Here at Pear Stairs, we often get asked questions about our External Staircases. To help you explore your options, we decided to create a blog that includes 5 things you should know about external staircases.
1. Choosing Materials For An Outdoor Staircase
Overall, wood is the more favourable material when designing an external staircase. Treated timber is an ideal choice, due to its strong and long-lasting features. If the location of your staircase involves ground contact, treated timber is a particularly educated choice because of its resistance to rotting within external environments.
2. How Much Does It Cost To Build An Outdoor Staircase?
There are a variety of designs and styles of outdoor staircases you can purchase when exploring options to build.
Typically, a softwood external staircase would cost anywhere from £2000 - £4000 with an air-dried oak external staircase starting at around £7000 - £8000.
Some factors that need to be identified when exploring costing of outdoor staircases include:
- Quality of materials used
- Size of staircase
- Shape of staircase
When building an outdoor staircase, there will have to be some consideration for installation costs. When building an outdoor staircase, there will have to be some consideration for installation costs. Installation costs will vary depending on the style and design on the external staircase.
3. Preparing A Staircase For The Outside
If you are opting for a wooden external staircase, square spindles, and newels are the best option as this again minimises spaces where water may collect, providing a strong finish.
Outdoor staircases are exposed to a colossal amount of extreme weather such as wind, rain, and snow. Measures should be taken to protect your outdoor staircase design against the environment.
Steel designs are particularly volatile to de-icing salts, which can cause steel to corrode when dissolved in water.
To ensure your staircase lasts, external staircases should be properly treated. A wide selection of attractive staircase parts in the Pear Stairs store may be treated in a manner similar to this design which has been vac-vac treated. As well as being vac-vac treated your external staircase will also need to be treated annually with your desired treatment.
This particular staircase was manufactured from redwood, providing a deep and attractive colour without being as expensive as hardwood options. The spindles and newels are square, and they have been topped off with pyramid newel caps, a smart choice as these allow water to drain off the newel.
4. Designing An External Staircase
When designing your staircase, it should be kept simple and robust. Durability is the priority, though an attractive design can also be achieved with the staircase design options available from Pear Stairs. Overcomplicated designs, such as with winders, have too many spaces where rain and/or snowfall may cause damage. If a closed riser is opted-for, this will need an adequate drainage system to avoid water accumulation within the tread or landing area. Joints must be vigorous enough to withstand exposure to the elements, in order to not separate.
Open risers, as used in this design, are always advisable as this minimises how much the staircase will be affected by the weather. A staircase with solid risers may act like a sail and catch the wind, leading to strain and a shorter lifespan. On the other hand, open risers will allow the wind to pass through the structure. Open risers also allow water to drain either way off the treads, avoiding water build-up and rot.
5. Save On Space And Money With A Durable Wooden External Staircase
For many outbuildings, an outdoor staircase is an attractive space-saving option. Without the need to accommodate a staircase within the confines of the walls, the utility of space can be maximised.
Wooden staircases are a popular option for buildings that require additional first-floor access and especially spaces above first-floor rooms from a garden or detached garages, such as with this property in Surrey.
For more on the Pear Stairs design options, see what you can create with the online Staircreator or visit the online stair parts store. The helpful Pear Stairs design team may also be contacted on 01938 553311 to help you answer anymore questions you have on external staircases.
