Page 14 · Stairs
Fourteen steps in the old rectory
The old stair was riddled with woodworm and too steep. The new one is oak, half-turn, with housed treads – and walks so easily that nobody thinks about climbing any more.
Starting point
The brief
A young couple is restoring the former rectory in Bundenbach piece by piece. The staircase to the upper floor was the last big job: steep, creaky and full of woodworm.
The stairwell was non-negotiable – the stair had to fit the old floor plan. At the same time it should be more comfortable, without moving a wall.
Our answer was a half-turn stair with four winder treads. That gains tread depth without needing more space.
You don’t notice a good staircase. You notice a bad one – every single day.
Wood and finish
Materials
Also used
- Oak wedges, driven in with hide glue
- Handrail bent from five glued laminations
- Slip-resistant hard-wax oil
Sizes & facts
- Rise
- 18.5 cm
- Going
- 27 cm
- Steps
- 14, four of them winders
- Width
- 86 cm
How we went about it
Process
Working out the rise
Floor-to-floor height 2.59 m, so 14 risers of 18.5 cm. Stride rule: 2 × 18.5 + 27 = 64 cm – right in the comfortable range.
Templates on site
We laid out the four winders as plywood templates directly on the floor and adjusted them.
Routing the strings
The treads are housed in the strings: they sit in a groove and are wedged from below. Nothing creaks.
Bending the handrail
The curved handrail is glued from five oak laminations over a form.
Fitted in two days
Old stair out, new stair in. Overnight a builder’s ladder stair let the couple reach their bedroom.
10 weeks
Timeline
- Survey & structure2 wk
- Templates1 wk
- Workshop6 wk
- Install1 wk
4 drawings
Picture story
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