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What should a new staircase quote include?
The Federation of Master Builders loft guide of 3 September 2025 puts a simple straight softwood loft flight from £1,200, and more complex hardwood designs at £10,000 or more [S7]. Prices vary by the job and the location, and QuoteZila does not set prices.
Last reviewed:A new staircase is a different job from a repair
In Cheshire, ordering a new staircase means the old flight comes out, or a flight is added where there was a ladder, a cupboard or no link at all. The hall, the landing and sometimes the ceiling structure all change. That is why a photo of a stair in a showroom is not a quote.
Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach each have houses where a steep cottage flight is being replaced, and houses where a loft room needs a proper stair for the first time. Those are not one product. No pound figure is printed for either. Use it so joiners send papers that describe the same flight.
What the joiner has to design
Walk the opening before you write the job. Note whether the flight is straight, turns a quarter, turns a half, or arrives on a landing. Count the existing steps only as a description of what is there today, not as a design. Part K is about a safe stair, and the Planning Portal points readers to that requirement rather than to a single domestic price [S1].
Tell the joiner:
- which floors the stair connects, and whether a loft room is one of them
- the rough width of the opening and anything that cannot move, such as a chimney breast, a bathroom door or a beam
- whether the stair is the only escape from the upper floor
- if children or someone who needs a firm handrail uses it every day
- whether you want timber, or a mix of timber and glass, named in the quote rather than "modern"
- who removes the old flight and who makes good the plaster and the floors at both ends
Do not send a design you have drawn to millimetre dimensions unless a designer has produced it. Invented rises and goings are how two quotes look similar and then fail building control. Ask the joiner to state the rise, the going and the width they propose, and to say that those figures are their design for this opening, checked against Part K [S1].
Glass guarding, metal spindles and timber balusters are different making and different fixing. If the quote says "balustrade" without a material, you do not yet have a specification. Ask for the material, the height they are working to, and whether the stair and the landing are both guarded. Those heights are not printed, because they belong in the approved document and in the joiner's design, not in a guessed line.
Lofts, space-saving stairs and ladders
If the new stair serves a room in the roof, say so in the first sentence of the enquiry. The Planning Portal says building regulations approval is required to turn a loft or attic into a liveable space, and that the rules are used so the new floor is strong enough, the roof stays stable, escape from fire works, the stairs are safely designed, and there is reasonable sound insulation to the rooms below [S2].
On the stair itself, the Planning Portal says a new stair serving the new room is needed for fire safety. Where a full traditional stair will not fit, a space-saving stair may be possible. Retractable ladders or stairs are not normally acceptable [S1]. A fold-down ladder that was fine for a storage loft is not the design to paste into a bedroom conversion. The Federation of Master Builders loft conversion cost guide of 3 September 2025 says a habitable loft needs a fixed staircase, and that a simple straight softwood flight starts from £1,200, while more complex hardwood designs can rise to £10,000 or more [S7]. That line is for a loft flight, not for every replacement stair, and it is not a Cheshire price. Prices vary by the job and the location, and QuoteZila does not set prices. Ask the joiner to say, in writing, which kind of stair they are pricing and why it suits this opening.
Boarding a loft only to store boxes is a different project. The Planning Portal says the ceiling joists in most homes were not designed to carry a significant extra load, and that laying flooring boards over them may need a building regulations application [S2]. Do not ask for a "light stair" as a way to avoid that conversation. Describe the use of the room.
The loft page also says you must find out whether the work falls within the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 [S2]. If the new opening cuts into a wall you share, raise that before timber is ordered. The Act is not a substitute for building regulations approval, and building regulations approval is not the same thing as planning permission [S3].
Who signs the stair off
GOV.UK lists many projects that might need building regulations approval and says you might also need approval, or have to follow special rules, for works that are not on that list. If you cannot decide, check with a building control body [S3]. A new flight between storeys is not a repair of a single tread. If you cannot tell whether approval is needed, check with a building control body [S3].
You do not need to get approval yourself if you use someone registered with a competent person scheme [S3]. Ask for the scheme name and what work it covers. A registration for windows, or for electrics, does not answer the stair question. The person doing the work could be prosecuted and fined if they do not comply with building regulations, and without approval you may not have the certificates you need when you sell [S3]. Ask who provides the certificate for this flight, and keep it with the house papers.
Planning permission is a separate door. The Planning Portal says it is not normally required for a new or replacement staircase, with listed building consent as the exception to check [S1]. An extension that creates the opening is its own planning question. Do not let a stair quote silently include, or silently exclude, the opening through the ceiling. Write that line yourself: "forming the opening" either is in this price or it is a builder's price.
No method is set out for cutting a trimmer, removing a flight or hanging a string. That is the joiner's and the builder's work, under building control where the design requires it.
