We are expanding the attic above the apartment and it’s time to install the staircase from the hallway to the new floor.
However, we have encountered a problem. When we opened up the ceiling above the hallway, we found a load-bearing wooden beam that the structural engineer advises cannot be removed.
It's positioned awkwardly, and the staircase will have to be very narrow to pass it. We're considering letting it sit slightly into the staircase because, hopefully, people walk with their heads in the center of the staircase, and it's not a problem if their shoulder passes under the beam. The problem is that the center of the steps looks very narrow, and I'm unsure if older people will feel comfortable walking on such narrow steps. They might prefer to walk on the outer side where there's more room, but then they risk hitting their head on the beam. We are quite a tall family. I'm 190 cm tall myself.
Here is the drawing we have received from the staircase builder. The walls are marked with a red line. There are 14 steps (including the floor level on the attic floor):
What do you think? We're considering making it 700mm wide instead to get the beam even further towards the edge, but 700mm feels very narrow when the staircase turns like this.
What do you think, is there another solution I haven't considered? I'm also attaching a blank drawing if anyone dares to sketch a new staircase:
