Concrete project planning
Removing an internal concrete staircase during a commercial renovation
- Concrete scope
- Trade coordination
A staircase can be redundant in the new layout while its landings, supports and surrounding floors still serve the building. Before requesting removal, separate the concrete assembly that leaves from the structure that remains. That distinction determines what CoreCut needs to assess and what the replacement contractor will receive.
CoreCut provides structural demolition and concrete cutting across the GTA. For an internal concrete stair, the project’s structural designer establishes the removal limits and support requirements; CoreCut assesses the defined demolition contribution.
Describe the stair as an assembly
Show the complete flight, both landings and their connections on the available drawings. Include the rooms or circulation spaces above, below and beside it. A photograph from the bottom of the stairs may explain the finish but leave the upper connection and underside unclear.
Distinguish finishes and balustrades from the concrete itself. Taking off tile or cladding is a different request from removing the stair beneath it. Where a landing continues into a floor, ask the designer to identify the actual retained boundary rather than treating the visible stair outline as a cutting plan.
Compare the three physical scopes
| Proposed change | Information that controls the demolition scope |
|---|---|
| Remove the flight; retain the landings | Which connections leave, how retained edges are treated and what the replacement stair requires |
| Remove a flight and one or more landings | The reviewed boundaries between the stair assembly and the retained floor or wall |
| Remove the complete connection between floors | The separately designed treatment of the opening, surrounding structure and future circulation |
Scroll across the table to see all columns.
An existing stair opening and a new floor opening are separate elements. If the replacement stair moves elsewhere, identify both locations in the enquiry. The suspended-floor opening guide explains the separate planning question when a new aperture is needed.
Connect removal to the next construction stage
The replacement stair installer needs more than an empty space. Its design may depend on particular retained edges, connection points or floor levels. Have those requirements reconciled with the structural drawings before the demolition package is finalised.
Discuss the condition between removal and replacement as well. The GC should assign temporary separation, access arrangements and the work that closes or finishes exposed edges. Removing the old concrete does not supply a replacement staircase or make a former opening into usable floor area.
Account for the concrete leaving the building
Include the available route from the stair area to the collection point, along with any occupied rooms or retained finishes on that route. CoreCut assesses how the concrete removal fits the building conditions; an owner does not need to choose a cutting or handling method to request an estimate.
The concrete-cutting service can be discussed alongside the removal package. Identify who is responsible for any separately specified support or specialist lifting, and whether concrete load-out is included in the assessed scope.
Bring the stair and replacement plans together
For example, an office renovation might remove a concrete flight but keep the upper landing for a new stair. Another design might retire the entire connection and close the floor opening. These are illustrative alternatives, not completed CoreCut projects, and they create different demolition boundaries.
Request a CoreCut estimate with the property location, intended stair change and available existing/replacement drawings. Identify the structural designer, retained landings and any access constraints so the assessment addresses the complete assembly.
Other structural removals need their own design decisions. The concrete-column guide explains why a nearby column cannot be absorbed into a stair-removal instruction.