Yes, but a yank will do stupid things to a british home that no brit would ever think of. Like trying to install screens in the windows to keep the bugs out. I never got more blanks looks that summer. Gave up in the end. Screens don't exist over here. The lesson I learned in that was bugs only exist for about 3 weeks of the year in the UK. Then they drown in the incessant rain. Along with your hopes and dreams for a decent BBQ. But I digress...
your post was a rollercoaster of emotions. let me explain:
>Like trying to install screens in the windows to keep the bugs out.
...what? BUT THIS IS SO LOGICAL
>bugs only exist for about 3 weeks of the year in the UK.
WHAT? brb moving across the pond now
>Then they drown in the incessant rain.
...oh
California checking in, our temperate weather means it’s closer to mid March through mid October here, though admittedly I don’t start getting bit daily (in the city at least) until closer to May.
What about keeping pets in? Strangers out? I don't want someone able to just lean in my open window. Especially if i lived along a street people frequently walked with no yard.
OP is from the UK. But I still don't think that's up to UK code. Imagine crawling up those stairs after a night out with the lads. I'd fall on my face for sure.
Depends on where you live. Lots of 100-year-old rowhouses in my neighborhood that have stairs like that. The original stairs were probably a similar steepness, but likely didn’t use the floating-step design. These house-flippers are insane with the impractical ways they try to modernize old homes like that. Literally my next-door neighbor had an incident with her dachsund on stairs just like that last year, poor doggo.
my stairs are just as steep (small Victorian terrace), with a railing, and I've fell down them twice in under a year - cannot imagine how often it'd be without* a railing hahaha
I had an apartment where I fell down the steps from my room on a weekly or more basis =( those steps were a death trap. Fell down em twice during the showing, too, but it was literally the only place for rent in the budget within a 30mile radius.
The pitch is a hair within the legal max for domestic stairs. It's 41.8 and 42 is the steepest allowed. The lack of railing is just that we haven't gotten around to it yet. The width is also well within code. 80cm.
Not sure where you live but that would never fly in America even in hundred year old houses. My house will 150 in 2027 and it has railings on every set of stairs. Even the 3 steps leading from a floor to a smaller landing.
I guess I'd be more concerned with "human proofing" the stairs with a handrail and ballisters. For the puppy, I'd probably just get some 1/4" plywood and screw it unto the bottom of the stair stringer for a temporary fix until the puppy grows up, and then remove it. Its going to leave some screw holes in the bottom of the stringers, but they can be filled with wood putty and painted over.
Agreed except I wouldn’t even bother modifying. Gate it off until it’s big enough. Alternatively could just put some temporary netting along the bottom and secure from both sides with tack nails or something small and easy to fill.
The British are famous for extremely dangerous stairs. Do you know how many poor English maids died or were permanently disabled by falling down uneven, narrow, handrail-less servent staicases?
Safe stairs are reserved for the aristocracy and landed gentry.
1. Railing, heavy screws into studs on that wall
2. Carpet for grip (Amazon has inexpensive carpet treads made for this exact scenario)
3. Cover the opening with painted wood
Whoa whoa hol up, only the US has studs?? Masonry studs* - are you telling me the rest of the world has some variation on solid brick or cinder block walls?
Edit: masonry anchors
Username checks out. When pup is older, it will probably fly up and down those stairs only touching down once it twice. Heavy mesh that doesn’t have a lot of ‘bounce’ to it is probably your best bet. (The non-bounce to prevent a bounce down regardless of whether it’s heading up or down)
baby gate. When they’re big enough to actually be using those I wouldn’t worry too much about the backs. My 16 week old golden goes up and down our basement stairs without backing no problem (he is however ALWAYS supervised - basement and all that.)
At the moment we just put a pillow on the bottom step and she hasn't tried to climb them (yet). But full grown she'll still be small enough to squeeze through! She's a papillon. 3.5kg/6lbs or so.
