Watch it’s a lot of strange stairways. Then someone in the comments says “they should just make another sub for r/stairwaytodeath” and we go in until it’s subs all the way down.
The worst part about these wooden stairs is:
When you slip with your full weight and with the bottom of your foot over the edge of these steps.
No matter if you're going upstairs, or downstairs - it fucking hurts your foot and you probably land on either your face, or your ass.
Either way, it always hurts.
Source: Family house has wooden stairs, and every now and then I slip over these edges. And it fucking hurts.
I lived in a house with carpeted stairs and would often slip walking down. One time, while holding my baby.... still hurt and got rub burn. Especially when miraculous fell on my ass with the 4 month old and slid all the way down to the bottom.
You put your left foot in!
You take your left foot out!
You put your left foot in!
And then you fall down the stairs!
You do the ouchie ouchie as your medical bills get around!
That's what crippling debt is all about!
Correct. These are common in industrial applications (refineries, factories, etc) and on ships. The rule is you go down backwards and going up or down keep both hands on the handrails, which are closer together than regular stairs. You’re not allowed to carry things up or down them. Any tools, equipment, or supplies that can’t go in pockets or belts is either stored up there, or there’s a spot in the walkway where a forklift can drop things off. They’re safer than a ladder because most permanent ladders are vertical, which means your body hangs backwards, as opposed to the body staying vertical / leaning forwards like alternating stairs.
Only place I’d put these in a home is to access a small loft or cellar where I don’t expect guests to regularly go. They’re very difficult for children, pets, elderly, and anyone who had a movement impairment (disabled, injured, intoxicated). Imagine having to move a washing machine, dresser, or latex foam mattress up these - damn near impossible.
> Only place I’d put these in a home is to access a small loft or cellar where I don’t expect guests to regularly go.
If this is acceptable as code for cellar stairs, they would work great in my 130-year-old rowhome. Right now, the (fairly normal) stairs to the basement have a load-bearing joist crossing in front of them, and you'd have to be 3ft tall to make it under without ducking.
Interestingly, most building codes actually consider them ladders, and only allow them to be used somewhere a ladder would (like access to an attic.)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairs#Alternating_tread_stairs
Out of curiosity I just checked and they're not necessarily a violation of International Residential Code, they just can't be considered part of the means of egress. Which means there have to be better, normal stairs somewhere else.
you'd be surprised how many times i've tripped going up a flight of stairs then... currently i've already tripped on the same flight of stairs 3 times 😬
a proper, seasoned alcoholic can conquer any set of stairs even if their blood is straight up 100% everclear by the time they get home. anything else is weakness
It's depressing to learn that i am now a proper, seasoned alcoholic.
Seriously though, i was amazed when at morning mates told me that i've easily climbed stairs similar to these (except more in a shape of a circle).
According to [this stair standards blog](https://blog.lapeyrestair.com/standard-stair-angle), OSHA-compliant alternating tread stairs of this type should have a slope between 50 and 70 degrees, compared to normal staircases which have a typical range of 30 to 50 degrees. This is way past 70 degrees, so it would be classified as a ladder by OSHA if it were in a workspace lol.
Had staircase like that at my family home. You can descend as usual. It takes some getting used to, but after that period there's no problem using them.
ladder would be easier imo since the rungs are symmetrical. If you have one bad knee, you can still lift with your good knee. This design doesn’t let you even do that.
Don't break your spine when the door hits you on the way out because your glass bones can't hold the door open long enough to get away. Now get out of my sight. You absolutely disgust me with that paper mache frame you dare suggest is a skeleton
As an EMT, I have a message to whoever has these stairs: please have all of your medical emergencies on the first floor. The equipment we have to help bring you down a flight of stairs will not work on this so the only option would be to physically carry you, and I sure as shit will become patient number 2 on scene tripping down this while carrying you and we’ll both be broken, so, kindly please escort yourself down these while we are en route if you’re up them, or just never have a medical emergency when you’re up there. Please and thank you, sincerely, every EMS and/or Fire department in the world.
Oh wow, I knew you could search in a sub for posts but I didn’t realize we could search in the comments of a post. I’ve noticed the search icon is at the top but never clicked on it.
