Ships Ladder - Stairway Design And Building

A ships ladder stairway is usually used to access a small room or control area. It wouldn't be uncommon to find one of them in a factory, but there are specific building code requirements that need to be meet, before you can even use them. The picture below provides you with an excellent example of a ships ladder.

Can You Use A Ships Ladder Instead Of A Spiral Stairway To Access A Loft Area, In Your Home?

Probably not, because you don't see them used in houses to access living areas. Most ships ladder's are used to access control rooms, roofs or even unoccupied areas.

As a general rule of thumb, in the home building industry, if you don't see it in other homes, you probably can't put it in yours. A good example of this would be a ships ladder.


Are Ships Ladders Easy To Climb Up And Down?

Not really, simply because their steep and uncomfortable. To use them correctly, you will need to take small steps that can be extremely annoying for people with long legs.

You also need to walk up and down them, while you're facing the stairs and you better be holding on to the handrailing. Remember, most of the time, a ships ladder is going to be used in low traffic areas and won't be used on a daily basis.


Stairs / Stair Glossary

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