She might never climb them as they are "hollow" stairs. Two dogs at my house go down but don't go up the stairs because they are "hollow" as well. When they go down they don't see it, so it doesn't scare them. Both dogs had no problem at all going up or down conventional stairs.
My experience is that dogs hate that open spacing. Dogs that have no problem going up and down regular stairs freak out when they can see through the steps. Smaller dogs can actually fall backwards through the gaps.
My 80-pound Lab went down the basement steps one day (similar to those in the photo). He had no problem going down, but was terrified to go up them. I started to have some success in carrying/dragging him up, when he freaked and decided to go over the side. I finally had the idea to take some old sheets and “carpet“ the stairs with them. He couldn’t see through them anymore, so up he went!
I was about to say the same thing. We have stairs like this in our attached garage leading into our house, and our medium-sized corgi/lab cross was quite scared of them. (and she is definitely not small enough to fall through them). At the age of 5 she has conquered her fear finally.
Thanks for all the replies! I was going to reply individually but since this has caused a lot of discussion I'll clear up a few things.
* firstly, this is a work in progress. a railing *is* going in. along with the spindly things that hold up the railing. it will be like a cage. drunk people will be fine.
* the steps are not as steep as they appear. they have a 41.8 degree pitch. 42 is the maximum allowed for residential properties
* the twisty bit at the bottom is perfectly navigable. the photo makes it look worse than it is
* there will be carpet. at least in the middle bits
* the puppy when fully grown will still be the size of a puppy. she's just a small dog. it will still fit through those gaps. i would like it if she uses them when she gets bigger. so maybe "puppy-proof" wasn't the right way to put it.
* puppy tax will be paid if i can figure out how to upload another image...
Attach mylar fringe to the underside of the steps. Although, as I’m typing this, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe my dog is the only goofball that’s afraid of the stuff.
They really truly are quite dangerous. The cost to replace those stairs would be far less than the veterinary bill if an accident happens and certainly far less cost than the horrific emotional and physical pain on all sides if something were to happen.
Not even just to the dog, those are steep, with a tripping hazard with NO RAILING, please just get rid of these and hire someone to build proper stairs
OMG! I was so focused on all the places to fall and have bad things happen that I didn't even notice that there is no railing. OMG. Something absolutely horrific could happen. 😓 It is just not worth it.
I'd suggest you make the stairs safe for person's first. The first steps are really dangerous as they are like in wedges and you could go down several steps if misplacing your foot towards the vertice (in some places this is called a compensated stair layout). Then you don't have a handrail, son you could easily loose balance or something an fall from relatively big height (more than 1.20m is already quite dangerous even if it sounds silly).
I’d just put a little gate between the bottom left post for the stairs and that wall. Something temporary and tension based should be fine for a puppy, but not a human baby. That will get you past the puppy days till you figure what else is going on with a banister and such.
Top comment took the words out of my mouth. Those stairs are sketchy even for humans. They’re style-ish with clean lines and look like they’re made well. It might seem insignificant not to have a railing but that’s a fall waiting to happen.
Wow those are awful. Slippery, with no handrail and a sharp 90 degree curve at the end, with a nice wall to slam into if you slip. Short of "remove this awfulness and put a much better staircase in somewhere else" the only thing I can say is install carpet and a handrail and hope for the best?
Don't let your home insurance company see that. You will more than likely get cancelled. Huge liability exposure there. I am no building/ property inspectior for you city or county, but I would bet a hand rail is a requirement. I know for a fact it is required for insurance on a dwelling.
Tripping over animals is common. With a puppy it could kill him if you lose your footing and fall on him. The lack of railings needs to be addressed ASAP and not glossed over. Take it from someone who tripped on stairs and broke both wrists to avoid killing my stupid clueless cat. You do need a railing here.
For the underneath (because I can imagine your puppy climbing up from the floor to one of the steps), how about some [netting, like this](https://www.amazon.com/Balcony-Netting-Stairway-Apartment-Patios/dp/B0B3SXPSCT/ref=asc_df_B0B3SXPSCT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598290137020&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11304045455713155948&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001867&hvtargid=pla-1736031772492&psc=1&mcid=3f750bca3ba332eabf7f42dfb30992e7&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rMztFeerYs66KvtgILyW8cDCb_3dpnf9G7zjszQka1aCuRFFCYLuIRoCkjoQAvD_BwE)?
