To climb to the second floor of a private house or an attic, as a rule, there are two options for stairs: spiral and march. We will try to study each of them in more detail and draw appropriate conclusions that will help you choose the most optimal option.

Features of the
Everyone knows that in order to get to the attic, you need a staircase. For this purpose, some owners use the usual attached structure (step-ladder), but in this case, we can not talk about aesthetics. To use the attic room for living, you will not be able to do without a high-quality, beautiful, and, most importantly, a safe staircase. Such a structure can be made of metal or wood and have a very different design.
In some houses, a bathhouse, vestibule or kitchen may be located on the ground floor. There may be several rooms at once or one of them. In this case, it is necessary to make careful calculations so that the ladder does not in any way interfere with free movement and does not take up too much space. You also need to take into account that the staircase should not block the sunlight, otherwise the room will be too dark. Its location should be as practical as possible.
For the competent use of living space and saving space, the staircase should be as comfortable as possible. Moreover, it should be in harmony with the general interior of the house and have a safe lift.



A sloping staircase in a small house takes up a lot of space, so this option is usually used in spacious buildings. Even its bulky design will not prevent sunlight from entering the room without hindrance and will not interfere with the movement of residents.
If the house is small, then the best option would be a staircase with a steep structure, its arrangement is not very complicated. Such a staircase is less comfortable in comparison with a flat one, but it makes it easy to move around the house, and the entrance to it is very convenient. A spiral staircase (spiral) is considered the most economical and rational option, because it takes up little space and can radically transform any house.


Views
As you already know, the main types of mansard stairs are marching and screw structures. Let's take a closer look at these types. Marching stairs are considered the safest and most convenient option. This is very important if there are small children or elderly people in the house. It is quite easy to design such a staircase yourself. Its installation does not present any serious difficulties and can be carried out without the help of specialists, which will save a lot of money. To ensure a reliable structure, it is necessary to use special kosoura (a type of ladder bowstring), which are supporting bolts (a part of the ladder structure to which the steps are attached).
To save space, a staircase is most often used, which has two flights, between them they install run-in steps or a platform. This type is often used if there is very little space in the house. The two-flight structure is quite simple to build. It is worth remembering that one-marching options are more cumbersome in comparison with two-marching options, but they are quite convenient in that you can make a convenient utility room or closet under them for storing various trifles.
Some parents, in order to please the children, make a children's storehouse or a real fairy-tale cave out of it. In this case, there is simply no limit to children's joy.

Spiral mansard stairs are usually used much less frequently. They are quite difficult to design and build with your own hands, and you can make a lot of mistakes. Most often, the owners simply buy the finished structure in specialized stores. Fortunately, today there are a lot of such trading platforms, and such stairs can be presented in various variations: for every taste and color.
If you didn't manage to find anything, then you can easily order a ladder from manufacturing companies that will make it for you individually. In this case, the structure only needs to be assembled and installed.
The compact ladder to the attic can be retractable. Flip-out and folding options are also quite popular today.



General classification of stairs by type and number of flights:
- straight-span models;
- one-march (1-2 turns at 90 °);
- two-march (1 turn by 90 ° and 1 turn by 180 °);
- spiral spans (an obligatory element is a load-bearing column);
- circular spans (shaft in the middle).
Straight spans do not have any turns and are set taking into account a certain angle. In this case, the width of the steps should be on average 30 cm, and their depth at least 27 cm. Stairs that have turns, respectively, capture much more space than straight ones. The width of the walkway should be 50-100 cm, and the width and height of the steps may vary.




Materials (edit)
Everyone knows the fact that it is most advisable to use wood as a material for an attic staircase. The wood has an aesthetic appearance, beautiful texture and rich color. Modern paint and varnish mixtures allow you to give wood the most incredible colors and shades. Moreover, wood is a fairly durable and, most importantly, safe material that will serve for many, many years.

Sometimes for the manufacture of stairs, a material such as iron is also used, but its use implies many certain difficulties. A good forged construction looks incredibly beautiful, but it usually costs a lot more. If you use in this case not forged products, but ordinary metal, then it is better to do with an applied ladder, since there should be a high-quality and beautiful product in the house, and not an option that creaks and plays like a garage door.