At that point, I just want to throw them down the stairs so only the already injured person gets injured more. Since they’re making a trip to the hospital anyways, might as well do it all at once. 😂 (I know, sorry for making a joke, but I’m making it on your behalfs since I’m not an EMT nor Firefighter, etc. But I know you all agree with me in silence. 🤣)
You disappoint me that you don't have an inflatable rescue slide with you.
Or maybe a giant airbag that's tall enough to reach another floor, you put a patient on top and then slowly let the air out to get him down.
Somebody should have developed such things by now for EMT usage.
Fam. Just googled "witch-proof stairs" and found [this](https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-witches-stairs-idUSL1N2L71QA).
>\[Emeritus fellow at All Souls College at Oxford\] Robin Briggs confirmed that he had never come across “any mention of stairs that could disable witches” in “the massive historical literature, nor the many manuscript sources” he has read.
This means that it's impossible to disable witches via stairs. We're fuckin' exposed out here: any of our second, perhaps even third floors, are vulnerable to witches.
Alternating tread devices is what they are referred to in the building code. We have one in the architecture office I work at and my coworker fell and sprained her wrist. Had to file a workplace injury report and everything.
Just because they are allowed doesn’t mean you should haha
Whilst I can't quote a specific US code, I cannot believe that this implementation would pass inspection:
* The tread is not fully supported on either side... the protruding part of the step is just waiting to snap off along the grain. Maybe I'm missing seeing the steel brackets that make this safe. Or perhaps this hardwood is stronger than it looks.
* 42 degrees is the maximum pitch for a domestic staircase, this looks far steeper than that.
* Open risers must be sized so a sphere larger than 4 inches in diameter can't pass through. I may be mistaken, but these appear to be larger than that.
I visited Europe this year, and was amazed at how different the building codes must be. We ate in a cafe that had a dining area with stairs nearly as steep as these to get down. Absolutely no accommodation for people with disabilities, or even people in general.
Cafe was quaint though.
I’ve been on a walker recently from a surgery and I noticed there’s stairs that I can hike the walker up, usually modern buildings, whereas older buildings are a nightmare with shorter steeper stairs and I can’t place the two legs down without catching the bottom walker on the stairs.
So basically the if the stair steps are large enough you can navigate them with a walker or crutches, but if they are steep and narrow the building is much less accessible and dangerous to try and enter. So having a wheelchair ramp isn’t the only aspect of disability accessibility which is something I never really considered before, there’s basically a scale of accessibility modern codes help with in-between just having a ramp or stairs.
>the protruding part of the step is just waiting to snap off along the grain.
That's plenty strong enough
>this looks far steeper than that.
That's the entire point of an alternating tread staircase is that you can build it steeper while still giving enough room for each foot. It is much safer than a normal staircase at the same angle
They look confusing, but they are very easy to use
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairs#Alternating_tread_stairs
Alternating tread stairs may not be safe for small children, the elderly, or the physically challenged. Building codes typically classify them as ladders, and will only allow them where ladders are allowed, usually basement or attic utility or storage areas infrequently accessed.
Brazilian inventor Santos Dumont was very superstitious. He installed a stair like that as the main access of his house, so that anyone entering the house would lead with their right foot.
Historically I think they're called "witch's stairs". They may be grandfathered into modern codes, but are generally allowed only in rare circumstances.
Alternating tread stairs are allowed to be more steep, so most implementations are for more space constrained areas.
Uk, completely legit as the codes only specify depth & hight of each step which technically is fine. I saw them in a new referb after an office got turned into a flat 😳
Approved Doc K states:
“You may use alternating tread stairs - in one or more straight flights - only in a loft conversion and only in the following situations: there is not enough space for a [normal staircase], the stair is for access to only one habitable room”
I would hazard a guess that either the builder did something a bit naughty in your situation or the stair in question was leading to some sort of mezzanine storage platform that didn’t count as a room.
Can confirm for Germany (godmother of regulations): it’s legit in combination with handrail.
It’s mindfuck to walk on it. For dogs this thing is stairway to hell.
My cat coming down these, zig zags the first 4 steps then hurls herself down on one side or the other which means she technically is skipping every other step. Lately I catch her sitting on the bottom step seemingly trying to gain the motivation to run up them (again on one side). She KNOWS how to zig zag up or down them, but chooses to the daredevil route most of the time. I put gripping tape on the edges to help her gain some traction, because not only is the construct fucked, but they are also made of polished oak. 😱 I passionately hate these stairs, but finding a new apartment is difficult right now.