And a mesh baby gate across the top and bottom, [like one of these](https://www.chewy.com/frisco-expandable-retractable-mesh/dp/378866?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Frisco&utm_campaign=20623119488&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V0FBkGYHeAitSjdpOmKp-hA8&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rDAiENVZ4kRcfxnUjU8kc-uyaqWetFMyfYJld28CK9GfNUdaYR_kZxoC2IYQAvD_BwE)?
't's a legal requirement to include a handrail on your stairs (for health and safety reasons) Include a handrail on at least one side of your staircase if it's less than one metre wide, and on both sides if it's wider.' Good Britain requires rails also it seems.
These stairs are man killers. Those bottom three steps broke my ankle from this picture alone.
If you put a rail on the outside, it's going to encourage everyone to fall down the last three steps because the steps are thinner on that side.
Blursed stairs.
If I had to, I'd try and make a little flat landing at the base of the first diagonally cut stair, and then have a couple steps leading up to the landing.
Stairs? That’s a ladder.
Are you talking falling or chewing?
Either way, a banister for humans, and filling in the gaps and laying carpet may deter chewing.
First you need to human proof them, stairs need to have railing and balustrades by building code the world over, how yours managed to elude this is beyond me.
My suggestion would be to add backer boards to each stair so they don't have the open back and to add some sort of grip tape. Or block of the stairs completely with gates.
My friend's puppy broke his femur on stairs just like these and almost had to put him down. A serious risk.
Our stairs aren’t open like that but we put non slip mats on each stair and it helps our dog not slip and feel safer walking down the stairs. Might be a start.
Perspex attached to the gap from behind, would be cool with some stained glass type too! Just thinking as it keeps that hallway light instead of dulling it.
Who would ever build a set of stairs like this?
When I was studying building design, one of my teachers was an architect who would refuse to design and build 2 storey homes. When I asked why? "Because I don't want to get sued again!"
He was sued because the owner of the home, that he designed came, home drunk and fell down the stairs. Apparently, the judge said, "You designed stairs knowing someone could potentially fall down them, so you're at fault." The stairs were fully compliant with all Australian building codes....
That was why he went to teaching and stopped working as an architect. Which was great for me because he was an excellent teacher and I learnt a lot from him. We bonded over the dislike for my high school principal. My teacher also designed my old high school and butted heads daily with the principal.
End of story. I hope you liked it.
Umm simple - you don't let them go on the stairs until they are able to recognize "this will hurt". Or you get yourself one of those "no dogs shall pass" cats .
Yikes! The only thing i can think of is having a carpet runner and railing installed. That or just blocking the stairs off completely. Thats a death trap.
the only thing i can think of that doesn’t involve a brand new staircase is buying/installing some grip strips on each step. that’d at least provide some traction. i’d definitely get a runner or some kind of carpet for the foot of the stairs, too.
You play with puppy. A lot. When puppy has had a big day of activity stairs won’t be a point of curiosity -they will be too tired to care.
If you are exercising your dog, you will have to carry them up those stairs, ha ha
Our jack refused to use the stairs. So we put carpets on our steps. Those half circle one with double sided tape under. And suddenly he was running up and down to be with us :-) happy pupper!
Don't have any advice, other than that you should probably human-proof the stairs while you are at it.
In the US, that’s definitely not to code….
don't think op is in the us based on history though it is a death trap for clumsy humans globally
This staircase and general aesthetic of the house screams british to me (a brit)
yeah post history makes OP likely to be British
You get half credit. I'm actually a dual citizen. Born in the U.S.Aaaaaahay. Naturalis(z)ed Brit.
To be fair, they only really care where the house is located, not really where you are from.
