Where to place the staircase? Attic conversion hip-roof bungalow

Hello!

I am new here and would need your help. We are owners and residents of a hipped roof bungalow. Now that we have a baby and more children are expected in the medium term, we want to convert the existing attic.

We are now facing the problem that we have no real idea where to integrate the stairs. The hallway is unfortunately very large (unfortunately because we lose actual living space this way), but somehow there is still hardly any space for stairs.

We have already played through some ideas:

1. a straight staircase from the kitchen door up towards the bathroom door (problem: the hallway is only 1.85m wide and would become very narrow with stairs)
2. a built-in staircase into the pantry (problem: the pantry is only 1.51m wide, so this option is probably out)
3. combine children’s room 1 with the living room, close the door to the children’s room and let a straight staircase run from the middle of the hallway towards the new living room (problem: the stairs divide the hallway and you would always have to walk around them)
4. like 3, combine children’s room 1 with the living room, close the old door to the living room and place a 1/2-turn staircase in the created corner (problem: the comfortable way into the living room disappears and by closing the current (glass) living room door, the hallway becomes darker)
5. sacrifice children’s room 1 and install a 1/2-turn staircase with a landing there (problem: a lot of living space would be sacrificed)

Do you perhaps have a good idea?

What ceiling height do you have and what is the pitch angle of your hipped roof? What area is actually available there?

Should a children's room remain as a children's room or how will the people be distributed in the future?

Thank you very much in advance for the quick response!

Unfortunately, I don't know the pitch angle; I would have to measure it. That is important because of the staircase, right?

I also don't know the exact story height (oh dear, how unprepared I am – sorry, I didn’t know that was important). Our room height is 2.5m. The thickness of the ceiling is about 30cm. And then insulation would still have to be applied to the floor (that will surely be included in the calculation, right?)

We have about 80sqm of space available in the attic. However, it still needs to be completely developed, including dormers and Velux windows.

A children's room should remain downstairs. However, the office is supposed to be accommodated there. Otherwise, the layout will remain as it is. Possibly, the living room should eventually be combined with children's room 1, but that is not absolutely necessary.

I thought such an attic conversion would be a piece of cake...

Hello Silke,

On the one hand, the floor height on the ground floor must be overcome with the staircase, which means: the length and space required for the staircase depend on the height and the ceiling.

Furthermore, you have to come out at standing height in the attic of the hipped roof, preferably near the center of the house, since there is hardly any standing height at the edge.

I would probably sacrifice the pantry if there is enough space. Where the door to the pantry was, the staircase start, then winding 90 degrees to the left. According to the drawing, it could work out so that the staircase does not interfere with the double door of the hallway.

Where do you have your attic ladder?

Regards Yvonne

The attic ladder is in the utility room.

We could easily sacrifice the pantry. It is not used as a pantry anyway (it's also a lousy spot for it), but as a storage room. We haven't come up with the idea to have the stairs run with a 1/4 turn to the left yet. We had always thought of a 1/2 spiral staircase inside the pantry, but it is too narrow for that.

The only problem is that there is a radiator mounted on the pantry wall. It would have to be relocated. But if a wall has to be torn down anyway, the flooring would also have to be replaced. Then you could probably also move the radiator. Maybe even convert it into an underfloor heating system that I love (my husband will be happy ).

I would also do without the pantry, so remove the wall to the hallway and use the corner for the stairs.

Alternatively, a staircase in the hallway from the bathroom towards the kitchen might be possible, kitchen door under the stairs, but that might be a bit tight and I don’t know if the door would fit.