Re: Oak stairs $3,500? sanity check
There is a house not far from me that had the carpenters in the area buzzing. Two stairways cost $60,000 dollars to install. I got in to see them and they were beautiful. All open from the top story to the lower level. The workmanship was topnotch and the finish was too pretty to walk on.
Re: Oak stairs $3,500? sanity check
Tim, one of the favorite things I did in my millwork career was to make railings for circular staircases (ÃÂÂ* la Gone With the Wind). I've made a half dozen or so of these, there is just not that much call for them, but stairs can be a beautiful addition to a house. $60,000 does not surprise me, esp for floating staircases. From the carpenters I worked with, I learned just how much I was ignorant about their skills.
Ever watch a good carpenter frame up a roof from the ground, marking and cutting all the compound cuts for the special rafters with just a framing square, and then sending the boards up? Amazing (to me, at least).
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Re: Oak stairs $3,500? sanity check
Here's a picture of our stairs. This is the only "ornamental" section and it's only four risers. All the rest are captured on both sides by walls and are carpetted. The total cost for stair parts in our house was $3698. That included the stairs in this picture, the handrailings bolted to the walls, a section of horizontal railing and spindles on the second floor and all the treads and risers from the basement to the attic (49 steps!). Also included the labor to install. I'm very impressed with the quality, it's furniture quality construction in the exposed areas [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Re: Oak stairs $3,500? sanity check
An nice look to the ballusters, Rob, I like them; a bit more detail than usual. From what I've seen in the various forums, here and there, you've got quite the house-full of traditional millwork. But what else would you expect in a Victorian house? [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
Re: Oak stairs $3,500? sanity check
Thanks everybody for the sanity check. I got a couple books out of the library. The stairs don't fit the budget (if we have them done) or the timeframe (If I do them myself) right now. So they'll have to wait. Might be a good project for next year's holiday break.
I'll definitely look into a prefab'd unit at the local lumberstores. A google search on prefab staircase didn't generate any usefull results. There are two good lumberyard/bldg supply stores nearby.