Mr and Mrs Harding’s Self-Build Project
Mr and Mrs Harding had ambitious plans for building their dream family home in Staffordshire. They designed and managed the whole process for a brand new 3-storey detached property from start to finish, which took approximately 13 months in total.
Before commencing the project, they attended several trade shows and searched online for manufacturers, suppliers and fitters for various parts of the build.
Mr Harding comments: “We first became aware of StairBox via the internet and later, at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the NEC. When searching for tradespeople to help us complete our project, the internet was used as a research tool.
“One of the sites that we used, at that time, was mybuilder.com. We submitted a list of jobs that we required completing and Alex Hughes of ADH Carpentry and Joinery responded.
“We were particularly impressed with the experience, confidence, approach and costings that Alex supplied. Hence, we were more than happy to agree for ADH Carpentry and Joinery to complete all our joinery work, including the two flights of stairs from StairBox.”
Designing the Perfect Feature Staircase
When asked how they went about planning the design of their stairs, Mrs Harding said “A couple of years prior, we were invited into an exclusive bespoke self-build home that another family had successfully completed. One of the first features that we noticed in their home was a most impressive staircase. Consequently, it was our intention to incorporate a very similar design into our own self-build. The number one criteria being that the staircases would be a significant feature and that the rest of our house design would have to fit around the staircases. This took many experimental designs before finally agreeing on what we wanted to build.
“The online StairBuilder® at stairbox.com proved to be a valuable tool in helping us to design both of our staircases. We also made contact with a member of the sales team who guided us through the whole process.”
From the offset, it was clear that the couple had a clear vision in mind of what the staircase was going to look like. It was to be made of solid oak with square twist spindles and finished with a protective Treatex Oil to give a clear, natural finish.
Mr Harding said: “We wanted a contemporary and modern look and feel to our staircases due to their prominence in our sizeable entrance hall. “It was always our intention to use solid oak as the only construction material. This was finished with clear protective oils, also supplied by StairBox. It was important for us that the natural wood grain, texture and natural colour of the oak were maintained during and after the installation was complete.”
He then commented on the price and service received from the team. “The quote obtained from StairBox was very competitive when compared to the other quotes that we had also received from other local and national staircase manufacturers.
“Furthermore, our experience of the sales team and staff at StairBox was very positive and I would most certainly use this company again for any future projects.
“We have already recommended StairBox to other people working on their own projects. Without hesitation, we would award StairBox 5 out of 5 for their help, professionalism, product knowledge, quality of product and a fair price.” Mr Harding.
The Finished Result
Once the flights and stair components were delivered to site, they were fitted and finished by ADH Carpentry and Joinery.
Mr and Mrs Harding commented on the finished result: “We are most pleased with the construction of the staircases, our choice of materials and the fitting of them. They remain one of the most significant and desirable features of our self-build.”