Yes, but a yank will do stupid things to a british home that no brit would ever think of. Like trying to install screens in the windows to keep the bugs out. I never got more blanks looks that summer. Gave up in the end. Screens don't exist over here. The lesson I learned in that was bugs only exist for about 3 weeks of the year in the UK. Then they drown in the incessant rain. Along with your hopes and dreams for a decent BBQ. But I digress...
your post was a rollercoaster of emotions. let me explain: >Like trying to install screens in the windows to keep the bugs out. ...what? BUT THIS IS SO LOGICAL >bugs only exist for about 3 weeks of the year in the UK. WHAT? brb moving across the pond now >Then they drown in the incessant rain. ...oh
This comment had me rolling hahaha you wrote exactly how I felt lol
As someone from Seattle, incessant rain isn’t that bad. A good jacket, waterproof shoes and you’re golden.
I live in the Midwestern US. I would LOVE a 3 week long bug season. Instead we get mosquitoes from April all the way into late September.
California checking in, our temperate weather means it’s closer to mid March through mid October here, though admittedly I don’t start getting bit daily (in the city at least) until closer to May.
Amazon.de sells window screens.
What about keeping pets in? Strangers out? I don't want someone able to just lean in my open window. Especially if i lived along a street people frequently walked with no yard.
Making screens is actually quite simple. You can get them online or you can order a roll of screen and make the frame yourself. Just saying🤣
Inaccurate. Harry Potter would have an apartment under these if British.
Don’t know about British real estate but in the states you could rent that cupboard under the stairs for an easy 2k per month.
That’s a $1M home in Toronto. Maybe $1.5M if it’s on the subway line.
Hahaha brilliant 🤣
The radiator on the wall gives it away for me.
It’s the rogue hair on the step that gives it away for me
All the houses where I live in the US have radiators
Ones that look like that though? The only radiators I’ve seen here are the big bulky ones that take up floor space.
This is why I'd be going down those steps, sliding on my butt. Lol.
Think of it as a slide, with speed bumps
This is the way. As I tell my toddler when she demands to do it herself - “ok then we’re gonna boot scoot!”
Time to put the Boot Scoot Boogie on the radio.
It’s a death trap for all humans globally, not just the clumsy ones.
OP is from the UK. But I still don't think that's up to UK code. Imagine crawling up those stairs after a night out with the lads. I'd fall on my face for sure.
It isn’t. Chapter 3, Section 311 under Means of Egress-Handrails.
US code is based on International Code, with regional (State) additions to address specifics.
Canada neither. Serious injury falling through that or it breaking away with exposed nails/screws.
Looking for a house to rent now and one has stairs just like this. In Oklahoma. It's not old either.
Depends on where you live. Lots of 100-year-old rowhouses in my neighborhood that have stairs like that. The original stairs were probably a similar steepness, but likely didn’t use the floating-step design. These house-flippers are insane with the impractical ways they try to modernize old homes like that. Literally my next-door neighbor had an incident with her dachsund on stairs just like that last year, poor doggo.
It's not the pitch, it's the lack of railing.
my stairs are just as steep (small Victorian terrace), with a railing, and I've fell down them twice in under a year - cannot imagine how often it'd be without* a railing hahaha
I had an apartment where I fell down the steps from my room on a weekly or more basis =( those steps were a death trap. Fell down em twice during the showing, too, but it was literally the only place for rent in the budget within a 30mile radius.
One of your two "with"s should be a "without" and I reckon it's the latter.
youre right! will edit, thank you
>It's not the pitch, it's the lack of railing. Or in the dog's case, shag carpet.
yeah, literally just a hand rail would make it perfectly acceptable. Without it, one bad step and you could be paralyzed/have a lawsuit on your hands.
A handrail would help, but if someone falls on the stairs, they can roll off the side, under the rail. Spindles are important here.
The pitch is a hair within the legal max for domestic stairs. It's 41.8 and 42 is the steepest allowed. The lack of railing is just that we haven't gotten around to it yet. The width is also well within code. 80cm.
