Last week we were out in the country, in a borrowed cottage, while our old staircases were ripped out and replaced. It might seem like vandalism to take out respectively a 200 year old (ground to first floor) staircase and a 400 year old (first to second floor) staircase, but it had to be done. Even my GP said it had to be done as we had broken between us 3 treads on the staircase and those were ones close to the ground. Further up and we would have damaged ourselves as well as the staircase.
As the house is (in places) 600 years old, it was a challenge to find artisans who were able to construct something bespoke and install it in a confined area. No off the peg solution for us, but something made to measure, in places to our design, and from solid oak. Even the balusters had to be made to fit, following the line of the handrail.
Amazingly the work took 9 days all told, with a lot of work done off site to prepare and build chunks. One day to rip out the old staircases, three to install the new, one day off site to prepare the panel wall, and two days to install that and sand off any marks from snow and using the staircase. Now it is down to us to make what surrounds this oak marvel just as appealing.
Below is a detail of one of the balusters.
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