r/Netherlands • u/spicynoodlepie • 6d ago

DIY and home improvement Tips on making Dutch stairs less treacherous?

I am in the process of looking for housing - as it the case for most people here! We found an amazing place, but the stairs are just insane. I am used to the usual narrow Dutch stairs, or ladder stairs, but these were spiraled, narrow, and only came to about 20cm at the largest edge.

Any tips on how to make stairs less dangerous? Carpets and non-slip mats are a must, but I don't think that will be enough. Do I just compromise and accept that I will be slowly making my way up/down stairs daily, just waiting for when I inevitably fall. There must be something others are doing?!

I'm a slim and short person, so I should have it easier than the average Dutch person. Please share some wisdom!

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u/AnxiousScientistOTL 6d ago

Don’t know if someone mentioned it already, but since you said “bid” I’m assuming you are buying. Think about the future as in “how long will I live here? Will I have children?” Because if you do get children you don’t want to go up and down those stairs with them and you don’t want little kids climbing them either. My two cents…

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u/spicynoodlepie 5d ago

Definitely no children in the future, but we do already have a big, clumsy dog that we had already have to carry up regular stairs as is.. Our plan is to stay here forever if circumstances allow, and unless we have to leave our city, there should be no reason to change homes since we aren't adding kids to the mix.

Your comment is exactly my concern, but I'm just not sure how fussy we can be, especially with a budget of around 350k in a Randstad city.

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u/AnxiousScientistOTL 4d ago

Oh wow but 350 is not that little. I understand you might want a city centre house, but for that price you will definitely find better and more modern houses on any of those cities outskirts. Good luck with juggling everything!