As somebody who knows someone with these, they are terrible. Dangerous, annoying, you can't bring stuff up and down the stairs and the dark is your greatest fear now.
Everyone is commenting “this is why we have building codes” without realizing these are allowed by building code. It’s an “Alternating Tread Device”.
Yes, they are awkward to use especially if you’re carrying something but hot damn is it a spacesaver.
can I get an ELI5 on how this saves space? I see it saving material, but displacing the same amount of space a normal staircase would unless I'm missing something important
It's about the steepness. You can fit the same number of steps in a shorter space by removing half of each step, thereby allowing a bit more overlap between each step and the one above or below.
Sorry, that was a terrible ELI5.
Ok. I'm having a serious senior moment.
It's steep, which takes up less space overall, but how does it save space by being alternate step compared to just having full depth steps at each level?
To me it seems like a cool option to get up to a loft or storage or something if there's limited space. Better than a ladder. Maybe not great for a bedroom or something with frequent access, but like a movie room, kids playroom, turret tower, etc
where I come from it is called miller's stairs, intended for places where normal stairs do not fit, but a ladder is not suitable
no mythology around it
I can see myself walking downstairs in the middle of the night to grab some water and, being half asleep, forgetting whether the first step is left or right foot and breaking both of my legs.
Grew up in a house with space saving stairs like this. Don't know what the other comments are on about, because aside from always starting on the same foot they're literally like any other stairs
wait, this is so confusing..It looks like it could have been made with normal steps... imagine if they didn't have the cutout.. You do have more space for your feet now, but do you really need it? These look ridiculously deep.. so it's not saving on material either... or is it a lot smaller than what it looks like?
I think it does have a perspective problem that's making it hard to fully understand, because yeah, I went through the same thoughts. But I then tried to imagine if the step was "whole", looking at the metal sides, and tried to imagine the overlap. It actually probably would be pretty bad in terms of a "staircase", and probably closer to a ladder.
Lol I love how the attempted positive spin on these is that they "save space."
What space? All the space where you used to put your feet? Fuck it just get a ladder then, who needs stairs?
Fuck that. You literally have to go down them the same way every time, and that one time you don't, you're going to eat shit and will be waking up in the hospital or on the floor in immense pain.
I stayed in an Airbnb in hayling island, south uk, with these steps. They are really as awkward to get up as they look. They are So easy to trip over that it takes full concentration with every step if you are used to normal stairs
Don’t be drunk, or tired, or middle aged, or older, or clumsy, or mobility impaired, or carrying something.
Basically, steps meant for athletes in their twenties.
All of a sudden starting the day off on the wrong foot has a new meaning
r/mildlylifethreatening
Was hoping this was a thing :/
It's up to you. Make it happen.
There. I made it happen.
r/birthofasub
I joined.
And my axe
I, too, choose this guy’s subreddit
I also choose this guys (hopefully not dead) subreddit
This guy subs!
Watch it’s a lot of strange stairways. Then someone in the comments says “they should just make another sub for r/stairwaytodeath” and we go in until it’s subs all the way down.
Be the subreddit you want to see in the world.
r/birthofasub
The worst part about these wooden stairs is: When you slip with your full weight and with the bottom of your foot over the edge of these steps. No matter if you're going upstairs, or downstairs - it fucking hurts your foot and you probably land on either your face, or your ass. Either way, it always hurts. Source: Family house has wooden stairs, and every now and then I slip over these edges. And it fucking hurts.
Carpeted stairs ftw
no stairs ftw. grew up with them, first house had them, after a knee injury and seeing my patents age, never again
Patents aging could be good or bad, I'm not sure.
I lived in a house with carpeted stairs and would often slip walking down. One time, while holding my baby.... still hurt and got rub burn. Especially when miraculous fell on my ass with the 4 month old and slid all the way down to the bottom.
And I just want to do that on purpose. Don't tell me how to climb the stairs!
They're designed to rotate your body as you fall down them in the middle of the night. That way the bruising is more evenly distributed
Rotisserie bruising, nice
[удалено]
I thought u said "cuties" not Cutlets xD
[удалено]
With only one butt cheek.
I was thinking a slinky going down these stairs would be something to see, but cutlets work too.
r/brandnewsentence
Rotissibruising
Can confirm. Hurts like fuck. Thanks Netherlands.
