How To Choose Between An Internal Staircase Or An External Staircase?

"You don't have to see the Whole Staircase. Just take the first step"-Martin Luther king.

The quote about life inspiration astutely fits the context of this discussion. A staircase is an integral part of building design that can serve users to connect to other areas of the house, especially on different planes like upper floors and lower floors. Internal and External Staircases, along with fulfilling the functional purpose also serves as an influential design element of the building. A well-designed staircase can add value to any structure as it ensures users are safe and comfortable going up and down the steps.

The staircase also breaks the monotony in modern buildings and enhances the aesthetic. Apart from adding form and function to a building, the staircase also serves as a cost-effective solution to move people and objects from one floor to another.

Hence positioning of the internal or external staircase is the first and mandatory step to be taken while planning a staircase in your house. Even more so, this takes prominence in a commercial setting, serving a more functional purpose inside and outside by providing convenient access to lofts, elevated platform storage, or logistics halls.

While designing a house, particularly with a small to medium area building or a specific function building that is supposed to adhere to laid out guidelines, it is difficult to accommodate a staircase that needs substantial area.

To balance between the needs of future expansion and current assets in hand, particularly while cleaning, is always a challenge. At such times the decision to mandate whether to design an external staircase or internal staircase becomes a major challenge.

A staircase can be an internal or external part of a house depending on functionality, aesthetics, and space available.

Internal staircase:

Internal Staircase is a staircase structure located in the interior of your house. They are also known as indoor or interior staircases. An interior staircase can enhance your living room's decor as well as the interior elegance of the house. It encourages easy transactions between the two factors, especially when the staircase is visually open. For commercial spaces, companies with offices occupying multiple floors utilize an internal staircase to allow easy transit between floors.

The internal stairs encourage interaction between floors, be it home or office, especially when they are visually open, enabling the occupant to access one floor from another. Two visibly connected floors give off the feeling of one cohesive space rather than distinct ones.

The internal staircases can be designed in various ways

❖ Cantilever

❖ glass staircases

❖ switchback

❖ multi-floor

When ornamented with an internal staircase railing design, the stairways can accentuate the internal space to give a sophisticated, engaged, or rustic feel as envisioned.

Best suited if your house is located in a busy area or if there can be a possibility for insecurity at night time or you are building with the intent for future expansion or segregation of floor.

External Staircase: 

The external staircase is located at the external part of your house. They are known as outdoor Staircases or exterior Staircases.

More than just a way to access between floors, these serve as a major element for saving space and adding an aesthetic appeal to the building.

One of the most important things you have to keep in mind while selecting an external staircase and sorting down the exterior staircase railing design is that it must function in all types of climatic conditions and provide safe and comfortable access to the user.

The external staircase can be designed in various ways

● straight staircase

● L shaped staircase 

● U shaped staircase

● winder staircase

● wood and brick staircase.