This was a very unusual stairlift installation on floating steps we carried out in 2022. Our chief engineer called it one of our “most challenging installations, due to the floating stairs”. This was a monastery which had been dismantled in Ireland and rebuilt in Kingsbridge, Devon.
We were originally contacted by the estate agents who were looking to sell the property. However, one of the couple who were buying the property would have struggled with the huge staircase. So the estate agents contacted UKStairlifts with a view to installation of a stairlift in the property.
As you can see in the picture below, the property is quite amazing.
Stairlift On Floating Steps Case Study
You can also see from the photograph above that the steps were “floating”, meaning they were not supported by a base structure. The stairs were fossiliferous limestone steps, containing genuine prehistoric marine fossils. These 15 meter length steps were attached to the wall and protruded out creating the floating effect. This presented a pretty big problem. If during drilling of the steps one should crack, it could damage the structure and even mean the stone falling from the wall and breaking the stairs completely. So drilling for the rail was done incredibly carefully!
Our chief engineer was cautious to collect the drill dust. This was so that in the case of the couple ever selling the house, and needing the stairlift to be removed, the holes could be filled with the original limestone from the drilling.
Two Stairlifts – Four Flights
There were technically four flights of stairs in this building; connected by two half landings which was three metres across. Two stairlifts were installed to the outside wall. The cost of the installation was £9,000, £4,500 for each stairlift including installation and warranty.
An internal configuration of this staircase, with the stairlift rail running around the centre of the staircase, rather than the outside wall could have been done instead. However, this would have incurred a higher cost, likely around £20,000+. So the decision was made for an external rail.
The staircase was two identical staircases stacked on top of each other, so we could use the same exact setup for each stairlift. In this picture you can see the underneath side of the floating steps.
Stairlift On Floating Stairs – The Monastery
This monastery was quite a sight to be seen and even had an adjoining building which housed an olympic sized swimming pool. You can see the building on the left has a wooden structure which housed the swimming pool room.
How Long Did The Stairlift Installation Take?
From the initial enquiry to the finished job it took around 6 weeks. Most of this time is the stairlift rail manufacture however. The stairlift rail is usually the step of the journey which takes the longest time – less so with straight stairlifts which can use a single, straight rail. But with curved stairlifts which require bends in the rail made to specification, it will normally take much longer.
The rail production took one and a half months from order to arrival of the rail (6 weeks). The stairlift installation took 2 days – a day for each stairlift installations (2 stairlifts were used). We chose a Stannah 260 stairlift for this installation.
Summary
This was a very interesting stairlift installation not only due to the monastery which had been moved stone by stone from Ireland the Devon in the UK, but also because of the challenge it presented.
The floating steps were attached to the wall and had no support from underneath. Cracking a stone would have been a disaster not only for the stairlift installation but also for the staircase. So extra special care had to be taken here when drilling holes in the steps to attach the stairlift rail.
UKStairlifts were approached by the estate agent looking to sell the house. This added another dimension if interest in that the house sold on the basis of a stairlift installation. Without the stairlift, the interested couple would not have gone ahead with the purchase.
Our engineer also saved the drill dust! Should the stairlift need to be removed in the future, for a house sale for example, the holes could be re-filled. These stones were fossiliferous limestone steps with fossils within the stone so were quite unique.
This one was quite an amazing job and definitely one to remember. Let us know if you need a stairlift on floating steps! We can help! Call us on 0800 046 3438 or visit our contact page and leave a message.
You can also see some of our videos on our YouTube channel.