where to put the stairs ?

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Panacea

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Hope it is not against the Code of Conduct to point to a hosted pic of existing floorplan but after consulting with three architects I am still at a loss as to where the optimal place to locate stairs in our bungalow to gain access to approx 1400 sq ft space in the attic.

Practical suggestions more than welcome as we have draft plans ranging from extending garage into the yardway to simply sticking stairs in current hallway to having stairs in the southernmost wall of the lounge .....

[broken link removed]

[broken link removed]

Seriously frustrated so suggestions welcome !!!!
 
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its hard to picture what the roof plan is from that pic.... but...

maybe consider taking some of the living room area at the bathroom wall.... you could get away with taking 1700mm.....put in a half turn stairs

that will take a stair up in the middle and leave two rooms (one to front and one to rear) upstairs with a shower room in the middle......

PS, the kitchen is in a terrible location....
 
i'd move the kitchen to the left into the living room which
1 gives it a window
2 makes space for a stairs in the hallway
3 give access to the bedrooms without going through the kitchen
 
I'd go back to the drawing board entirely. Agree with the others re the kitchen. It is in a very unpractical place. The living room is very oddly shaped. Do you need the lounge and study?
 
i think its an old house as the drawings are labelled "existing ground floor plan"
 
but id agree with niceoneted that it needs a complete redesign, obviously keeping whatever structural walls you can......
 
redesign.........too many doorways.........kitchen to the back, that way you coud put a door into the garage so creating a bit of a draught lobby.........
 
Panacea,
I think we need more information.
With just the floor plan, it's difficult to propose anything.

Do you have a section through the house at all?
Or perhaps you could describe which rooms the attic space is above,
Does it cover the whole plan?
If so, is there restricted head height in some parts?
 
The main thing to keep in mind is that it always much better to have the stairs ending in the attic at a fairly central location. Regardless of which way the roof rafters are spanning you are always better coming up near the ridge line so from what I can see the best place for stairs is recessed into the bedroom and running parallel with the hallway.

It does reduce the size of the bedroom a wee bit but you will more than compensate for this with the additional space in the attic area. The other factor here is that it does not disturb any other part of the house.

However if you are going for a complete revamp then the suggestions in the posts above would be a good idea
 
Thanks for all of the great suggestions.

House is a 1960s bungalow so comes from a time when design / layout must not have been a priority :( On the upside this does mean that the entire attic area replicates the floorplan with the exception that I would need to come in a meter or so on each side of the attic to allow for head clearance.

I have updated the link to what is currently in place. The Lounge and Study are currently Bedroom 3 and Kids Playroom (with access to walled back garden).

I also added another link to show front and rear elevations.

Initial idea was to remove the supporting wall that is currently to the left of the kitchen. This would create a more open living space and a brighter kitchen area. Was also considering closing up the doorway at this point as there would be no need for it any longer.

Half turn stairs may work well here ...... but the idea of putting the stairs in the bedroom behind the kitchen also sounds good as it also brings the stairs into the centre of the attic area without inhibiting too much on the living space.

Really trying to keep disruption and cost to a minumum, whilst creating a better layout inside so we are reluctant to take down too many walls / move the kitchen / convert garage.

Hopefully the amended and additional links will be of help.

Appreciate the suggestions.
 
Hi Panacea, Just to say at the outset that I am no expert on this subject. However, I feel the kitchen is the heart of the home (very cliche I know!). I do think it would be worth the extra few quid to move the kitchen. It really should have plenty of natural light. Even though both of us work full time,since our little one came along, it seems that we are spending more and more time in the kitchen. Long term, definately think it would be worth the investment.
 
how about a spiral stairs in the hallway to the front of the house? they can be a lovely feature as well!
 
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