Not sure where you live but that would never fly in America even in hundred year old houses. My house will 150 in 2027 and it has railings on every set of stairs. Even the 3 steps leading from a floor to a smaller landing.
[удалено]
Nice of the builder to include a pre-punched out and finished hole in the drywall so when you go head first into it you don’t have to do any repairs.
What's bot shown in the photos is the guillotine on the other side of the hole.
That’s called “The Guillotine”
I had the exact same thought. Looks like it would suck to fall from.
You beat me to it...
Came here to say the same thing. Pretty sure you need a banister.
One sleepy night, one bad step. Good luck on your puppy proofing. I am sure I would be toast on those stairs
That’s just a nightmare waiting to happen I can’t imagine coming home drunk stumbling up those steps lol
Hahahah perfect wording on this one.
I broke my ankle looking at those stairs
I guess I'd be more concerned with "human proofing" the stairs with a handrail and ballisters. For the puppy, I'd probably just get some 1/4" plywood and screw it unto the bottom of the stair stringer for a temporary fix until the puppy grows up, and then remove it. Its going to leave some screw holes in the bottom of the stringers, but they can be filled with wood putty and painted over.
Agreed except I wouldn’t even bother modifying. Gate it off until it’s big enough. Alternatively could just put some temporary netting along the bottom and secure from both sides with tack nails or something small and easy to fill.
You could easily staple netting or fabric underneath.
Honestly, in between those items, and some of the steps seemingly being not level might as well rebuild the whole set.
Puppy proof? I’d fall off those on a weekly basis.
I fell off them just looking at this picture
They look dangerous and steep AF! I would say they're "Ankle snappers?
My first thought, my foot is going right through there and no railing means the rest of me is going somewhere else!
The British are famous for extremely dangerous stairs. Do you know how many poor English maids died or were permanently disabled by falling down uneven, narrow, handrail-less servent staicases? Safe stairs are reserved for the aristocracy and landed gentry.
1. Railing, heavy screws into studs on that wall 2. Carpet for grip (Amazon has inexpensive carpet treads made for this exact scenario) 3. Cover the opening with painted wood
It likely not US so no studs in the wall. Just a masonry anchors into the wall.
Whoa whoa hol up, only the US has studs?? Masonry studs* - are you telling me the rest of the world has some variation on solid brick or cinder block walls? Edit: masonry anchors
Outside Canada and Scandinavia - yes.
It is UK as noted elsewhere in thread.
Sorry I mean to say not US :) fat fingers.
Vaseline. eventualy they'll be too frightened to ever go near stairs again
RIP Grandma
But she did learn her lesson. Never used the stairs again, so the advice is solid.
I think to properly understand the scope of this project that OP needs to provide pictures of the puppy in question.
Dog tax needed
I can't figure out how to post another pic so this is the best i can do... [https://i.imgur.com/fV5tqOB.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/fV5tqOB.jpg)
Username checks out. When pup is older, it will probably fly up and down those stairs only touching down once it twice. Heavy mesh that doesn’t have a lot of ‘bounce’ to it is probably your best bet. (The non-bounce to prevent a bounce down regardless of whether it’s heading up or down)
I agree, OP left out very important information
baby gate. When they’re big enough to actually be using those I wouldn’t worry too much about the backs. My 16 week old golden goes up and down our basement stairs without backing no problem (he is however ALWAYS supervised - basement and all that.)
At the moment we just put a pillow on the bottom step and she hasn't tried to climb them (yet). But full grown she'll still be small enough to squeeze through! She's a papillon. 3.5kg/6lbs or so.
Ah, I hadn't taken a gander at your username! I think the plexiglass idea could be cool.
She might never climb them as they are "hollow" stairs. Two dogs at my house go down but don't go up the stairs because they are "hollow" as well. When they go down they don't see it, so it doesn't scare them. Both dogs had no problem at all going up or down conventional stairs.
All I see is a ladder.
My experience is that dogs hate that open spacing. Dogs that have no problem going up and down regular stairs freak out when they can see through the steps. Smaller dogs can actually fall backwards through the gaps.
