Half landing design

[Lincolnshire Ian]

Hi folks

Thanks for your previous help with designing our staircase. 

Our stairs have a half landing. I think from a building control perspective this is classed as a structural element. 

Does anyone have any tips/designs they could share to help us build a solid half landing? 

Thanks 

 

[ProDave]

The half landing is basically another floor to the house.  You use joists sized and spaced to support that floor in exactly the same way as any other floor.  Usually because a half landing is small, and the span is small you don't need very big joists.

 

Think of it as an extra small piece of floor part way between ground floor and first floor, with two small staircases one from the ground floor to the half landing and one from the half landing to the first floor.  It all becomes simple then.

 

In my case because we were not having fancy treads, the stairs were being carpeted, the half landing did not need to be built by the stair company.  They just built the 2 flights of stairs, and I built the half landing to join them.

[Lincolnshire Ian]

Your scenario is also ours. 

Can you remember what size joists and spacing? 

Thanks 

[ProDave]

6 X 2 joists along the front (where the stairs land) and back (against a wall) with 4X2 joists spanning between then at 400mm centres.

 

The front one had intermediate support from the half landing newel posts that go all the way to the ground.

 

No calculations just using up left overs and "it looked right"  so don't use that as evidence if your BCO needs any.

[Nickfromwales]

On 01/03/2026 at 08:04, Lincolnshire Ian said:

Hi folks

Thanks for your previous help with designing our staircase. 

Our stairs have a half landing. I think from a building control perspective this is classed as a structural element. 

Does anyone have any tips/designs they could share to help us build a solid half landing? 

Thanks 

 

Ask the stair company to encompass this so the interface with the stairs is seamless? 

[Oz07]

You will find span tables online for joists if needed.