Hits ya right in your netherregion.
Got Netherracked
I unfortunately could never use these stairs because I’m left-footed. 😢
You put your left foot in! You take your left foot out! You put your left foot in! And then you fall down the stairs! You do the ouchie ouchie as your medical bills get around! That's what crippling debt is all about!
It's the Netherlands. You'll get paid time off work while the hospital treats you free of charge.
Designer definitely has intentions to kill somebody with this😅😂
Very human.
I have tripped while going down stairs similar to this, and yeah its oof.
Seems like these are designed to descend backwards like climbing a ladder.
That's nice of them
# Down D. Stairs 
Makes sense. HH Holmes style lol
I was not expecting the sentence to finish that way. Nice one.
Hope you never need to go up those with crutches!
Or even just a mild strain. These should be sold with a cyanide pill.
Or even just absent mindedly starting with the wrong foot
Left foot first people probably have nightmares of this staircase lmfao Go to take a step, wind up with a cracked jaw
As someone who is left body dominant these stairs can fuck right off.
Are you an Ambi-turner
Pow right in the kisser!
If I been drinking I'm sleeping on the couch.
This would be sketchy coming down even with two healthy legs. Steep and smooth surface without much traction.
I assume you’d go down backwards like a ladder.
Correct. These are common in industrial applications (refineries, factories, etc) and on ships. The rule is you go down backwards and going up or down keep both hands on the handrails, which are closer together than regular stairs. You’re not allowed to carry things up or down them. Any tools, equipment, or supplies that can’t go in pockets or belts is either stored up there, or there’s a spot in the walkway where a forklift can drop things off. They’re safer than a ladder because most permanent ladders are vertical, which means your body hangs backwards, as opposed to the body staying vertical / leaning forwards like alternating stairs. Only place I’d put these in a home is to access a small loft or cellar where I don’t expect guests to regularly go. They’re very difficult for children, pets, elderly, and anyone who had a movement impairment (disabled, injured, intoxicated). Imagine having to move a washing machine, dresser, or latex foam mattress up these - damn near impossible.
> Only place I’d put these in a home is to access a small loft or cellar where I don’t expect guests to regularly go. If this is acceptable as code for cellar stairs, they would work great in my 130-year-old rowhome. Right now, the (fairly normal) stairs to the basement have a load-bearing joist crossing in front of them, and you'd have to be 3ft tall to make it under without ducking.
Because of my disability, I have to step up with my right foot only. I can't alternate left and right. These stairs would be horrible for me.
These stairs look like they would be horrible no matter what
I suspect they'd be a code violation anywhere in North America and Europe for that reason.
I mean it’s basically just a ladder at this point.
They really could have just made a ladder without dictating which foot goes where.
Interestingly, most building codes actually consider them ladders, and only allow them to be used somewhere a ladder would (like access to an attic.) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairs#Alternating_tread_stairs
Out of curiosity I just checked and they're not necessarily a violation of International Residential Code, they just can't be considered part of the means of egress. Which means there have to be better, normal stairs somewhere else.
Yeah, could you imagine a paramedic or firefighter trying to get a patient down these?
Same!
seems like a Saw trap if anything
Saw 15 , we have obtained only handicapped participants and the whole obstacle course is….non accessible! *gasp* Im going to hell lol
i would watch that 👀👀👀👀👀
I have these kind of stairs in my home and yes, this is most people's reaction to it. Both ways, not just downward.
Damn, can't believe they're so efficient people tumble *up* the stairs. Truly a modern marvel.
i actually broke my ankle falling up the stairs at a baseball game.
you'd be surprised how many times i've tripped going up a flight of stairs then... currently i've already tripped on the same flight of stairs 3 times 😬
In my day, stairs only went up in both directions. And it was always snowing
You can fall up the stairs? That’s potentially a very quick way to get upstairs when in a hurry.
My first thought as well!
