Two Big Changes (and many little ones)
As mentioned in a previous blog post (laundry room mistakes) I have been struggling with the steep staircase that was original to this house. I contemplated putting in a lift system of some kind but ultimately it took up a lot of space and was also quite expensive. I also wanted to preserve the exercise that a staircase gives you, because in my condition, careful continuous movement is more helpful than eliminating it.
Once I realized that we would re-build the staircase, moving it became an option. The staircase used to be in the middle of the house which limited the dimensions of our rooms, and therefore the accessibility. I was fortunate to have experienced the perfect cadence of staircase in the house my parents built, so I knew exactly what to aim for in the re-design.
Note: A general rule to remember is 7/11. This means a rise of 7” and a run of 11”. Please see the image below. These are guidelines supported by both the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and UN (United Nations); links below.
https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/designm/AD2-04.htm
https://www.ada-compliance.com/ada-compliance/ada-stairs.html
Image shows rise and run.
Image from https://www.calculator.net/stair-calculator.html
Each stair tread is 11 inches (280 mm) deep minimum with a sloped riser. The nosing shall project no more than 1-1/2 inches (38 mm).
But the really big decision was to remove the beautiful 2-sided original mid-century fireplace in the middle of our living room. I know! GASP. But, it took up So Much Space. And it was exactly where our new staircase could go, because making a staircase less steep means it has to become a bit longer.
Recovered from that bombshell? Heres the thing. That fireplace didnt function the way you want one too. It created a beautiful ambiance, but no real heat. The design was too open, sucked all the warm air from elsewhere in the house up the chimney, and also tended to be a bit smoky.
Removing the fireplace and re-locating the staircase allowed so many other significant changes to happen. We could expand our washroom making it more accessible. Hallways became wider, space opened up to allow navigating my walker. And from an energy efficiency perspective, we could now relocate our heat and water to the center of the home. Overall it has been the right decision as we see the change in flow throughout the house!
