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Our next project is to make the attic above our master bedroom into a fabulous bath and dressing room for me. The attic is enclosed-- there is a door in our master that leads to the attic steps which are quite steep (the house is Victorian.)
Lately I have been thinking of doing a spiral staircase to open up the enclosed space where the steps are currently. I found a really cool Victorian look wrought iron one. However, I worry about the difficulty of moving things in and out of the bathroom, should I say, need a new toilet one day. Of course, I could get my massive soaking tub into the space before installing the staircase, but I would essentially never again be able to get it down.
I am not committed to this idea, and wondered what your thoughts might be on 1. spiral stairs in general, 2. spiral stairs leading to a bathroom. Our master isn't huge and this design would give us more space. We plan to use our current master bath (which is also accessible to the main hall but attached to our room) as sort of "his and hers" so that I would not have to trek up and down stairs when nature calls in the middle of the night.
The challenge of moving things like bath fixtures via a spiral staircase can be mitigated by having a large window to use with pulleys / lifts / cranes.
That said, the broader issues, of daily hassle of having steps between bath and master bedroom, are probably something that you REALLY should consider -- if you have encounter any mobility issues this really becomes a huge negative.
Very bad idea. They are dangerous as hell. Spiral staircases really should only be used where there is another, easily navigable stairway present or maybe to a small loft space or to a garden from a deck (again, with another way to access it. It sounds absolutely horrible to try to navigate one in the middle of the night or when your feet are wet!
I had a relative with a ginormous house with a regular staircase and a spiral staircase.
The spiral staircase was an accident waiting to happen. I think I used it a couple of times and then avoided it. They are a lot more difficult to walk up and down than a regular staircase.
I had a friend with a beautiful home. Her staircase was spiral, and I hated it because there's just something about moving in a downward direction while moving in a circle that makes me want to throw up. It's probably just me.
Very bad idea. They are dangerous as hell. Spiral staircases really should only be used where there is another, easily navigable stairway present or maybe to a small loft space or to a garden from a deck (again, with another way to access it. It sounds absolutely horrible to try to navigate one in the middle of the night or when your feet are wet!
I lived in an NYC loft with a spiral staircase. My bedroom was upstairs and the bathroom was down. I never had an issue. My staircase had textured treads that gripped your feet. There are a million designs out there.
I lived in an NYC loft with a spiral staircase. My bedroom was upstairs and the bathroom was down. I never had an issue. My staircase had textured treads that gripped your feet. There are a million designs out there.
I'm just sayin' I'm an architect and we basically cannot ever spec one in any residential space except in very limited circumstances as I described, or one so large in diameter that if effectively defeats the space saving purpose of one. What you are describing would be met with a "Are you freaking kidding?!" At my city's building department.
We are all about life safety design and they are exceedingly dangerous.
Not to say most of us have not successfully traversed more than a few in our lives but it only takes one bad fall from one to change your life forever.
Somehow I am imagining you being upstairs after a bath and trying to go down stairs encountering those textured treads in your barefeet. Ouch! So instead you wear your thong shoes. Oops, just took a header down the stairs! But maybe you could limit the spiral staircase to the up direction. Then, add a fireman's pole for the down direction. No shoes needed if it lands you in your bed .
Check your local building codes. Typically a spiral staircase isn't allowed if it is the only means of access to a floor. And most building codes require a spiral stair with at least 5', which may require quite a lot of structural work to enlarge the opening to 5'.
I can see how a personal dressing room and bathroom might be very desirable, but it's a very personal choice so just keep in mind that it won't add to the house value and may actually detract from it. Most people don't like spiral stairs and dual master baths isn't something most people look for in a home. Many buyers would probably prefer that the attic space be used for something different, if at all.
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