Staircase

The stairs that were in place were little more than scaffolding planks, with newel posts and railings that were not very solid, as you can see in this photo (which also has mattresses and Ikea flat packs visible!).

This was one of the first things we wanted to change.  Our building contact put us in touch with a staircase manufacturer who was based about 45 minutes away towards Montauban.  They came and measured up, and we went to the showroom to chose the design.  We had the staircase made in Brazilian Oak (known as Cerejeira), and also had a step for the triple bedroom upstairs made to match.

The staircase now is a main feature of the house showing off the gallery landing to great effect.

Whilst the stairs were being fitted, the woman who had sold us the house came by to drop off a key, and mentioned to us that the stairs had been in the "temporary" state for about 11 years......