A concrete staircase in a house, and staircases on steel frames
We pour a concrete staircase in a house together with the floor slabs: it is quiet, carries stone cladding and serves as the site stair during the build. The engineer specifies the bearing details with seismic loads in mind, and we size the slab opening for headroom. Staircases on a steel stringer are made to measure for the finished opening. A cast-in-place flight costs from 3,900 ₾.
from 3 900 ₾/pccast-in-place flight with landing: formwork, reinforcement, concrete; cladding extra. The final price is confirmed once agreed.
- Timeline: a cast-in-place flight usually takes 2–3 weeks including strength gain, cladding 1–2 weeks after the rough work
- Warranty: Concrete work and staircase installation have a 2-year warranty
Who it’s for
You are building a two-storey house and deciding what the staircase will be
You want stairs with stone cladding that do not ring underfoot
You need an open stringer staircase in a double-height living room
A house on a slope that needs outdoor steps and a porch
An attic that needs a compact staircase without an oversized opening
What’s included
- working out the steps from the storey height including floors
- checking the opening and headroom
- flight bearing details to the engineer's calculation
- formwork and reinforcement of the flight and landing
- concreting and curing
- measuring and installing a steel-frame staircase
- tread cladding and balustrade to the design
A concrete staircase in a house or one on a steel frame
A staircase in a private house is either part of the shell or a product fitted later. A cast-in-place concrete staircase is poured together with the floor slabs: it carries load straight away, the builders use it, and later it is clad in timber, stone or porcelain tile. A staircase on a steel stringer is made to measure for the finished opening once the shell is up, and timber or stone treads go on it.
| Type | Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Cast-in-place concrete | Quiet, does not creak, carries heavy cladding, serves as the site stair during the build | Decided at the design stage, almost impossible to change later |
| Steel stringer with treads | A light look, open treads, can be fitted later | Rings without acoustic isolation at the fixings, costs more than concrete |
| Timber | Warm to the touch, suits a timber-frame house | Creaks with time, dislikes damp near the front door |
If the stairs are needed inside a duplex apartment rather than a house, that is a different job, covered on the page about staircases in apartments.
Geometry: steps, opening and headroom
How comfortable a staircase is depends on the ratio of riser height to tread depth. We usually use a riser of about 16–18 cm and a tread of about 28–30 cm: you can walk down such a staircase calmly carrying a bag. The number of steps comes from the storey height including the floor finishes, so screed and covering thicknesses are allowed for in advance, otherwise the first or last step ends up higher than the rest.
We size the opening in the slab so that there is room above every step for a person with a raised arm. In a house the flight is usually at least 90 cm wide, otherwise a wardrobe will not go up it. The opening is formed in the floor slab before the concrete, and after the pour it is almost impossible to change.
Staircases and seismic loads
A concrete flight connects two floor slabs and in an earthquake acts as a diagonal strut between the storeys. If it is fixed rigidly at both ends, it starts to carry a seismic load it was not designed for and may crack. So the engineer specifies the bearing details of the flight: in some places a rigid connection, in others a sliding bearing. We concrete exactly to these details.
Cladding, balustrades and outdoor steps
A concrete staircase is clad after the rough work, once the messy trades have finished. Treads and risers in timber, stone or porcelain tile, with an anti-slip groove or insert at the nosing. The balustrade is usually at least 90 cm high, without wide horizontal gaps if there are children in the house.
Outdoor steps on a slope and the porch are built in concrete on their own base, separate from the house, with treads sloping to shed water. It is a common detail in two-storey houses on sloping plots.
How much a staircase in a house costs
A cast-in-place reinforced concrete flight with a landing between floors costs from 3,900 ₾: formwork, reinforcement, concrete. A steel stringer or mono stringer with painting and installation is from 5,700 ₾, and a steel-frame staircase with timber treads and balustrade, turnkey, from 12,900 ₾. Timber cladding of a step is from 300 ₾ per step, a balustrade from 690 ₾ per linear metre, a glass one from 990 ₾. The final cost is set from the staircase design and the chosen cladding, after agreement on the estimate. The staircase is part of the house shell estimate, and the cladding is priced separately.
