Stair construction-Things to remember

A stairs in a house or building construction designed to cover vertical distance by providing set of steps. Stair have many components i.e. steps, risers, flight, landing, railing etc. At the time of designing/constructing stairs, there are many things to consider by the house owner, which provide easy and quick access to different floors. According to shape, stairs may be straight, circular, spiral and curved etc. According to materials, stairs built of stone, reinforced concrete, timber and steel. Due to shortage of good quality timber and with scarcity of stone, reinforced cement concrete stairs are mostly in use in residential and commercial buildings. Steel stairs commonly used in thermal power stations, industrial plants, warehouse etc.
For a comfortable stair design some points should be consider which are as follow.

Width of stairs

Keep the width of stairs as per the situation and use of stairs. According to the norms, the minimum width of stairs should be 0.75 meter. For row of housing with two stories the minimum width, require 1-00 meter. For hotels, education buildings, offices, theaters etc width should not be less than 1.5 meter. For institutional building, hospital, shopping complex the width should be 2-00 meter.

Slope of Stairs

At the time of constructing stairs, the slope should not be steep. The ideal slope is 30-degree for comfortable use of stairs but in case due to shortage of space, the slope should not exceed 45 degree.

Width of tread

The minimum width of tread without nosing for residential building should be 250mm.For non-residential buildings the width of tread should not be less than 300 mm. By providing nosing to the step of stairs, the width of tread is increase. Care should be taken that the width of the tread should be equal to avoid any accident.
Note; - The horizontal surface of a step on which foot is placed is described as tread.

Height of risers

For comfortable use of the stairs, the height of riser should not be more than 190 mm for residential building and it should be 150 to 160 mm for non-residential building. Due to shortage of space, the height of riser may be kept 200mm but it cause difficulty to old age and children. To avoid any mishap the size of riser should be same.
Note;- The vertical distance between two steps is termed as riser or it is describe as the vertical distance from the surface of one step to the next step.

Unequal size of steps

Make sure that the all risers are of consistent height from the top to bottom otherwise it may cause accident. Risers of different height will throw the cadence of foot that may cause fall in stairs.

Slippery floor

Floor is an important feature of safe and easily accessible stairs. Non slippery material should be used for stairs floor. If the floor of stair steps slippery, then it may cause accident and some time it may be fatal. Marble floor is best suitable for residence; avoid polishing of marble that will make the marble slippery. Chequered tile flooring is best suitable for steps of stairs in public place where stair is open to rain as in railway over bridges at platform etc.

Provision of Hand Rail at proper height

Handrail must be provided in the stairs for comfortable use of stairs. Make sure that hand rails are easily seen in day or night time. Where both end of stair is open provide the handrail on both sides of stairs. In case where stair has walls on both sides then handrail should be provided on walls. The height of handrail should not be less than 800mm and not more than 900mm. The space between the supports of handrail in houses should not more than 250mm and horizontal/ cross support should be 150 mm from top of stair steps to avoid any accidental fall especially for kids.

Improper light

Make sure there is proper arrangement of light other wise it may cause accident in night. 2-way electric switches should be used for stairs for easy access of switch from top and bottom of the stairs. Provision of natural light and ventilation is necessary in the stair to save energy bill during day time and stair can be used at the time of electricity failure. Due to proper ventilation, suffocation problem also not arises.

Provision of gates

Some times it has been seen that baby / kids climb on the steps and are not able to return then they either cry for help or fell in the steps. To avoid such situation proper gates/ doors must be provide at the top and bottom of stair with locking arrangements. It is also necessary for security to avoid the entry of intruders.

Improper Headroom

The clear height above stair steps is called headroom. If headroom is less than 170 cm, than there is a chances of accident. In this situation when a person going upward there is less chance of accident but in down ward direction there are more chances of accident to strike head on beam of landing/ flight of stair. In unavoidable situation, a caution is to be given by printing “mind your head”. For easy movement of furniture in stairs, the minimum clear headroom in stairs should be 2.00 meters.
The maximum numbers of steps should not be more than 15 in one flight if so landing should be provided after 15 steps for comfort while moving up and down the stairs. Avoid water tap near the entry of stairs on terrace if so there are chances of water flow in the stairs that will make the stairs slippery.

;

How to Build Stair Steps

Stairs are an important part of our houses. At the time of constructing stairs you must consider the dimension, height, material, design and layout of the stairs. GharExpert brings some tips or things that you must consider while contructing stairs.

How to Design Stairs?

Going up and down the stairs needs much energy if the steps are not designed smoothly. For easy access to upper floors the house owner should focus on design requirements such as width, height, slope and lighting while designing stairs. This article tells you about essential design requirements of stairs.

Orientation of Building

To get maximum ventilation and natural light in your house, make sure the building is properly oriented. Orientation of building saves energy and provides comfortable living as well. This article tells you about various factors and benefits of building orientation.

Demarcation/layout Procedure

Baseline is marked on the ground either from centre line of the road or from any permanent building nearby

Loft above the doors are bad.

Lofts above the doors are considered bad according to Vastu because they produce pressure above the head. When we enter

Layout of Building

The real meaning and purpose of setting out (layout) is to transfer the plan, length and width of its foundation on the ground so that the foundation can be excavated for construction of purposed building as per drawing.

Advantages of Kota Stone Flooring

Kota stone flooring is a subtle blend of grandeur and luxury giving the interior and exterior a gorgeous look.......

Orientation of Building

Kitchen Pictures

Preview some of the most impressive pictures of kitchen from GharExpert Gallery.

Types of Roofing

A solid roof on building is very important for everybody living in the house. The roof should be constructed in a way that assures you great safety. Here are given details about different types of roofing.

Door and Window Frames

Frames of doors and windows are most important parts of your doors and windows. They are available in different size, height, width and shapes. Frames hold locks and hinges and support door and windows to shut and open easily. Here is what you need to know about different doors and windows frames.