Building Your Own Staircase

I can only imagine what joy and fulfillment one might feel upon seeing their dream house take form right before their eyes. From planning the lay-out to picking out the furniture, all these will be all worth it once everything is finished and you can finally reside in your dream home.

But before arriving at the finished product, one must go through a lot of planning and decision-making. Both function and design should be considered all through-out the planning process, even up to the building stage.

You must plan the lay-out of your future home according to your needs. The number of rooms, the flow of your home, how many levels, and where to put the staircase, should all be carefully considered and planned.

It is entirely up to you on how many levels you want your dream home to be. But it is important to always remember to put your staircase in strategic locations. Depending in your choice and budget, you have the option of choosing to hire someone to construct the staircase for you. But if you are the Do-it-yourself type, you can opt to build your own staircase. With the help of some basic construction know-how you might be able to come up with a safe and sturdy staircase.

If you choose to do it yourself here are some reminders to help you as you go along.

Safety is the main priority in planning your staircase. It should be placed not directly outside rooms, or in places where it will disrupt the flow of the room – such as in the middle of your living room. If you have children, you should choose materials that are child-friendly. Sharp edges should be covered and materials such as glass should be avoided. The staircase railing should also be sturdy and not have very wide gaps in between. Floating stairs are a major hazard and are not recommended, unless you want to sacrifice safety for aesthetics. Floating stairs do not offer any support for children and old people to hold on to when using the staircase.

Another good and useful rule of thumb is that the total of the length of the tread and the riser should not exceed 17 ". This is the standard used to create comfortable stairs in most establishments. But keep in mind that the riser should not exceed the length of the tread, the vice versa is much more practical. for example, the length of the riser is 8 "and the tread is 9", when added makes 17 ", making it pass the standards for comfortable stair climbing.

The material used for stair climbing should also be sturdy. It should be able to withstand children running up and down, and constant abuse. If you choose to carpet your stairs, make sure you check the carpeting from time to time, to avoid any accidents caused by slipping on stair carpet.

Building you own staircase need not be stressful. What you really need is a level head, a good set of hands, a lot of books, and the right tools and equipment and you are good to go.