What changes the figure you are given
| Item the quote should split out | Included? | If the line is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Survey of the opening, including headroom and landings | Ask for a visit, not a guess from one photo | The flight may not fit the turn |
| Manufacture or supply of the stair | Named timber or other material | You cannot compare pine with oak or with glass |
| Removing the old flight and taking it away | Yes or no | A labour-only price leaves you with the old stair |
| Forming or altering the ceiling opening | Yes or no, and who designs the trimmer | Structure may be assumed, not priced |
| Guarding to the stair and the landing | Material and which edges | An open landing is a different design |
| Decoration, flooring at the top and bottom, and making good | Named rooms | The hall may be left in plaster dust |
| Building control application or scheme certificate | Who does it | You may think it was included |
| VAT | Included, or not registered | Totals will not match [S4] |
A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover over the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S4]. Ask for the total you would pay, not a timber-only sum.
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for a quote, so ask about that charge before a visit is booked [S5]. That sentence is about the visit. It does not say the charge is later taken off the stair. If a firm advertises no call-out charge, the Advertising Standards Authority says that claim is fair only when there is no charge for travelling, for the first look, or for any other fee before the work is agreed [S6].
Compare the papers, then choose
Try to get written quotes from at least three joiners [S5]. A quote is a promise to do the work at an agreed price. Do not rely on a verbal figure [S5]. After you accept, Citizens Advice says the agreement binds you whether or not it is written down, but writing is what you can point to later [S5].
Be wary of a joiner who will not write the quote, and be cautious if one price sits far below the others [S5]. On stairs, the low figure is often a supply-only stair with no opening, no making good and no building control.
If they want a deposit because the stair is made to order, Citizens Advice says to keep any deposit you cannot avoid to no more than 25 per cent and to take a receipt [S5]. Ask whether the stair, once made, is identified as yours.
Ask what insurance covers damage in the hall, and look at the policy dates so they run past the job [S5].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Replace a straight flight in a two-storey hall, keep the same opening, and include taking the old stair away.
- Design and fit a stair to a new loft room, and state whether it is a traditional flight or a space-saving stair.
- Supply a winder stair only, with a separate builder forming the opening, and say so in the description.
Add photos from the bottom, the top and the landing. Anyone in the UK can post a job or register. Name the town. A flight in Crewe with a tight turn beside the chimney is a different opening from a wide hall in Nantwich. Sandbach is simply another place the same scope list should travel with the enquiry.
Ask for new-stair quotes
Describe the opening and the floors it joins. Up to five matched local businesses can send quotes [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
If you cannot decide whether the new flight needs approval, check with a building control body. That is the instruction on the GOV.UK approval page [S3].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Posting a job is not open yet
Questions about a new staircase
How much does a simple loft stair cost?
The Federation of Master Builders loft guide of 3 September 2025 says a fixed staircase is required for a habitable loft, and that a simple straight softwood flight starts from £1,200, rising to £10,000 or more for more complex hardwood designs. That is not a price for every new stair in a house, and it is not a Cheshire price. Prices vary by the job and the location, and QuoteZila does not set prices. Ask joiners to price one described opening.
Is planning permission needed for a new stair?
The Planning Portal says planning permission for a new or replacement staircase is not normally required. A listed building may need listed building consent. Replacing the flight inside a house is a different question from adding a storey. Ask the local planning authority if the house is listed or the stair is part of a larger extension.
What does Part K cover?
Part K says stairs, ladders and ramps must be designed, constructed and installed so people can move safely between levels. For a loft, a new stair that serves a new room is expected, a space-saving stair may be used where a full traditional stair will not fit, and retractable ladders are not normally acceptable.
Who arranges building regulations approval?
GOV.UK says you do not need to arrange approval yourself when the person doing the work is registered with a competent person scheme. Stair manufacture is not always covered by a scheme, so ask the joiner whether they self-certify this flight or whether you must apply to a building control body.
How should I compare two stair quotes?
Citizens Advice says to try for written quotes from at least three traders, and to treat a price far below the others with caution because the work may differ. Line up the shape, the timber, the guarding, decoration and VAT. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess.
Does QuoteZila check joiners?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Related reading
- Joiners and carpenters
- Builders when the ceiling opening is part of the job
- Driveway cost as another Cheshire guide to reading a written quote
- Staircase renovation when the flight stays and only worn parts are renewed
- All services
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Staircase renovation: what changes the price. What changes a staircase renovation in Cheshire: treads, spindles, handrails and building regulations. This guide prints no job price. Compare written quotes.
- Glass Staircase Cost: What Changes the Price. What changes the cost of a glass staircase or glass balustrade: design, glass type, fixings, the stair structure, building regulations, fitting and VAT.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila terms.
- S1: Stairs and staircases, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://interactive.planningportal.co.uk/smart-search-house-elements/stairs-and-staircases
- S2: Loft conversion building regulations, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/loft-conversion/is-building-regulations-approval-needed-for-a-loft-conversion/
- S3: When you need building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S4: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S6: Call-out charges, Advertising Standards Authority. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/call-out-charges.html
- S7: Loft conversion cost: a breakdown of costs, Federation of Master Builders. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.fmb.org.uk/resource/loft-conversion-cost-a-breakdown-of-costs.html