spiral staircase for loft

-
diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
33,737
Reaction score
41,596
Location
michigan
hey guys, heres a question for the builders among you
my daughter had a bedroom with vaulted ceilings and a build in closet that protrudes into the room
the top of this closet is 8 foot, 2 inches high, 2 foot deep and 8 and a half foot wide
ive been toying with the idea of building a loft up there by extending it out a few foot, giving it a foot print of 4 by 8 1/2 foot

i figured this would be a great hide out for her, or a place to sit back and read a book

my biggest issue is getting stairs to go up there, and i think a spiral staircase would look the best

anyone have any experience with this?

(here is a picture i snatched of the web, just to give you an idea of what the room looks like)

loft.jpg
 
Thanks ray, but the wife has her mind set on a Wooden one
 
You can build the stair support and tread frames from iron. Sch.40 pipe and 1 1/2 angle Then do the treads and rail from wood. I've built over a hundred over my life time.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Well before the staircase is solved, how are you gonna cantilever that plane out to double it's depth?
Click to expand...

i figured i would build a frame out of 2X4s and lagbolt it onto the studs in the wall which allready exist
this would act as the support for two sides, then the stairs would support the other corner

i would then run 4X8 sheets of plywood in the opposite direction, over the new frame and existing "floor" to spread the load

because of the pitch of the roof, the headroom nearest the stairs will be the highest, and as you move towards the wall, it decreases, which will force the kids the hang out more in the area near the stairs

Old man ray said:
You can build the stair support and tread frames from iron. Sch.40 pipe and 1 1/2 angle Then do the treads and rail from wood. I've built over a hundred over my life time.
Click to expand...

got any pictures of these?
 
diymirage said:
i figured i would build a frame out of 2X4s and lagbolt it onto the studs in the wall which allready exist
this would act as the support for two sides, then the stairs would support the other corner

i would then run 4X8 sheets of plywood in the opposite direction, over the new frame and existing "floor" to spread the load

because of the pitch of the roof, the headroom nearest the stairs will be the highest, and as you move towards the wall, it decreases, which will force the kids the hang out more in the area near the stairs



got any pictures of these?
Click to expand...

Not of mine, but if you click on the link it may help.
The support post is 3 1/2 sch 40 pipe
The collars that slide over and hold the step frames are 4" sch 40 pipe.
I used 1/12 x3/16 angle for the step frames and the landing top.
You can then use wood, metal, whatever you prefer for the treads and landing cover.
I prefer wood. Railings are an easy fab. Once you have the stairs up and positioned.

http://www.google.com/search?q=spiral+staircase+pictures&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Not of mine but if you look here you see how they are constructed.
The main support pole is 3 1/2 sch 40 pipe. The support col
 
Wow! Above my pay grade... at least I know who to call now... LOL! B
 
I think it's a not a good idea to cantilever 2x4s on lag-bolts out to 50%, or 4 ft. When weight is applied to the front cantilevered part,the rear end is gonna be pulled up; like a see-saw.
The 2x4s would also have to be x-braced to prevent them from flipping over sideways.
Double shear to a vertical member, or a jack-stud underneath it, would work on the center point, but you still need to anchor the rear end to the floor joists. Not the sill-plate and not the adjacent studs, unless they too are anchored to the floor-joists, in shear, not tension.
Well I suppose you could chain the cantilever to the ceiling trusses. Not the collar ties and not the rafters.
 
AJ/FormS said:
I think it's a not a good idea to cantilever 2x4s on lag-bolts out to 50%, or 4 ft. When weight is applied to the front cantilevered part,the rear end is gonna be pulled up; like a see-saw.
The 2x4s would also have to be x-braced to prevent them from flipping over sideways.
Double shear to a vertical member, or a jack-stud underneath it, would work on the center point, but you still need to anchor the rear end to the floor joists. Not the sill-plate and not the adjacent studs, unless they too are anchored to the floor-joists, in shear, not tension.
Well I suppose you could chain the cantilever to the ceiling trusses. Not the collar ties and not the rafters.
Click to expand...


i understood about 1/4 of that

now, the reason i revived this thread, is because i just picked up a spiral stair case
it needs a coat of paint and some fresh carpet on the steps, but the bone are good

what i really like about it is the last step is the landing, so thats where it mounts to the landing

now, my biggest issue is once again, extending out the loft about 2 foot
which brings me back to post AJ made

how can i mount this to the wall in a manner that allows it to not fall down?
there is one 8 1/2 foot section it will but up against, and then 2 small walls on the side, which only leaves the "front section" open

now, with the last step of the stairs being the landing that will actually help support it, no ?

00c0c_kOb6QOXIyOg_600x450.jpg
 
if you can see the red lines, thats where it can mount to the wall

20181009_144704.jpg
 
Got a pic of the top 6ft of that stair, to see how it will anchor?
Does the loft have 2x8 joists?
The stair looks almost self-supporting
As to the redline,
What's your plan to attach the metal to the wall?
 
ill toss a pic of the stairs up shortly
but it is basically a metal channel, welded across from the center pipe to the railing, and with a few hole drilled in to run bolts trough

the loft is really more of a closet top, so more then likely 2X4 framing
i figure there are also 2x4s running along the 8 1/2 foot (long red line)
thats where i wanted to lagbolt/ deckscrew another 2x4 to
then on the small red lines, i was hoping to catch the studs, and attach a 2x4 to that
those 3 2x4s, plus one mounted to the stairs, would be the frame work of the added section

im not a carpenter like @Cope so thats the best i could come up with
 
Last edited:
So then the stair would be mostly self-supporting on the center-post with your channel just stabilizing the center post and supporting the upper most 6 or so treads. I think you have a good plan, in theory.
However, the hidden studwork is a wild card. Typically,during construction, only enough fasteners are installed to do the job those walls were originally designed to be. If the studs on the rear wall were to rip out of the top plate, or more likely, the top plate let go from the end wall, somebody could get hurt pretty bad. If you have more than one teenage boy, well, they have a lot of energy.....
So while I think you have a good plan, I think it would be prudent to figure out a way to lock that top plate in place, or to prove it already is .
 
When you cantilever out you can only go 1/3rd the total length of the beam. So if it sticks out 5' it needs to be sistered back in 10'. If you cant do that then it's time for posts.

Also not sure if you've ever used a spiral staircase but they are dangerous to go down...

I didn't read all the replys yo not sure if this helps.
 
The beam will be 8 foot, 6 inches...the outstickyness (overhang, might be a better word) will only be 2 foot, so I should be good there, no?
(Not sure what sistered in means)
 
Now if I was gonna build it I would cantilever out to your length and sister it all the way back to the top plate. Then at the floating end I would go from the rafters all the way to to the floor joist. The upper section of the new studs can serve as uprights for your railing.

NOW IM NOT SAYING THIS WILL PASS CODE, just saying that's how I'd do it...

Being that it looks like that room is on the second story of your house the floor joist SHOULD be 2x6 so they are pretty strong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top