We are working on a staircase right now that the homeowner says they’ve been waiting 20 years for!

They built the home new 20 years ago and as the project wrapped up, the stairs had to be done quickly and not in a style they preferred.

They never liked the over-the-post look or the oak used. After a long wait, they have decided it was time to make it the way they’d always dreamed.

So we went in and removed the existing trim to start. We are replacing the Colonial over-the-post look with a more traditional Craftsman style with big box paneled newel posts, a unique handrail profile made of hickory, and solid hickory treads.

The design where the balusters come down and land on top of the tread with the skirt board running down the side wall of the stairway is called an “open ended” stairway. This is more difficult than a traditional stairway. This is because of the cutting involved. The short walls running down the sides as the skirt board have to be stair-step cut with compound miter cuts for the risers so that the riser boards meet the skirt with a flawless seam. This is a job for an expert finish carpenter, not your local handyman.

The newel, skirt boards, balusters, and risers will be sprayed white while the Hickory handrail and treads will be finished clear to preserve the natural beauty and character of the hickory.

Everything is ready for the painter at this point. When he’s done, we’ll come back to install the treads and then balusters and the transformation will be complete!

We’ll have updates before you know it!