Stairs: part 1 - Installation

For over two years, this rusty metal ladder ('liberated' from the scaffolders) had been our only way of accessing the first floor. There had been a few near-misses during that time, with one visitor almost tumbling head-first down onto the concrete and on another occasion a three year old found balancing precariously on the top rungs - so we were relieved to finally be getting rid of it!  

The design process for the stairs had become extremely troublesome. Early on in the build we had some standard staircase plans drawn up by Jeld-Wen, but since that date there had been a few unanticipated changes. The floor height had come up slightly (issue with the wheelchair access) and the hot water cylinder was taking up more room than expected (didn't account for pipework); small factors that combined to make a big problem... the stairs now didn't fit.

We spoke to several traditional staircase designers and they all said that it couldn't be done, that we simply hadn't left enough room. We invited the Jeld-Wen rep back to re-measure and when he saw the changes he became incredibly rude, refusing to discuss possible solutions and eventually storming out of the house in an almighty huff. (Well done, Jeld-Wen - we certainly won't be using you for anything in future).

It looked increasingly like we would have to pay (a lot) to get the water cylinder moved, however Cornwall Stairs, a company specialising in computerised design and manufacture, seemed a good deal more encouraging; yes, it was very tight, but according to their accurate software it should just about be possible to squeeze a set of stairs in... After encountering so many teeth-sucking, nay-sayers, it was such a breath of fresh air to meet a company with an optimistic attitude.

 

The design of the stairs was dictated by the limited space we had available. In order to comply with building regulations, the stair width had to be narrowed which would have made it feel rather confined. But using cut strings in place of traditional stringers (the wooden planks that usually run diagonally up either side of the stairs) and a glass bannister bolted to the outside of the stairs (in place of thick timber posts and handrails) allowed us to widen the space on the steps and make the whole staircase feel more open and generous.

We had originally wanted to use a staircase that turned back on itself (as pictured above) but the space restrictions once again proved an obstacle, so we eventually opted for a simpler design; one set of turns (winders) at the bottom of the stairs, then a straight run of steps up to the top.

The change in the staircase design meant we had some more prep work to do. Firstly, the wall above the water cylinder would have to be lowered.

Once the wall was lowered and the paintwork repaired, we had to attend to the next issue; the straight staircase would expose an unfinished section of wall at the top of the stairs that would previously have been covered.

This bit of wall was originally hidden under the second set of turns, but the straight staircase meant it would now be visible.

Back to gluing in sheets of Fermacell.   

Once the adhesive had dried, Alan filled the joints and skimmed the area with several applications of compound and Fine Surface Treatment. 

After the area had been sanded smooth, we were finally able to paint it.  

We finished the alterations just in time; the staircase frame had been delivered and was due to be fitted the following day. 

Of course, nothing gets installed until the site inspector has conducted a thorough investigation. 

All timber has to pass the 'sniff test'.

After much careful consideration, the framework was eventually approved for use.

The oak stair treads didn't look all that impressive when piled up in a heap. The staircase was assembled unfinished and to keep costs down (as ever) we would be treating the wood ourselves.

The support framework had been designed to fit in our stairwell, however nothing in house-building ever goes quite that smoothly... a hot water pipe and some electrical boxes were in the way so would need to be moved. 

The pipe should really have been spotted during the design stage, but throughout the build process, things like this seem to have a way of being overlooked.

With the carpenters keen to get on with fitting the stairs, we didn't have long to sort it out. Alan quickly disconnected the hot water and cut a section from the pipe. 

We didn't have any compression fittings on hand, so a compression valve would have to suffice.

Luckily we had some spare copper pipe, so it wasn't long before Alan had the pipe rerouted. Although under the stairs, the new hole in the wall would still have to be patched up (no spiders, thanks).

With the hot water pipe shifted and the electrical switch boxes removed, the framework finally slotted into place. Some time was spent making sure everything was level before screwing the frame to the wall studs (to make it easier for the carpenters, we had marked out the position of all the studwork before they arrived). 

Alan worked overnight to seamlessly patch up the hole we had cut for the pipe under the stairs. 

The following day, the carpenters began fitting the stair treads to the frame, one step at a time (pun alert). Each step was made from 40mm thick solid oak, so they were very heavy.

This was the 'pinch-point' that had caused so much trouble.

The stair treads were another feature whose design had been dictated by circumstance; the 40mm thickness allowed for the steps to be carved to shape around the water cylinder.

The carved-out section will be hidden once the next step is fixed in place. 

The bottom of the next step had to be scalloped out using a router in order to fit over the remaining part of the cylinder.  

While the carpenters fitted the stair treads, Alan rerouted the electrical switch boxes and once again patched up any holes that had been left behind.

The winder treads being installed.

Sadly, once the stairs had been fitted, we couldn't get the poor guy out, but we do throw him a few scraps of food from time to time. 

What a relief. We finally have stairs. Hurrah!

Of course, the stairs had to be signed off by the site inspector... 

With his 'extensive' inspection completed, the stairs were declared safe for use.
Hurrah for the site inspector!

Until the unfinished oak had been treated, the stairs were vulnerable to scuffs and stains, so we kept it covered with dustsheets while work was still progressing.

The carpenters had to make a plywood template for the glass bannister.

 It was critical to make sure that the template fitted in exactly the right place as the glass cannot be modified once it's been cut to shape.

