‘Death stairs’ in kitchen leave house-hunters alarmed

Buyers of this $1.6 million terrace house will want to be steady on their feet. 

A steep staircase in the kitchen of a London home is generating a buzz among house-hunters, who have dubbed them ‘death stairs’. 

The carpeted staircase curves precariously around a kitchen cabinet at a sharp incline. 

Many of the stair treads appear too narrow to step on fully, meaning that users may potentially need to navigate the steep staircase on tiptoe. 

Two glass barriers positioned at either end of the staircase prevent users from falling into the kitchen below. 

“Can you imagine trying to get a sofa up them?” one user asked on Reddit. 

“At what point do stairs become a ladder?” someone else commented. 

The terrace house is for sale in Clerkenwell, a sought-after suburb of central London popular with young professionals. 

At just 59 square metres, the home is compact in size. In a Tardis-like fashion, two bedrooms and two bathrooms have been squeezed into five storeys of floor space. 

“The Wee House was commissioned by its current owner, who saw the potential in building in the space between two buildings, which had previously been occupied by a shop,” the listing explains. 

The house sits on a narrow triangular site that is just 2.5 metres wide. 

London-based architect Joe Wright aimed “to maximise the space without any aspect ever feeling awkward or contrived.” 

“The internal layout was comprehensively rationalised and extended to use every square centimetre of the plot,” Joe Wright Architects explains on their website. 

Despite the hair-raising staircase, London house-hunters expressed admiration for the home’s savvy design. 

“I love it when we find ways to use up little nooks of our city, so nothing goes to waste,” a Reddit user wrote. 

The house is on the market for £815,000 ($AU1.62 million) with real estate agency The Modern House.