The wrong staircase…

So our new staircase for the attic bedroom arrived last week, ready to assemble in place, but to our total horror it was the wrong bloody staircase! We have a completely different staircase designed and agreed with Building Control, a U-shaped staircase, but this is L-shaped…

WTF happened we have no idea, but somewhere between briefing the company and them building it (which to be fair has been months now) wires got crossed, drawings weren’t referred to and the staircase was designed and built by them incorrectly! Just as we were looking forward to moving in at the end of the month (we have said this every month now since January) it all goes quite fantastically tits up.

The day this arrived I was sooooo excited as it marked the beginning of the end of phase 1 meaning we would be able to move back in very soon…

The staircase is made of MDF treads and risers (these will be covered in carpet), softwood stringers (the side bits that will be painted in our woodwork colour) and oak newel posts, spindles, hand rail and balustrade (which will all be left natural and just oiled).

We had originally wanted the whole staircase to be built in oak but the cost was around triple the cost of this one, and as the stairs have to be boxed in for fire regulations (we are going to have to build a wall with a door on the landing for them) you really aren’t going to see them. The massive cost difference was the deciding factor here, especially at this stage in the project!

Oak spindles and hand rails.

Oak newel post that will support the staircase.

Oak newel posts and hand rails.

The tricky bit was getting the staircase up our existing (bloody awkward) stairs, but they managed it brilliantly.

The new staircase awaiting assembly. It was at this point that we realised the error. Cue much swearing. WTF were we going to do?!? Our schedule for getting everything and everyone in after the stairs are fitted (carpenter for stud wall, plasterers for wall, electrician for lights in the wall, carpet fitted in attic) has just gone out of the window. They are going to have to make a new staircase and make it double quick otherwise we were going to lose another month, more money and all our trades that are ready and waiting to start. FFS. This is bad, very bad. Hence the super stressy weekend just gone, me and Cat were both mega pissed off and quite frankly have utterly had enough now…