There's no doubt it will be MUCH easier when we have a stair. At the moment it's up and down the ladder to the new room while Mike ponders the best way to make the stairs. Right from the start this has been a bit of a puzzle - we can hardly have a majestic curving staircase stretching into our tiny sitting room. Then on Grand Designs I saw a 'monocoque' (spelling?) staircase which just hung in the air with no apparent support, but that's been turned down. So it's going to be an open staircase against the wall with (hopefully) amazing bannisters made by Howard. Meanwhile anything would be better than a ladder.