In addition to the bannister, we were also having glass fitted along the landing. This will be secured within a tough aluminium channel that was screwed down through the plywood floor and into the joist below for maximum strength and stability.

The glass has to be custom-made so it will be several weeks before it is ready to be fitted. This would give us enough time to get the staircase treated and the under-stairs area prepared and painted.

Bathrooms: Showers / Flooring - part 2

We had considered using Lustrolite (highly-polished plastic) panels in the showers, but eventually decided to go for tiles instead (the issues we'd had with Fermacell had dampened our pioneering spirit for 'new' materials somewhat - at least tiles were tried and tested).

Since we had been readying the bathroom floors for tiling, it was also the perfect time to prepare the shower walls. For some reason, when we'd undercoated all the walls in the house, we'd also inadvertently painted the shower areas, so the first job was to remove all the paint. And the only way to do that was with a scouring pad and plenty of elbow grease. One advantage of Fermacell was that it was extremely hard-wearing; if we'd used plasterboard, all that scrubbing would have torn it to bits.

The shower area in the main bathroom after it had received a good scrubbing.

The paint removal left a slight milky residue that clearly revealed those pesky 'ladder lines' in the boards (this was a manufacturing defect in all our Fermacell boards that took months to get resolved). Since we were tiling over the showers, at least this was one area of the house that we wouldn't need to worry about.

More scrubbing in the en-suite shower and the paint was finally removed.

The next step was to tank (waterproof) the shower walls. A lot of people don't bother to tank their showers, but for a relatively small cost, it should ensure that no water ever penetrates through to the walls. Grout, even 'waterproof' grout, is porous - the 'waterproof' claim refers to the fact that it won't deteriorate when in contact with water, not that it prevents water from getting behind the tiles.      

Before we could tank the shower walls, the whole area needed to be painted with a special clear primer to improve the adhesion.

Once the primer had dried, we fitted tanking tape across all the corners and board joints. Corners and joints are the most susceptible areas for water penetration so this tough, super-sticky tape provides an extra layer of security against leaks.

The en-suite shower after all the joints had been taped.

We also cut tanking tape to fit around the shower valve controls.

The large shower in the main bathroom received the same treatment.

Once all the joints had been taped, we were ready to apply the tanking membrane. This is a liquid waterproofing compound that is applied like a paint, but dries with a rubbery skin.

The first coat was applied in a horizontal direction...

... then the second coat was applied in a vertical direction. This should ensure an even coverage with no small gaps. 

Once again, the main bathroom was tanked at the same time as the en-suite. 

Once we'd tanked both showers, it was back to the bathroom floors. Although we'd previously laid cement board down to provide a solid base for the tiles, we had also been advised to use a decoupling layer on top of that, to help prevent tiles from cracking due to any movement in the timber floor. 

As ever, nothing in house-building is simple; when checking the en-suite floor we found it was slightly uneven, so before doing anything else we applied some self-levelling compound to correct any issues. 

When the self-levelling compound had fully dried, we could continue with fitting the decoupling layer. We used Ditra mat; it's a plastic membrane specially designed to absorb movement in the flooring below, without transferring it to the tiles above. A timber floor, especially one with underfloor heating like ours, might be subject to some expanding and contracting which can cause tiles to crack. On top of that, Ditra mat also works well at spreading the heat into the tiles and as an added bonus it's waterproof too. 

Ditra mat comes on a roll. Once we'd cut each length to shape, we laid the sections out to make sure they fitted neatly in the room.

Next we applied flexible adhesive to the floor with a notched trowel and set each section of Ditra mat in place, pressing it firmly down using a flat blade.

The Ditra mat completed in the en-suite. After almost 2 years walking on gritty, crumbling screed, the bathroom floors now felt so clean and firm. And more importantly, they were finally ready for tiling.  

We did exactly the same process in the bathroom. After measuring out carefully, we cut the Ditra mat to shape, then fixed it in place using tile adhesive.

The Ditra mat layer completed in the bathroom. Using a combination of thin cement board and Ditra mat had been time-consuming to install, but we now had a solid base for tiling that shouldn't inhibit the underfloor heating (much). 

We were also pleased with the final floor height; using thick plywood would have resulted in a 20 - 30mm step, but the combination of cement board and Ditra mat had only increased the floor height by around 10mm. 

The last job was to install the shower tray in the en-suite. We laid down a bed of mortar and carefully lowered the (heavy) tray into position.

Fitting the tray into the alcove was an extremely tight fit and the only way to hold onto it was to use suction lifters. The tray had to be taken out several times in order to get it absolutely level, which would have been impossible to do without the lifters.

Once the tray had been levelled on all sides and left to cure for several days, we sealed the edges fully using silicone.  

At last the shower area was ready for tiling.

Since the walls had been tanked and the shower tray sealed, we now had a fully plumbed-in, waterproof shower area. And since we were still having to bathe using a garden hose connected to the old house we weren't about to wait for the tiles to be finished; we wanted a shower NOW!

We cobbled together a simple frame that wedged tightly into the alcove (without having to drill any holes in our freshly-waterproofed walls)...

... then stapled a large piece of thick plastic sheeting around the perimeter. 

It was only a temporary solution, but it was such a relief to finally be able to shower again, after so many years of bathing in grimy, well-water. Having installed everything ourselves from start to finish, it was also reassuring to find that the shower worked perfectly. Yay!