Stages and timelines
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Staircase design
2–5 days
Storey height with floors, number of steps, opening, bearing details.
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Formwork
2–4 days
Sloping soffit on props, sides and steps from panels.
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Reinforcement
1–3 days
Cage for the flight and landing, starter bars into the slabs to the details, photos.
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Concrete
1 day
Poured with the slab or separately, compacted, cured.
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Striking
2–3 weeks
Once strength is reached we remove the formwork and check the steps.
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Cladding and balustrade
1–2 weeks
After the rough work: treads, risers, handrails.
Local specifics in Batumi
In houses by the sea the staircase is often by the entrance, and the first steps get moisture and sand from outside. So for the lower part we choose cladding that does not mind water and is not slippery when wet, and keep timber higher up or protect it with hardwax oil.
On the slopes of Adjara almost every house has outdoor steps: from the road to the entrance or from the terrace to the garden. We concrete them on their own base, with treads sloping to shed water and drainage at the retaining wall. Outdoor steps without a fall hold water on every tread after a downpour, and in winter in the mountains it turns to ice.
Materials and brands
The flight is concreted in plant concrete of the same class as the floor slabs, with ribbed reinforcement to the drawings. Steel stringers are made of box section or plate with a factory primer and powder or liquid paint, with heavier protection by the sea. Treads of oak or ash, natural stone or porcelain tile with an anti-slip surface. Balustrades in metal, timber or toughened glass in clamps.
What makes up the cost
Timeline: a cast-in-place flight usually takes 2–3 weeks including strength gain, cladding 1–2 weeks after the rough work
- tread and handrail material
What raises the cost
- a turning flight with winders
- cantilevered steps from the wall
- a glass balustrade and a double-height space
- natural stone cladding
What lowers the cost
- a straight flight between slabs
- the staircase poured together with the slab
We prepare the exact estimate from measurements and photos. It’s free and comes with no obligation.
Get an estimateGuarantees
Concrete work and staircase installation have a 2-year warranty. Treads, glass and balustrade fittings carry the manufacturer's warranty. Photos of the flight reinforcement and bearing details go into the handover file.
Questions and answers
How much does a concrete staircase in a private house cost?
A cast-in-place flight with a landing between floors costs from 3,900 ₾ for formwork, reinforcement and concrete. Tread cladding and the balustrade are priced separately: timber from 300 ₾ per step, a balustrade from 690 ₾ per linear metre. The final cost is set from the staircase design and the cladding, after agreement on the estimate.
Which is better in a house, a concrete staircase or one on a steel frame?
A concrete staircase is quieter, carries heavy cladding and serves as the site stair, but it is decided at the design stage. A stringer staircase looks lighter and is fitted later to measure, but without acoustic isolation at the fixings it rings. In a double-height living room people more often choose a stringer, in an ordinary stairwell concrete.
What should the riser height be in a house?
We usually use 16–18 cm with a tread depth of about 28–30 cm. The main thing is that all steps are identical: the foot gets used to the rhythm, and a step a centimetre higher than the rest causes falls. That is why we work out the storey height together with the future floors.
Can a staircase be built after the shell is finished?
A steel-frame or timber staircase can, to measure for the finished opening. A concrete one can too, but then the formwork and bearing details are built against finished slabs, which is harder and dearer than pouring the flight with the slab. Either way the opening in the slab must be formed in advance.
How wide should a staircase be in a two-storey house?
Usually at least 90 cm, and about a metre is more comfortable. You cannot get a sofa or wardrobe up a narrow staircase, and in a seismic area it is also the way out of the house. Width and opening go into the design, because they depend on the size of the floor slab.
Further reading
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