My company specialises in renewing and upgrading existing stairs as well as designing and making new ones. Here's a project that we completed at the end of 2016, the first pictures are how the stairs looked when we first visited and the last ones with the glass are how we changed it. Here's the review from our client who was very pleased http://bit.ly/2oYjRFi . All our work is designed and made in house so you don't have to bother with taking templates to a local glazier. As you have seen from the number of replies the range of options are unlimited. Most things can be achieved with the right client and good budget but to avoid spending too much on something you don't need it is important to gain an understanding of how you want the whole house to look; I always request that my clients show me images of things they like, furniture, interiors so that a design can be developed that not only complements the design/ concept of a home but enhances. Depending on your budget, you could make a saving by just renewing the stairs in a design that incorporates a glazed banister and fixes the issues that you are concerned about. Site installation work is far more expensive than just making something from scratch in our workshop. I don't believe you have any problems offering B&B with the stairs as they are as far as Building Regs go. What you should probably take account of though is providing a staircase for the guests that they are comfortable with and feel safe using, if you are certain that all the guests will be fully mobile adults then in the strict reading of the regs your stairs will comply anyway. Building Regs approved document K requires gaps in staircase risers and banisters to be 100 mm or less to provide adequate safety for children. Following this, but also keeping open risers means adding a small downstand underneath the tread to reduce the open riser height. It will also pose problems adding glass to the side of your existing flight because you will have difficulty because there are not convenient points to fix the glass, nor have the carriages - the beams supporting the treads underneath - been designed to carry the additional load from the glass or stair users pressing on it, so additional structure must be added to the carriage to carry the glass, everything is possible but most people have a budget so I must ask you - What is yours? Robert

Wow - I can see that you have some lovely ideas - however, if you want to design this sort of renovation yourself, you will need to research building regs to make sure your plan is compliant (as they are mandatory here in UK, not optional) - also I’d suggest you look up fire regs too as you will need to protect your family’s route out in the case of an emergency. Then I’d suggest you research opening sunrooms into the main part of the house that will be under thermal values part of building regs and then look into walkway spaces required in a kitchen and space required infront of an appliance and then look at informal planning guides for distance of table to wall and best equation for choosing the right size tv for the distance away you’ll be seated. Add to that some knowledge of the heat produced by the gas fire and how heat rises and there for it might melt your tv which would be a fire risk. ... Hope I haven’t bored you with all that ! With a little bit of research and some drawing changes - maybe a few more days required . Then it will be lovely AND safe for you and your family !

Shan M - I never did do the brick slips in the end! I managed to salvage a wall to the side of the kitchen so ended up just painting the back kitchen wall in the same colour as the units (well itt's a different tone due to the paint finish) and it's quite dramatic and I love it. If I had done brick slips, they would have gone on afterwards and been fitted around the units to save money. retrospectively, the brick slips cost the same as a full brick and although the original builder said it would be cheaper to tile with slips rather than to build a brick wall, the actual bricklayer (after he finished the job) disagreed! He said he could have done block work up the units and bricked all the exposed areas. Probably would have cost the same as tilers are not cheap! Doh.

Hi Leah. I like the new storage. I'd keep it quite simple. A wooden shelf over the radiator with a round mirror over the top. Add a vase of eucalyptus, candles, diffuser etc on the shelf. Radiator I would just paint in the wall colour If you do paint. If you want you could add a couple of the hooks at the bottom of the stairs for hanging bags, a hat etc and then maybe a belly basket where the box is for kids gloves, scarves etc. I think it would tie in nicely to your living room.