Staircase Reno (Novice!)

[Jordtheape]

Evening all,

It's my first time posting here, so if I miss anything out please let me know.

Myself and my partner have just bought our first home together and we're looking to renovate our staircase.

We're hoping someone with some carpentry experience / knowledge may be able to help us out re a couple of things we're unsure on if possible please. Any input / advice would be really appreciated here, as it's our first 'proper' DIY project so to speak, and we really want to learn as much as we can so we get it right and looking good.

First of all, I've included a few photos. 1 shows the staircase as it was before, 1 shows it as it stands currently and 1 demonstrates a rough idea of what we're looking to achieve.

We'd like to remove the wooden slats / frame under the stairs that was previously supporting the dry wall. This is so we can expose the space completely and utilise it. However, we're unsure whether or not the slats that're in place are providing any support to the staircase or not. Given they're only thin, I thought it wasn't likely, but there is a long beam that sits on top of each of the slats, running from the bottom of the stairs up to the top. This is our first hurdle, we've tried to research but have limited results, I didn't want to just get hammer happy and rip it all out, just in case!

Secondly, the LH side of the door frame I didn't remove either, as it runs from the floor right up to underneath the top of the staircase / landing post. Again, I wasn't sure whether or not this was supporting anything.

Once this is sorted, I'm looking to install a new handrail, spindles and posts (again, first time trying), so if anyone has any pointers / tips on that topic too, please fire away!

Thanks for taking the time to read, if anyone could chip in and help you'd be doing me a massive favour and I'll likely get some brownie points off the Mrs!

Any questions or if more pics are required please let me know

Thanks in advance, Jord

[Someone-Else]

....................so what are you going to do with your gas meter and your electricity meter? (And your consumers unit)

[Jordtheape]

We’re going to be boxing both of these in, adding doors for easy access, then work around this / play with ideas to see what we can make work :)

[big-all]

the trouble you have is what looks like a good idea turning an unused space into a useful space is the exact opposite
all the odd shaped content from that space now needs a new home
and the now found space is such an odd shape that at best you could get half a desk and half a person sitting at it
assuming you have just moved in and dont have all your "full quota" off basic household stuff you will soon realize how usefull under the stairs storage is
i am sure there are better areas to work on and practice your diy skills on

[Someone-Else]

..............So you are going to box in your gas meter, and your electricity meter and your consumers unit.

It sounds a good idea, but from where I am sitting the gas meter is roughly in the middle of the floor to the right, with a gas pipe to the left. Bear in mind that with something as common as the meters, they need to be easily accessible, so that is the right hand side of the "cupboard" gone, which leaves the back of the "cupboard" you will have to come out at least 2 inches further than the Consumers unit (Fuse box) so that uses half of "cupboard" so overall you will gain not a lot of space to..............put stuff in just like you have now, except you will be able to see the stuff.

As for the stair banisters, do you realise how much work is involved? you will end up with more timber than you have now, and each "spindle" has 4 sides, and each side will need painting or varnishing, and there will be more to clean If you do go ahead, legally the gap between spindle edges must be NO MORE than 99mm (an easy way to test is push a 100mm ball, if it goes through, the spindles are illegal) You can get pre made "kits" of different types of spindles. (But they will still need cleaning)

I don't like to me negative, but in this case, I have to concur with big-all

[fin]

stair case refurbs can make a masssssssive difference to how a house looks. ive done a fair few of them now as a joiner. (carpenter depending on where abouts in the country you are) However you do really need to know what you are doing.

i once went to a stair case job and the lass wanted it done quicker than i could manage it. so she got someone else. Fast forward a couple of months and i was back taking apart what had been done incorrectly and fitting all new parts as best as i could.

as for your utilities positions i would stick with it as a cupboard unless you are planing further major work. be a nightmare to get all of that lot altered.

[Someone-Else]

so she got someone else

I am NOT a chippy, I rest my case.

[fin]

not you, another someone else. this blokes hammer squeaked. flipin useless. even put the landing handrail about 750mm from the floor for some utterly bizarre reason. used 1 single brad nail to hold the handrail to the newel post at the top and at the bottom a couple of 30mm drywall screws angled through the side of the handrail and barely into the newell post. the newel posts all wobbled and all the spindles had different gaps ranging from less than 70mm upto 130mm... it looked utterly horrendous haha