Rob had a site meeting with Anthony-the-architect and Teia-the-builder at the weekend and discussed a bunch of pressing topics. Anthony suggested leaving the stairs completely open because it would let in loads of light. Rob came home full of enthusiasm for this idea which made my head spin: firstly, I hate walking down stairs with no sides personally, as I'm scared of heights. Secondly, the safety issue is a problem - especially where kids are concerned. Sure our own kids might get used to the open stairs but visitor's kids won't necessarily, and I'm pretty sure there are health and safety guidelines in the UK for this sort of thing. Thirdly, if visibility is an issue, turn on a light!
I've since emailed to request that our original plan to build a waist height wall is adhered to, and we're back on track. It's a bit of a faff in that the wall has to be built out wide to be flush, but it was quoted for so I don't feel bad about insisting that it happens. With "scope creep" you get costs added to the build constantly, but with scope reduction I've never heard of a discount happening.
Speaking of scope creep, for one reason or another (uneven floors, dodgy ceiling, lighting configuration, extra MDF) we're looking at another £2,700 - and this is on top of the structural beam solution which is going to cost £1,800 (down from £2,900 for the long version). Bye bye balustrades and ta ta to the contingency fund...
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