External Staircase, Landing & Supporting Steelwork

Staircase to First-Floor Flat

The property features a staircase leading from the ground to the first floor, providing access to the upstairs flat. The staircase consists of 13 stair treads and a landing at the top, serving as the entry and exit point to the first-floor level. From the landing, a pathway extends to the right, wrapping around the building to reach the flat’s entrance. The landing plates and stair treads are made of cast iron, supported by steelwork embedded in concrete at ground level and anchored into the building at the first-floor level. The metalwork appears to be part of the building’s original structure, with minor repairs carried out over time.

Unfortunately, the staircase sustained severe damage due to a tree from a neighbouring property falling during strong winds. This incident caused the handrail to collapse onto the staircase, dislodging its components, cracking the stair treads, and deforming the overall structure.

Review of Findings

Considering the extent of the damage, repairing the existing staircase would probably have been far more expensive than replacing it entirely. The stair treads and handrail system, while severely damaged, also failed to meet current UK building regulations. The stair treads were no longer uniformly spaced, and the gaps between the infill bars exceeded the maximum permitted 100mm allowance.

Assesmont Group believed that repairing the existing steelwork is not feasible due to the significant damage and pre-existing corrosion. We recommended immediate replacement to ensure the safety of building users. As this staircase serves as the sole emergency escape route for the upstairs flat, we strongly advised that the entire structure be condemned and replaced with a new one as a matter of urgency.

Installation of New Staircase

The team then installed the supporting columns into the pad stones, securing them loosely at first. Next, they positioned a supporting PFC wall beam beneath the property’s door, again leaving the fixings loose for the time being. With the groundwork in place, we moved on to assemble the supporting beams that would form the landing area’s framework. Once everything was roughly positioned, we carefully aligned and levelled all the steelwork, tightening the fixings fully while making continuous checks and adjustments as needed. The stair stringers came next, bolted to the supporting steelwork at the top and packed into place at ground level. Tread cleats followed, installed from the bottom of the staircase upwards with fixings left loose initially.

From an access tower, the team fitted the landing plates onto the landing steelwork, securing them loosely at first. The stair treads were then aligned with the landing plates, levelled, spaced evenly, and fixed securely. The handrail installation began at the bottom of the staircase, with the team working up the outside edge first, bolting it into position. At this point, operatives harnessed in for safety when working on the leading edge.

The handrails were then carried up the staircase and bolted onto the landing area, starting with the outside edge. Once all handrails were in place, they were aligned, levelled, and fully tightened. With the structure complete, the team cleared away all tools, rubbish, debris, and waste material from the staircase and site.