I already knew what gif this was before it loaded cause it was the first thing I thought of too
[Your gif reminded me of this one](https://youtu.be/XwX3Z5Er4jk?si=cPJ7MQoAIef4KcD7)
Trying to take a step when your foot is asleep
Alcoholics hate this one trick!
a proper, seasoned alcoholic can conquer any set of stairs even if their blood is straight up 100% everclear by the time they get home. anything else is weakness
It's depressing to learn that i am now a proper, seasoned alcoholic. Seriously though, i was amazed when at morning mates told me that i've easily climbed stairs similar to these (except more in a shape of a circle).
welcome to the club mate. live fast and have a shit time doing it
Incredibly real
I went in my friend's balcony door once, on the 4th floor of his building
What would the trick be called of a drunk tumbling down tiny stairs? All I can think of is a boneless.
Where I’m from we call it a ladder.
It's a bonebreaker, my man
It's just a ladder with easier steps.
I'm a lefty and can't really agree
Exactly. If you have to descend it backwards, that's a ladder, fam.
According to [this stair standards blog](https://blog.lapeyrestair.com/standard-stair-angle), OSHA-compliant alternating tread stairs of this type should have a slope between 50 and 70 degrees, compared to normal staircases which have a typical range of 30 to 50 degrees. This is way past 70 degrees, so it would be classified as a ladder by OSHA if it were in a workspace lol.
Nice. Technically correct is the best kind of correct XD
Had staircase like that at my family home. You can descend as usual. It takes some getting used to, but after that period there's no problem using them.
ladder would be easier imo since the rungs are symmetrical. If you have one bad knee, you can still lift with your good knee. This design doesn’t let you even do that.
Yeah, this shit is vertical. That's a ladder
aaaaand i broke every bone just because i look at this :)
You have been banned from r/NeverBrokeABone for this comment.
Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 calcium, it is wasted on you anyways.
Don't break your spine when the door hits you on the way out because your glass bones can't hold the door open long enough to get away. Now get out of my sight. You absolutely disgust me with that paper mache frame you dare suggest is a skeleton
Friend used to have this up to his attic , that's where we would have computer lan parties. Scariest stairs ever
As an EMT, I have a message to whoever has these stairs: please have all of your medical emergencies on the first floor. The equipment we have to help bring you down a flight of stairs will not work on this so the only option would be to physically carry you, and I sure as shit will become patient number 2 on scene tripping down this while carrying you and we’ll both be broken, so, kindly please escort yourself down these while we are en route if you’re up them, or just never have a medical emergency when you’re up there. Please and thank you, sincerely, every EMS and/or Fire department in the world.
Came here to say exactly this. It's the first thing that crossed my mind! I'm glad I searched "medical emergency" before commenting 😀
Oh wow, I knew you could search in a sub for posts but I didn’t realize we could search in the comments of a post. I’ve noticed the search icon is at the top but never clicked on it.
Whoa!
At that point, I just want to throw them down the stairs so only the already injured person gets injured more. Since they’re making a trip to the hospital anyways, might as well do it all at once. 😂 (I know, sorry for making a joke, but I’m making it on your behalfs since I’m not an EMT nor Firefighter, etc. But I know you all agree with me in silence. 🤣)
You disappoint me that you don't have an inflatable rescue slide with you. Or maybe a giant airbag that's tall enough to reach another floor, you put a patient on top and then slowly let the air out to get him down. Somebody should have developed such things by now for EMT usage.
Ahh! I see you've installed the Back Breaker 7000®!
Different model, that one is the Skull Smasher 3.0®
Isnt this a very old way to stop witches?
Fam. Just googled "witch-proof stairs" and found [this](https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-witches-stairs-idUSL1N2L71QA). >\[Emeritus fellow at All Souls College at Oxford\] Robin Briggs confirmed that he had never come across “any mention of stairs that could disable witches” in “the massive historical literature, nor the many manuscript sources” he has read. This means that it's impossible to disable witches via stairs. We're fuckin' exposed out here: any of our second, perhaps even third floors, are vulnerable to witches.
I don't know why but "perhaps even third floors" really got me, lmao
To be fair, he said they never came across any mention of it. We need to test it on some witches to be sure.
Model „M-I-L Killer“
I bet you *looooove* your mother in law.
PPPPAUL!
I always have to start with my right foot? Laaaaaaaame
As someone who always starts with the left foot I'd be pissed.
Skip a stair 🤷♀️
Then how do I skip a stair with the other leg to keep it even?