Let's go back to the tree. This material is perfect for the manufacture of mansard stairs. The minimum amount of time and equipment will not prevent you from doing everything conceived, and this is its main advantage. Moreover, wood, like no other material, can add coziness and comfort to a home.
Making a wooden staircase involves using hardwoods such as oak, pine, larch, yew and ash. Such products, for example, are offered by the Fakro brand. A door or other elements of a metal staircase are usually decorated with forging, decorative figures, etc. Concrete products are rarely used. They are rather bulky and difficult to manufacture.



How to do it yourself?
For self-production of a mansard staircase, you should first decide on its design and the nature of the location. It is necessary to take into account the area and availability of free space in the house. Most homeowners opt for a straight structure that has no bends or stairs with multiple flights. These varieties are the most optimal, practical and convenient for the home. If the area of the room allows, then you can stop at the option with several turns-turns.
It is very important to correctly calculate the number of steps in each span. This can be done with regular twine by measuring the distance from the end of the ladder to the floor. The depth and height of the steps are calculated based on the angle of inclination of the structure. The steeper it is, the smaller the width of the steps should be.


Before starting work, you should very carefully check all the calculations and calculations. To begin with, we determine the width and height of the rise, the dimensions of the hatch (if any), the steepness. We must not forget that the staircase to the attic should be not only beautiful, but also safe. Therefore, be sure to provide for the presence of handrails, fences and other safety elements. The construction of a staircase involves the following steps:
- precise determination of the location of the structure;
- creating a sketch;
- creation of a detailed drawing with all dimensions, selection of material of manufacture;
- selection of accessories and tools;
- production of staircase elements (steps, railings);
- installation.



Let's take a look at a typical installation procedure for a permanent wooden staircase
- Initially, the base of the structure itself is mounted. At the very bottom, it is securely held by a bar, for example, made of wood.
- With construction screws, suitable stringers are screwed to the bar.
- The upper tenons of each element are inserted into the grooves provided. The junction must be coated with wood glue.
- For a more reliable fastening of the entire structure, metal building corners are used.


- Threaded rods are used to reinforce the ladder. With their help, all the stringers are connected in several places. This is the standard for a secure and sturdy mount.
- The main beam is then screwed securely to the wall.
- The steps are mounted starting from the lowest tread. This sequence is very important. Fix the tread on the dowels, in extreme cases, on self-tapping screws.
- It is imperative to coat all visible joints with wood glue.
- After these steps, the riser itself is installed directly.
- At the final stage, all the stringers are sewn up to the very top of the structure.



Some owners of a private house prefer an external staircase, since this option is very convenient if there is no place for a conventional structure in the room. Outdoor stairs are made of various materials, the main ones being wood, concrete, metal and stone. The best options are still wood and metal. These materials are the most resistant to the external environment, but only if they are pretreated with special protective equipment.
The main advantages of an external staircase:
- saving free space in the house;
- the ability to get to the attic right from the street.


Another interesting option is the telescopic ladder. In multi-storey buildings, as a rule, attics are used as living space, and not just like that, and such a device becomes a real salvation. The telescopic ladder does not take up much space and can only be used when needed. Before buying a telescopic ladder, you need to make the necessary calculations or view ready-made options for sale, choose a design. Such devices allow not only great to save space, but also do not violate the interior of the home. They are small enough, reliable and safe.
Thanks to this design, you can easily get into the attic from your home. It can be used to make a games room with billiards and paddle tennis. You can simply store various things there. But the best thing, of course, is to equip additional living space there.


Beautiful examples in the interior
An excellent example of how to correctly position the structure so that it does not block the sunlight in the hallway. This indoor layout will be very functional.

This is how the simplest and, accordingly, the cheapest version of the stairs to the attic looks like. Even such a simple and unprepossessing design does not spoil the interior of the living room and looks quite beautiful.

Finished telescopic ladder. She has a fairly simple design, this solution is an excellent option if there is not much space in the room.


You will learn even more useful information about the attic staircase in the following video.