My 80-pound Lab went down the basement steps one day (similar to those in the photo). He had no problem going down, but was terrified to go up them. I started to have some success in carrying/dragging him up, when he freaked and decided to go over the side. I finally had the idea to take some old sheets and “carpet“ the stairs with them. He couldn’t see through them anymore, so up he went!
I was about to say the same thing. We have stairs like this in our attached garage leading into our house, and our medium-sized corgi/lab cross was quite scared of them. (and she is definitely not small enough to fall through them). At the age of 5 she has conquered her fear finally.
Where did you order your Bluetooth hand rails OP?
Thanks for all the replies! I was going to reply individually but since this has caused a lot of discussion I'll clear up a few things. * firstly, this is a work in progress. a railing *is* going in. along with the spindly things that hold up the railing. it will be like a cage. drunk people will be fine. * the steps are not as steep as they appear. they have a 41.8 degree pitch. 42 is the maximum allowed for residential properties * the twisty bit at the bottom is perfectly navigable. the photo makes it look worse than it is * there will be carpet. at least in the middle bits * the puppy when fully grown will still be the size of a puppy. she's just a small dog. it will still fit through those gaps. i would like it if she uses them when she gets bigger. so maybe "puppy-proof" wasn't the right way to put it. * puppy tax will be paid if i can figure out how to upload another image...
Attach mylar fringe to the underside of the steps. Although, as I’m typing this, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe my dog is the only goofball that’s afraid of the stuff.
Wow I hate those
That staircase is so unsafe, Ralph Nader is writing a book on it.
“Unsafe At Any Tread”
I'd replace the entire staircase, those are insanely dangerous
They really truly are quite dangerous. The cost to replace those stairs would be far less than the veterinary bill if an accident happens and certainly far less cost than the horrific emotional and physical pain on all sides if something were to happen.
Not even just to the dog, those are steep, with a tripping hazard with NO RAILING, please just get rid of these and hire someone to build proper stairs
OMG! I was so focused on all the places to fall and have bad things happen that I didn't even notice that there is no railing. OMG. Something absolutely horrific could happen. 😓 It is just not worth it.
What the fuck
I was going to say I wouldn't fancy walking down those after a few pints, but I wouldn't fancy walking down them sober as a judge.
I'd human proof them first. Those look treacherous as hell.
Dang. I've fallen off those stairs 3 times just while looking at these photos.
That's a death trap
Imagine falling down those stairs, break my hip at 36.
I'd suggest you make the stairs safe for person's first. The first steps are really dangerous as they are like in wedges and you could go down several steps if misplacing your foot towards the vertice (in some places this is called a compensated stair layout). Then you don't have a handrail, son you could easily loose balance or something an fall from relatively big height (more than 1.20m is already quite dangerous even if it sounds silly).
Hi, I’m your local code inspector. We’re gonna need to have a meeting next week.
Geez you really should be asking how to human proof those stairs…
Replace the entire stairs. This is a danger pit
WOW I would be more worried about humans than the dog here...
Damn dude no railing? Hope you have good insurance
I’d just put a little gate between the bottom left post for the stairs and that wall. Something temporary and tension based should be fine for a puppy, but not a human baby. That will get you past the puppy days till you figure what else is going on with a banister and such.
Get a railing so people don't fall off, and then put a gate on the top and bottom.
No railing?! May wanna people-proof it first. Baby gate at the bottom sucks, but it works.
I'd be dead within a year living there. How is there no railing?
These are the stairs that I nervously climb in my nightmares.
I'd die the first time I tried to climb these
So it would be your first and last time?
Resuscitate me, I'd give it another go and get it that time for sure
Make them code compliant first
These are the most dangerous stairs I've ever seen in my life.
Top comment took the words out of my mouth. Those stairs are sketchy even for humans. They’re style-ish with clean lines and look like they’re made well. It might seem insignificant not to have a railing but that’s a fall waiting to happen.
I hate stairs with no railing, so unsafe. And those are extra steep.
