|
|
How do I child-proof these stairs?
07-02-2015, 02:40 PM
|
#1
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Houston
Posts: 1,448
|
How do I child-proof these stairs?
DS is on the way, and it will be a while before he is walking, but I'm wondering how to child-proof these stairs on the open side, or at least to keep him from being able to get on the stairs at all.
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
07-02-2015, 02:50 PM
|
#2
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
|
Here's some photos to give you ideas
Child Proofing Open Stairs - Yahoo Search Results Yahoo Image Search Results
I did a search on "childproofing open stairs" and selected the image results link. Click on the blue Show More Images at the bottom of the first set of images to see the rest of the photos.
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 02:51 PM
|
#3
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by soupcxan
DS is on the way, and it will be a while before he is walking, but I'm wondering how to child-proof these stairs on the open side, or at least to keep him from being able to get on the stairs at all.
|
Note that as I understand it the stairs don't meet any building codes due to the lack of a railing on the open side. So the first step would be to put a railing on the open side with ballisters about 6 inches apart to make sure that no one can fall thru. (check with the local building code for exact spacing details).
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 02:56 PM
|
#4
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Houston
Posts: 1,448
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by meierlde
Note that as I understand it the stairs don't meet any building codes due to the lack of a railing on the open side.
|
Yes, but was hoping to put off the baluster project for a while...
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 02:57 PM
|
#5
|
Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,913
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by meierlde
Note that as I understand it the stairs don't meet any building codes due to the lack of a railing on the open side. So the first step would be to put a railing on the open side with ballisters about 6 inches apart to make sure that no one can fall thru. (check with the local building code for exact spacing details).
|
+1
This is an interesting photo - the stairs in our previous house were exactly the same design, but had a railing and balusters. Once you have that, closing off the bottom is much easier.
__________________
"One of the funny things about the stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells, and both think they are astute." William Feather
----------------------------------
ER'd Oct. 2010 at 53. Life is good.
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 03:31 PM
|
#6
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,495
|
Not meeting building codes is true, but the bigger issue is the fact that a child dropping from one of those top steps would likely suffer tragic if not fatal injuries. You really don't have much choice but to install balusters that meet code. Kids are incredibly capable at defeating gates and obstacles, don't try that. DD lived in a 4 story townhouse (totaled maybe 1300 sf; it was London) with three kids at the time. While no baluster danger, they pretty quickly learned where not to go. However, there's a big difference between a tumble down some stairs and one off the high height you have.
Just suck it up, let your inner architect cry a few tears, and make it safe for the little one!
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 04:57 PM
|
#7
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Colorado Mountains
Posts: 3,163
|
I agree. This is not a project to procrastinate. I think the code says a 4 inch sphere cannot pass through. Look up your local code before you start. I built custom gates with matching balistares when the kids were small. A magnet held them against the wall when not in use. Came in handy for years when little ones visited.
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 05:20 PM
|
#8
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 108
|
Try a Google image search for "baby fence for stairs" You'll see some creative uses for the baby play-yards to block off the bottom of the stairways.
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 05:27 PM
|
#9
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Western Canada
Posts: 393
|
While I agree with following code, if you don't, how about a good "baby gate" at the top? If he starts at the bottom, you just have to bite the bullet and do it right.
__________________
I'm not crazy. Honest, the judge had me tested.
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 05:42 PM
|
#10
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,107
|
A 'baby gate' won't do the job but for a month or two once the babe begins to crawl. Do the right thing and provide a proper baluster.
__________________
Duck bjorn.
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 06:27 PM
|
#11
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,773
|
Yes to complete railings or a half wall coming down the stairs, and hinged, permanently attached and locking baby gates at both top and bottom. Congrats on DS's imminent arrival. Your protective instincts will swell mightily soon.
__________________
“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 06:37 PM
|
#12
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,204
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by soupcxan
Yes, but was hoping to put off the baluster project for a while...
|
You would have to do it before you sell your house in any event since the lack of a railing is not up to code. Just bite the bullet and do it... it'll be out of the way and will be safe for your coming DS.
If you have a guest who falls on those stairs you could have a liability issue as well.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 07:36 PM
|
#13
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
|
I would get a few cans of that spray foam insulation, the orange stuff that expands exponentially. Fill the entire stairway with it, then cut a tunnel through it to allow access up the stairs. You can either trim the outside and paint it to look like a wall, or leave it natural for a sort of cave man look. Perfect safety.
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 07:37 PM
|
#14
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
|
If you are a father, job number one is making your child safe.
If you can't make the changes, find someone who can
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 07:38 PM
|
#15
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 389
|
|
|
|
07-02-2015, 07:49 PM
|
#16
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Houston
Posts: 1,448
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by harley
I would get a few cans of that spray foam insulation, the orange stuff that expands exponentially. Fill the entire stairway with it, then cut a tunnel through it to allow access up the stairs. You can either trim the outside and paint it to look like a wall, or leave it natural for a sort of cave man look. Perfect safety.
|
I would like to hire you as my GC! But it might be more cost-effective to just spray foam the baby in a giant sphere...
|
|
|
07-03-2015, 04:10 PM
|
#17
|
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
|
Agreed on the baluster, I've never, ever, seen an open staircase like that. And I'd bet your homeowner's insurance underwriter would have apoplexy at the sight of it too. There might even be a coverage exclusion in the policy for stuff that doesn't meet code, meaning you'd be on the hook yourself if a guest fell and was injured or worse.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
|
|
|
07-03-2015, 04:30 PM
|
#18
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34
Agreed on the baluster, I've never, ever, seen an open staircase like that. And I'd bet your homeowner's insurance underwriter would have apoplexy at the sight of it too. There might even be a coverage exclusion in the policy for stuff that doesn't meet code, meaning you'd be on the hook yourself if a guest fell and was injured or worse.
|
Of course the issue is when the stairs were built what was the code? Houses are expected to meet the code at the time of building or major remodeling, not necessarily the current code. I recall my grandparents house built in the 1920s for example had essentially an open basement stair (all be it with no baluster railings on each side. Of course the fundamental reason for putting in rails and balusters is safety and with a kid coming it makes sense to do so. Of course safety has increased in the 1950s when I grew up cabinet doors did not have child proof locks nor did electric outlets get covers, nor did I ride in a child seat (they were not around then).
|
|
|
07-03-2015, 04:49 PM
|
#19
|
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by meierlde
Of course safety has increased in the 1950s when I grew up cabinet doors did not have child proof locks nor did electric outlets get covers, nor did I ride in a child seat (they were not around then).
|
Oh yes. I was born in 1950 so we grew up without all that safety stuff then too. Seat belts? Never heard of 'em. Bicycle helmets? I doubt they were even made then. And yes I did blow a fuse when I stuck a screwdriver in an outlet and on and on....
It's a wonder we survived.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
|
|
|
07-03-2015, 05:41 PM
|
#20
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34
Oh yes. I was born in 1950 so we grew up without all that safety stuff then too. Seat belts? Never heard of 'em. Bicycle helmets? I doubt they were even made then. And yes I did blow a fuse when I stuck a screwdriver in an outlet and on and on....
It's a wonder we survived.
|
I once stuck a plug 1/2 into a socket and tried to cut them off with a metal scissors. Blew a fuse.
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|