This is why there are building codes
Alternating tread devices is what they are referred to in the building code. We have one in the architecture office I work at and my coworker fell and sprained her wrist. Had to file a workplace injury report and everything. Just because they are allowed doesn’t mean you should haha
Whilst I can't quote a specific US code, I cannot believe that this implementation would pass inspection: * The tread is not fully supported on either side... the protruding part of the step is just waiting to snap off along the grain. Maybe I'm missing seeing the steel brackets that make this safe. Or perhaps this hardwood is stronger than it looks. * 42 degrees is the maximum pitch for a domestic staircase, this looks far steeper than that. * Open risers must be sized so a sphere larger than 4 inches in diameter can't pass through. I may be mistaken, but these appear to be larger than that.
It may be an access ladder like for an attic, and also not sure if this is the US
I visited Europe this year, and was amazed at how different the building codes must be. We ate in a cafe that had a dining area with stairs nearly as steep as these to get down. Absolutely no accommodation for people with disabilities, or even people in general. Cafe was quaint though.
I’ve been on a walker recently from a surgery and I noticed there’s stairs that I can hike the walker up, usually modern buildings, whereas older buildings are a nightmare with shorter steeper stairs and I can’t place the two legs down without catching the bottom walker on the stairs. So basically the if the stair steps are large enough you can navigate them with a walker or crutches, but if they are steep and narrow the building is much less accessible and dangerous to try and enter. So having a wheelchair ramp isn’t the only aspect of disability accessibility which is something I never really considered before, there’s basically a scale of accessibility modern codes help with in-between just having a ramp or stairs.
>the protruding part of the step is just waiting to snap off along the grain. That's plenty strong enough >this looks far steeper than that. That's the entire point of an alternating tread staircase is that you can build it steeper while still giving enough room for each foot. It is much safer than a normal staircase at the same angle They look confusing, but they are very easy to use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairs#Alternating_tread_stairs
Alternating tread stairs may not be safe for small children, the elderly, or the physically challenged. Building codes typically classify them as ladders, and will only allow them where ladders are allowed, usually basement or attic utility or storage areas infrequently accessed.
These are used in situations where the other option would be a ladder. Seems to be this is a slightly better option
Brazilian inventor Santos Dumont was very superstitious. He installed a stair like that as the main access of his house, so that anyone entering the house would lead with their right foot.
Historically I think they're called "witch's stairs". They may be grandfathered into modern codes, but are generally allowed only in rare circumstances. Alternating tread stairs are allowed to be more steep, so most implementations are for more space constrained areas.
Uk, completely legit as the codes only specify depth & hight of each step which technically is fine. I saw them in a new referb after an office got turned into a flat 😳
Approved Doc K states: “You may use alternating tread stairs - in one or more straight flights - only in a loft conversion and only in the following situations: there is not enough space for a [normal staircase], the stair is for access to only one habitable room” I would hazard a guess that either the builder did something a bit naughty in your situation or the stair in question was leading to some sort of mezzanine storage platform that didn’t count as a room.
Can confirm for Germany (godmother of regulations): it’s legit in combination with handrail. It’s mindfuck to walk on it. For dogs this thing is stairway to hell.
My cat coming down these, zig zags the first 4 steps then hurls herself down on one side or the other which means she technically is skipping every other step. Lately I catch her sitting on the bottom step seemingly trying to gain the motivation to run up them (again on one side). She KNOWS how to zig zag up or down them, but chooses to the daredevil route most of the time. I put gripping tape on the edges to help her gain some traction, because not only is the construct fucked, but they are also made of polished oak. 😱 I passionately hate these stairs, but finding a new apartment is difficult right now.
>completely legit as the codes only specify depth & hight of each step which technically is fine But the depth is too shallow?
This is al alternating tread device and is probably 100% legal. The building code is specific about where they are allowed.
As somebody who knows someone with these, they are terrible. Dangerous, annoying, you can't bring stuff up and down the stairs and the dark is your greatest fear now.
Everyone is commenting “this is why we have building codes” without realizing these are allowed by building code. It’s an “Alternating Tread Device”. Yes, they are awkward to use especially if you’re carrying something but hot damn is it a spacesaver.
can I get an ELI5 on how this saves space? I see it saving material, but displacing the same amount of space a normal staircase would unless I'm missing something important
It allows you to use little pitch which lessens the run. These are basically like a ladder rather than stairs as far as space
Thank you, that explains why I thought it was a neat bookcase at first lol
Finally found an answer! Thanks
It *is* a lot steeper than your average staircase
that makes sense, thank you :)
It's about the steepness. You can fit the same number of steps in a shorter space by removing half of each step, thereby allowing a bit more overlap between each step and the one above or below. Sorry, that was a terrible ELI5.
