space you have available for your staircase, don’t forget to keep an eye on the headroom both above and below the new stairs. A 2m (6’6″) headroom is usually required above the stairs, but the Building regulations do make some allowances for reduced headroom in some loft conversion projects.
While you are pondering on our choices of staircases, it is worth taking time to think about the safety aspect. Turning a roof space into a living area in a two storey house will effectively make it into a three storey building – with implications for fire protection and emergency escape. We’ll take a look at these issues later in the guide but, if you would like further advice, just ask the Building Control Surveyor at your local council (in the UK) who will be able to advise on all these aspects of a loft conversion.

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If your roof is of more traditional “rafter and purlin” construction, where a large beam (or “purlin”) runs horizontally along the roof about half way up to support the roof rafters, this is a better option for conversion. A steeper roof pitch will be another advantage, allowing more headroom. For comfortable use, you really need a minimum height of 2.3m (7’6″) available over half the floor area for a bedroom, playroom or study. If you are short of headroom, creating a dormer window will probably help to increase your useable space. There are no rules to say how small a loft room can be – if you only have space to create a small office or study, then that is entirely up to you (provided it meets all the current UK Building Regulations. We’ll look at this in Part 4 of the guide).

OK, so you’ve looked at the roof structure and are happy with the floor space, now you need to consider the floor structure. The existing ceiling joists that form the loft floor were only put in to support your first floor ceilings and will probably not be strong enough to carry floor loads. So new floor joists might have to be installed. Look to see where the water tank is standing, as this may have to be repositioned. If you have a really comfortable headroom, you may be able to create a storage space above the new loft room ceiling which could house the water tank. If so, remember to take the weight of the tank into account in any structural calculations.

While you are examining your loft, take time to look at the condition of the structure. Check the supporting walls, timbers and the underside of the roof covering for any obvious signs of defects or damage and look to see where electricity cables are laid. If there are any problems, these will have to be remedied as part of the conversion project. Just stand for a while and start to get a feel for the room you will be creating and consider the best position for windows and stairs. We will be looking at this in detail later in the series.

Now that you have assessed your roof construction, size and condition, it’s time to think in more detail about access from the floor below. And we’ll tackle this in the next Part.

If you’d like advice about a potential loft conversion project, it’s a good idea to pop along to the Building Control Department of your local council and they should be happy to help.  We’ll also look at where to go for help and advice later in the guide.

[Image courtesy of Velux.co.uk]

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Do you need information about converting your loft? Just read on…

Using the loft for more living space can give you imaginative, light and airy rooms and is usually more cost-effective than building an extension – and, of course, you don’t have to sacrifice any of your garden!

The size and shape of lofts vary considerably but, even if you only have 2.3m (7ft 6in) headroom when you stand in the middle of your loft and measure from the floor to the ridge, you may still be able to create a useable and attractive room. If you are lucky enough to have a large loft, then the world is your oyster! We’ll take you through the key areas that you need to consider for your loft conversion. And, of course, you will find plenty of inspiration for stunning staircases on our pages, whether you need a Spiral Staircase, a Modular Staircase or a brilliant Spacesaver Staircase like the Venus Space Saving Staircases shown below.

Our guide is split into five sections, covering all aspects from ceiling heights through to where to go for further advice and information. We’ve even added a page on frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you can’t find the answer to your question there or if you have a better answer to the questions being asked- please feel free to email us!  Just go to the Contact Us page.

We continuously update these pages and welcome any input from you. Perhaps you have advice you’d like to pass on from your own experience of loft conversions or self build. We look forward to hearing from you.

[Image courtesy of Velux.co.uk]

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