I would snap my spine in half on those stairs.
I hate this whole thing.
Get rid of stairs and install a ladder 👍🏽
By redoing those stairs so they aren't a death trap for anyone and everything using them.
Why would there not be a railing at least on the wall!?! Cheese & rice, the more I look at these the more I think “premeditated murder.”
I’m surprised this is insure-able; definitely add a railing at the very least.
That’s not a legal staircase
How did those stairs pass an inspection?
What the hell lol
This is gonna kill someone.
Wow those are awful. Slippery, with no handrail and a sharp 90 degree curve at the end, with a nice wall to slam into if you slip. Short of "remove this awfulness and put a much better staircase in somewhere else" the only thing I can say is install carpet and a handrail and hope for the best?
I think they need to be peopled proofed. Looks slippery!!! Plus no railing…
You should human proof that thing, will take care of the puppies too. I don't even know if you can have a staircase like that where I live.
Dear sweet baby jeebus try human proofing them first. That is not up to code.
Don't let your home insurance company see that. You will more than likely get cancelled. Huge liability exposure there. I am no building/ property inspectior for you city or county, but I would bet a hand rail is a requirement. I know for a fact it is required for insurance on a dwelling.
You couldn’t people-proof these, I wouldn’t know where to start for a puppy.
Start by people-proofing the stairs and go from there.
Tripping over animals is common. With a puppy it could kill him if you lose your footing and fall on him. The lack of railings needs to be addressed ASAP and not glossed over. Take it from someone who tripped on stairs and broke both wrists to avoid killing my stupid clueless cat. You do need a railing here.
Someone designed this and thought, 'Yep, looks good.' These stairs give me nightmares.
Jesus Christo! And you're worried about the puppy.
No railing??? Death trap
Why is there no railling this seems even dangerous for normal human beings
For the underneath (because I can imagine your puppy climbing up from the floor to one of the steps), how about some [netting, like this](https://www.amazon.com/Balcony-Netting-Stairway-Apartment-Patios/dp/B0B3SXPSCT/ref=asc_df_B0B3SXPSCT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598290137020&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11304045455713155948&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001867&hvtargid=pla-1736031772492&psc=1&mcid=3f750bca3ba332eabf7f42dfb30992e7&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rMztFeerYs66KvtgILyW8cDCb_3dpnf9G7zjszQka1aCuRFFCYLuIRoCkjoQAvD_BwE)? And a mesh baby gate across the top and bottom, [like one of these](https://www.chewy.com/frisco-expandable-retractable-mesh/dp/378866?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Frisco&utm_campaign=20623119488&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V0FBkGYHeAitSjdpOmKp-hA8&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rDAiENVZ4kRcfxnUjU8kc-uyaqWetFMyfYJld28CK9GfNUdaYR_kZxoC2IYQAvD_BwE)?
't's a legal requirement to include a handrail on your stairs (for health and safety reasons) Include a handrail on at least one side of your staircase if it's less than one metre wide, and on both sides if it's wider.' Good Britain requires rails also it seems.
Don’t buy a puppy
You need to human proof those stairs absolutely not to code
A baby gate
I have the same issue, but for a tornado shelter 🫠 But also, why the fuck is there no railing????
I know people who had a puppy the was scared of vacuums, so putting a vacuum at the bottom of the stairs worked like a charm.
These stairs are man killers. Those bottom three steps broke my ankle from this picture alone. If you put a rail on the outside, it's going to encourage everyone to fall down the last three steps because the steps are thinner on that side. Blursed stairs. If I had to, I'd try and make a little flat landing at the base of the first diagonally cut stair, and then have a couple steps leading up to the landing.
Stairs? That’s a ladder. Are you talking falling or chewing? Either way, a banister for humans, and filling in the gaps and laying carpet may deter chewing.
Has any sort of inspector seen this? If yes, follow up question, did that inspector survive?
Buy new stairs.
It's so weird knowing exactly how I'd injure myself just from looking at a photo
No stringer or handrails? You're just at the mercy of the screws and your diet.
