The first thing to consider is where you plan on putting the spiral staircase. If you plan on putting it in an area where things will be carried up and down, it’s very important that you understand spiral staircases typically are not designed for a lot of traffic, or moving things, so you’ll need to make sure your plans are really going to work for having a spiral staircase. If you just plan on carrying things like groceries or laundry then you shouldn’t trouble, but keep in mind, the more you use them, the more exercise you get, which can be a good thing. If you are elderly, or have any disabilities, or the person you are designing/building the spiral staircase does, then this might not be for you.

The double-helix spiral staircases have much wider steps, and will have more room for traveling up and down and even carrying things back and forth become easier. They take up a lot more space as well though, so depending on which way the staircase is going to spiral or twist, you need to make sure you do enough planning beforehand to make it work. In a lot of cases this will determine where the handrail is at, what size, and which way it twists. Many times spiral staircases are built when the building itself is being created so a lot of these things simply need to be worked out before you start. This is where having the right spiral staircase plans come into play.

Another thing to keep in mind is that not every building will have building codes that allow spiral staircases in them to be used as the main staircase. If you have stairs as the emergency exit this is usually the case. So before you find the right spiral staircase plans and get started, make sure what you are doing is legal and allowed where you plan on installing them.

Choosing the materials for the spiral staircase is an important step and not one that should be hastily decided upon. There are typically two ways to go, wood or metal. Just like when you decide between the materials for any project you need to weigh the pros and cons. You should also take into consideration where you will be placing these stairs and the basic environment and use it will endure.

The basics choices will be hard woods, such as oak, or steel, metal and other hard manufactured materials like this. When you find the spiral staircase plans you will be using, these will typically be chosen for you, because the stress and other elements that go into the design will usually rely on these materials already being worked into the plans. Sometimes the spiral staircase plans will give you some room to decide for yourself, but it’s usually going to be the less important decisions, such as hand-railings, etc.

The important thing to know before hand when picking your plans is whether or not you will be building a knock-down or complete one-piece. If you decide to just go with a kit, you won’t need the plans to build them from scratch.

Of the many types of stairways you can build, spiral staircases are the most economical in saving space because they can provide alternative ways to get up and down, outside of the main staircase in the house. You won’t be able to find a smaller and better space-saving staircase to choose from. They are ideal for reaching basements, attics or other two-story add-ons.