It has been more than a year since the basement stairs were completed, and more than 2 years since the stairs were opened up.
Finally, and with enormous pleasure, we have the handrails and barrier manufactured and installed.
Through all that time, we have had a functional, though ugly, wooden barrier preventing anyone from falling down the stairwell, and the kitchen stairs have had no banister since I removed the old, damaged wooden one a few weeks after we bought the house. We believe that the outside stairs have not had a handrail for many, many years.
I had searched far and wide for a company that could make what we wanted, a stainless steel tubular frame with glass panels like we see all over the country.
The solution came by accident while visiting a different company, where I asked the manager there if he knew of anywhere that would make the things that we needed.
He did, having previously used the company at his own house for a similar project. A winner !!
With the contact details, I emailed InoxTop, and within a week, we had an order in place and the promise of installation by the end of April.
The day of installation came soon enough, and they started with the outside steps. These did not warrant the glass panels, so the design incorporates steel tubes.
No more risking a fall while stepping out of the upstairs door.
Next to be fitted was the kitchen stairway.
Then work started on the upstairs barrier, all was progressing well until around 11:15.
Unfortunately, this was the day of the Iberia power cut. All of Portugal, Spain, and parts of France were affected by a blackout.
The work required welding the rails onto the posts, and with no electricity, this was impossible.
We are used to regular power outages in our area and they normally only last a few seconds to a few minutes, so while waiting for the power to return, they completed some of the jobs that could be done with battery tools.
After more than an hour, the power was still off, so we had lunch. The restaurant in the village was still serving some hot food, cooked on gas appliances.
Upon returning and realising from the online news that the power would be unlikely to return any time soon, we tried using a friend's petrol generator, capable of supplying around 1800w.
Unfortunately, the device was not powerful enough to run the TIG welder, so the job had to be abandoned.
The mains power in our area returned at about 22:30 that day.
The team returned at 09:15 the next morning and finished off the job successfully.
And very pleased we are 😀