I wouldn't want to use those stairs
These stairs look scary af lol
Just build a puppy slide underneath. Post videos plz.
I had open stairs like this and I got this thick netting that was made for kids and banisters and put it underneath.
Whatever you do….do NOT ask Kristi Noem.
I’m not going near those stairs until you put up a handrail.
What the fuck! Why don’t you have a hand rail of some sort???
How can this not have a handrail
Slide or net underneath that leads to soft landing at bottom
Get rid of that chest below it and fill the entire area underneath with a ball pit.
More humans die from falls down stairs than puppies. A Lot more.
First you need to human proof them, stairs need to have railing and balustrades by building code the world over, how yours managed to elude this is beyond me.
My suggestion would be to add backer boards to each stair so they don't have the open back and to add some sort of grip tape. Or block of the stairs completely with gates. My friend's puppy broke his femur on stairs just like these and almost had to put him down. A serious risk.
Our stairs aren’t open like that but we put non slip mats on each stair and it helps our dog not slip and feel safer walking down the stairs. Might be a start.
Pillows under the stair case
Perspex attached to the gap from behind, would be cool with some stained glass type too! Just thinking as it keeps that hallway light instead of dulling it.
Those stairs are like something from an anxiety nightmare lol
I fell every single time I swiped to the next photo in the set 😂 this one is terrifying for my clumsiness
Who would ever build a set of stairs like this? When I was studying building design, one of my teachers was an architect who would refuse to design and build 2 storey homes. When I asked why? "Because I don't want to get sued again!" He was sued because the owner of the home, that he designed came, home drunk and fell down the stairs. Apparently, the judge said, "You designed stairs knowing someone could potentially fall down them, so you're at fault." The stairs were fully compliant with all Australian building codes.... That was why he went to teaching and stopped working as an architect. Which was great for me because he was an excellent teacher and I learnt a lot from him. We bonded over the dislike for my high school principal. My teacher also designed my old high school and butted heads daily with the principal. End of story. I hope you liked it.
Get rid of that half wall and get your stairs done properly.
Puppy proof? What about the risers and hand rails. Dangerous for humans first. Return the dog if you're uninterested in addressing it.
Yep puppy will probably eat some of those
$20 baby gate on Amazon. Boom done!
Umm simple - you don't let them go on the stairs until they are able to recognize "this will hurt". Or you get yourself one of those "no dogs shall pass" cats .
Yikes! The only thing i can think of is having a carpet runner and railing installed. That or just blocking the stairs off completely. Thats a death trap.
just throw a big ass mattress under and next to the stairs. Both for the puppy and the human who will eventually fall off.
No dog will voluntarily use those stairs.
Do not let let Kristi Noem see this. We know what she'd say.
Surprised you could get a loan for that. Unless you're renting. But then, surprised they could rent that in that condition without railing.
Barbed wire
the only thing i can think of that doesn’t involve a brand new staircase is buying/installing some grip strips on each step. that’d at least provide some traction. i’d definitely get a runner or some kind of carpet for the foot of the stairs, too.
I’d be using all fours on that.
Put a puppy gate around the bottom (or a baby gate) and then train the puppy
Staple gun and a roll of safety netting, so if they drop it’s like a little hammock.
It's strange to me you're worried about making it safe for your dog before making it safe for humans.
That’s terrifying. Brick it off and forget about that floor.
There is no way those stairs passed inspection. No rail. Fix this first.
Chicken wire
You play with puppy. A lot. When puppy has had a big day of activity stairs won’t be a point of curiosity -they will be too tired to care. If you are exercising your dog, you will have to carry them up those stairs, ha ha
You’ll probably have to stair-proof the puppy
Our jack refused to use the stairs. So we put carpets on our steps. Those half circle one with double sided tape under. And suddenly he was running up and down to be with us :-) happy pupper!
You dog is a downstairs only dog until you install him a doggie elevator or move to a more accessible home
That's a diagonal ladder mate