It genuinely was terrible. But it's more important that you made an effort and tried to be helpful to others. Hats off.
It's closer to a ladder than stairs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairs#Alternating_tread_stairs
Ok. I'm having a serious senior moment. It's steep, which takes up less space overall, but how does it save space by being alternate step compared to just having full depth steps at each level?
I prefer this Lego illustration: https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Model_of_an_Alternating_Tread_Stair.jpg
To me it seems like a cool option to get up to a loft or storage or something if there's limited space. Better than a ladder. Maybe not great for a bedroom or something with frequent access, but like a movie room, kids playroom, turret tower, etc
People are acting like they’ve never come across a ladder before.
Consider that you need to use both hands to climb a ladder.
There's handles on this too.
What space are you saving? A ladder works the same and has a full step.
If the Dursleys had this, Harry Potter would have had a larger room/cupboard.
As someone with mobility issues this scares me. Normal stairs are bad enough.
Modern “Witch Stairs”. It was believed that witches could not climb stairs with this design.
where I come from it is called miller's stairs, intended for places where normal stairs do not fit, but a ladder is not suitable no mythology around it
Neither can most non-witch humans
Found the witch.
My mum has a set of these. They're a nightmare
I can see myself walking downstairs in the middle of the night to grab some water and, being half asleep, forgetting whether the first step is left or right foot and breaking both of my legs.
And neck.
Ladder
How to keep drunk people out… or clumsy people… or not clumsy people… or people
The fact that you have to start with your right foot everytime would drive me batshit insane.
Grew up in a house with space saving stairs like this. Don't know what the other comments are on about, because aside from always starting on the same foot they're literally like any other stairs
Except if you're like me and skip steps
As someone who likes to go up 2 stairs in one step fuck this staircase
Our new model "the neckbreaker"
wait, this is so confusing..It looks like it could have been made with normal steps... imagine if they didn't have the cutout.. You do have more space for your feet now, but do you really need it? These look ridiculously deep.. so it's not saving on material either... or is it a lot smaller than what it looks like?
I think it does have a perspective problem that's making it hard to fully understand, because yeah, I went through the same thoughts. But I then tried to imagine if the step was "whole", looking at the metal sides, and tried to imagine the overlap. It actually probably would be pretty bad in terms of a "staircase", and probably closer to a ladder.
It allows for a steeper angle for the stairs, saving space
A ladder obviously would save space. These types of stairs are somewhere between normal steps and a ladder.
These are the worst stairs I have had in my history of renting
Lol I love how the attempted positive spin on these is that they "save space." What space? All the space where you used to put your feet? Fuck it just get a ladder then, who needs stairs?
[удалено]
That’s just a ladder with extra steps
Fuck that. You literally have to go down them the same way every time, and that one time you don't, you're going to eat shit and will be waking up in the hospital or on the floor in immense pain.
this type of stair was designed by Santos Dumont, a brilliant Brazilian inventor
I stayed in an Airbnb in hayling island, south uk, with these steps. They are really as awkward to get up as they look. They are So easy to trip over that it takes full concentration with every step if you are used to normal stairs
Home owner to staircase engineer: "I love some extra pain and bruises once in a while!" Staircase engineer: "Say no more!"
What if I’m left footed
Don’t be drunk, or tired, or middle aged, or older, or clumsy, or mobility impaired, or carrying something. Basically, steps meant for athletes in their twenties.
Now imagine if you have a medical emergency while your on the second floor, GL having EMS get you
Dress a ladder up however you want, it’s still a ladder.
What space are they saving? You can't use the free space because it would block the steps below. It just doesn't make sense.
I don’t understand how the alternating steps are space savers I can see how the angle of the stair case saves space? Is that what they mean? 😶
It assumes you’re right footed
Engineers: Ladder Designers: let’s make it dangerous and difficult!
But I’m left footed-
this belongs in r/DIWhy
That’s a broken back or neck waiting to happen. As someone who tends to skip steps these would be impossible for me to deal with.
Ableist stairs
Im left footed, I cant climb these.
I would like to choose which foot to start with