How to think about stairs?

[J.A]

I've been thinking a lot about the slope and rise of stairs since it feels important to have the most comfortable staircase possible. Our latest proposal from the stair manufacturer suggests a 174mm rise and 275mm depth. But when I measure staircases at friends' places, almost all of them have at least a 185mm rise. Will our height feel very shallow and give the feeling of 'never getting up'?

Sometimes I wonder if we should skip a step, which would give a rise of about 185mm, but also even deeper steps. What do you think would feel best to walk on?

 

[Immobil]

There is a step gauge rule that one should follow.
2 x step height + step depth = 630 mm (590 - 650 can also be accepted).

In your case, you end up at 623 mm and I think that's excellent.d^_^b
Keep in mind that a higher step height feels more tiring to walk on.q(;^p

 

[J.A]

Yes, it fits very well with the formula, but someone has told me not to get too fixated on it...

I'm just a bit afraid that a 174mm step height feels so low that you end up taking double steps at a time for something to happen. Since no other staircase I've measured has been that low, I'm thinking it might not be very good. But maybe I'm completely wrong there...?

 

[jeppeknaster]

I have a cast staircase indoors with a 160 mm step height and 260 mm step depth, and it's incredibly comfortable to walk on. And you definitely don't want to double step.

 

[Dr.SiC]

Those 600-630 are based on an average step length for men, women and shorter people may want a lower number, and I am quite tall myself and often find that many stairs are on the verge of having too short step height/length. Do as you have started, test with friends what feels right for you. Regarding the stair formula, it only applies to a fairly narrow range of step height/depth, if you have very low or high steps other relationships apply. There is a graph of the relationship, a bit difficult to find but I believe there should be a link here on the forum in a thread.

 

[jeppeknaster]

Then maybe I should mention that I am 190 tall

 

[Mikael_L]

Sometimes I wonder if one could skip a step, which would give a step height of about 185mm, but also deeper steps. What do you think would feel best to walk on?

If you would be helped by a shorter staircase, i.e., taking up less space on both floors, you might consider it. If you have room for the extra step and thus a longer staircase, I don't think the proposed staircase would feel wrong. If you maximize the step height, I think you might start to find the staircase uncomfortably steep.

Actually, I can't give any good advice; what others have written about trying out and measuring other staircases is probably among the best advice.

(We are wrestling with needing as "short" a staircase as possible, so there is a risk we might have to go quite high on step height, like 185mm ... )

 

[J.A]

The thing is that the staircase shouldn't just work for me. We have several family members of different ages and heights, and it's important to find something sensible for everyone.

We definitely have the space for this staircase, so we are in no way helped by a shorter version. It’s all about comfort. But 185mm step height doesn't seem high to me at all. We have 200mm in the basement staircase, so I'm used to it, even if I don't aim for that in this case *s*

But now it feels like we've made up our minds. We'll go with the proposal we received. Thanks for your opinions