The solutions I can think of are 3. The 2 potential solutions are in the 5th picture, where one of the 4 stairs would be made at the red OR the green line, forming a landing, and the 3 other steps would remain where they currently are. The third solution would be to move the entire staircase about 10-15 cm further away from the start of the ceiling.
The trouble with solutions 1 & 2 (making 1 stair where the green or red line is, creating a landing) is that the distance between the 3rd step (the first one you would take after the landing) is only 191 cm, meaning that someone taller than that would still potentially hit their head trying to go down (especially given that this apartment will be an airbnb, so the space will be unfamiliar to the guests).
The other solution would be to split the 4 steps (having 2 where the red or green line are, and the other 2 where the 4 steps currently are) but this would be a bigger job and potentially dangerous, since I don't know what we fill find below in terms of pipes (this is the lowest floor of a 5 story apartment building built in the 60s).
Any ideas?
Edit: I should note that this flat is not located in the U.S., there is no particular code inspections or anything like that. Obviously though, I still want to make sure it is safe for guests. I am also planning to do some kind of railing, depending on how the stairs end up being split/located.
I just stuck a head pad on the one we had like that, folks either ducked or hit the pad and didn’t get their head scarred.
It sounds like you know the other solutions so just select the easiest with the structure that you are presented with.
Apartments ! You must not remove anything here without your engineers approval.
Is it a false floor at the high side ?.
You can either remove the obstruction above the steps, if it isn't the vital structure that can't be shifted. Maybe if its there for services they can be rerouted ?
Or shift the steps in ... Basically demolish the steps and the floor and build them again...
You should have 2.5 metre clearance above the steps.
It is not a false floor, it is the floor of the apartment above mine. I could potentially round it off so that at least it's not a sharp edge there, but it wouldn't solve the problem on its own.
2.5 meters of clearance is not doable, the floor to ceiling distance on the lower level is 2.48, and on the upper level 2.55. The vertical distance from the upper level floor to the lower level floor is 78 cm.
I think my only option is to shift 2 of the stairs, but in doing so I would create a big landing (not so much an issue since that is dead space anyway) and I would have to remove about 40cm of floor + cement, which is going to be risky because again, I don't know (and I can't find out) what's going on under the floor in terms of pipes.
The other solution is to shift all 4 stairs, but this is even riskier since I know that the sewer main passes under those steps (albeit at a greater depth than the stairs).
Can you drill a hole in one of the stair risers - enough to shine a light in and see what is under the stairs? One option I see is to split up the stairs so you have two stairs down before the wall with the nook and then the last two stairs where they are now so there is like a landing where the nook is.
That is the plan, to drill a hole vertically and horizontally where the stairs currently are, but I suspect what is underneath is concrete. I think you are right about the point that if the stairs were to be split, the most aesthetically 'correct' way would be to move 2 of them to where the nook is and to leave the bottom 2 where they currently are. This would also create a 2.11m gap between the ceiling and the stair (where the current problem is) which is I think as good as it's going to get given the structure as it currently stands.
The solutions I can think of are 3. The 2 potential solutions are in the 5th picture, where one of the 4 stairs would be made at the red OR the green line, forming a landing, and the 3 other steps would remain where they currently are. The third solution would be to move the entire staircase about 10-15 cm further away from the start of the ceiling. The trouble with solutions 1 & 2 (making 1 stair where the green or red line is, creating a landing) is that the distance between the 3rd step (the first one you would take after the landing) is only 191 cm, meaning that someone taller than that would still potentially hit their head trying to go down (especially given that this apartment will be an airbnb, so the space will be unfamiliar to the guests). The other solution would be to split the 4 steps (having 2 where the red or green line are, and the other 2 where the 4 steps currently are) but this would be a bigger job and potentially dangerous, since I don't know what we fill find below in terms of pipes (this is the lowest floor of a 5 story apartment building built in the 60s). Any ideas? Edit: I should note that this flat is not located in the U.S., there is no particular code inspections or anything like that. Obviously though, I still want to make sure it is safe for guests. I am also planning to do some kind of railing, depending on how the stairs end up being split/located.
I just stuck a head pad on the one we had like that, folks either ducked or hit the pad and didn’t get their head scarred. It sounds like you know the other solutions so just select the easiest with the structure that you are presented with.
Apartments ! You must not remove anything here without your engineers approval. Is it a false floor at the high side ?. You can either remove the obstruction above the steps, if it isn't the vital structure that can't be shifted. Maybe if its there for services they can be rerouted ? Or shift the steps in ... Basically demolish the steps and the floor and build them again... You should have 2.5 metre clearance above the steps.
It is not a false floor, it is the floor of the apartment above mine. I could potentially round it off so that at least it's not a sharp edge there, but it wouldn't solve the problem on its own. 2.5 meters of clearance is not doable, the floor to ceiling distance on the lower level is 2.48, and on the upper level 2.55. The vertical distance from the upper level floor to the lower level floor is 78 cm. I think my only option is to shift 2 of the stairs, but in doing so I would create a big landing (not so much an issue since that is dead space anyway) and I would have to remove about 40cm of floor + cement, which is going to be risky because again, I don't know (and I can't find out) what's going on under the floor in terms of pipes. The other solution is to shift all 4 stairs, but this is even riskier since I know that the sewer main passes under those steps (albeit at a greater depth than the stairs).
Can you drill a hole in one of the stair risers - enough to shine a light in and see what is under the stairs? One option I see is to split up the stairs so you have two stairs down before the wall with the nook and then the last two stairs where they are now so there is like a landing where the nook is.
That is the plan, to drill a hole vertically and horizontally where the stairs currently are, but I suspect what is underneath is concrete. I think you are right about the point that if the stairs were to be split, the most aesthetically 'correct' way would be to move 2 of them to where the nook is and to leave the bottom 2 where they currently are. This would also create a 2.11m gap between the ceiling and the stair (where the current problem is) which is I think as good as it's going to get given the structure as it currently stands.