A Custom Staircase Designed for Your Home

Doesn’t everyone love fantasizing about their dream home? In the last few years, home renovations have exploded. We’ve seen more people than ever trying to make their homes places they love to live and work in. Just in 2020, Americans spent almost 420 billion dollars on various home improvement projects including custom staircase projects; and that number is expected to grow.

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, we would say to look at your staircase. If you have a staircase in your home, that is the first thing people will notice when they walk in. In addition to joining the spaces of your home, your staircase is a distinct and unique architectural feature for your home decor.

There’s something about creating a beautiful staircase that just can’t be replicated by pre-fabricated alternatives like a staircase kit. But, creating a custom staircase is a major renovation project. With details like your style, home layout, safety needs, and budget to consider, the process of designing a custom staircase can feel overwhelming.

At Gibin Remodeling, we love helping our clients with the design and planning that goes into building a custom staircase. Read on to learn how to design a custom staircase that will be a showstopper in your home!

First You Need to Plan a Budget

You need to have a clear budget before you build, regardless of choosing a custom or standard staircase. Not only will this help you keep your plans for the stairs in check, but it will also assist you in selecting materials and design.

Different materials such as wood, marble, or iron, for example, come in a range of prices. Having a budget lets you know what price ranges you should consider. With the beautiful choices of materials we have today, you won’t have to sacrifice anything to achieve the staircase of your dreams.

Space Availability

How much room is required for a staircase? What is the smallest stairway width? These are some of the questions that come to mind when deciding where to best place a staircase.

Start looking carefully at what space you have available for the stairs. This can assist you in developing a design that is both functional and fits perfectly in your home.

For example, straight or L-shaped staircases are suitable for small houses. You could also take a look at the numerous options for elegant and fashionable spiral staircases that are available. Finally, you can install a more ornate stairway in larger spaces, such as a U-shaped or curved stairway.

Having the basic information such as ceiling opening measurements and floor-to-floor height will help in designing the perfect staircase solution.

Staircase Designs

The options for designing and planning a new stairway are nearly limitless. Let’s look at some options.
With custom staircases, there are four main types:

A straight staircase
A curved staircase
A spiral staircase, and
A ship ladder staircase

Each type has a distinct appearance, but each has a specific application in mind.

1. Straight Staircases

Straight staircases are the most common type of staircase. They simply run up to the next floor, but they can also be L-shaped or U-shaped. While straight staircases take up a lot of space, they don’t require any extra support, making them extremely simple to install.

2. Curved Staircases

Curved staircases are frequently confused with spiral staircases, but they are a distinct type of staircase. Curved stairways have a spiral design, but they lack a center pole, unlike spiral stairways. Therefore, they must have internal handrails, even if external handrails are not often considered necessary.

Curved staircases typically occupy less space than straight staircases, and their gradient is subtle, which provides an elegant and traditional appearance. Curved staircases are also more visually appealing. Stairs with a large outer diameter are sometimes referred to as sweeping stairs, while stairs with a small outer diameter are sometimes called helical stairs.

In some cases, the absence of a center pole is the only thing that distinguishes helix stairs from spiral stairs. Some flights of stairs have a straight landing on one side and a curved landing on the other. They are also available in single, double, and side stringer configurations.

3. Spiral Staircases

Spiral staircases are possibly the world’s oldest staircase style. A spiral staircase is defined as any staircase that spreads from central support and wraps around it. They are far smaller than curved staircases and are an excellent choice for small spaces that cannot accommodate the area used by a straight or curved staircase.

In contrast to ship ladders, which must be descended facing upwards, spiral stairs can be descended facing forward. This makes them more comfortable for many people to use daily.

Spiral staircases can have curved side stringers or even straight outer lines, but most spiral stairs have circular treads that are self-reliant at the outer perimeter.

The most common spiral stairs can be used to satisfy secondary entry and exit requirements, but very large spiral staircases can be made to fulfill curved stair codes for principal entrance and exit routes.

4. Ship Ladder Staircases

A ship ladder is nothing like the other staircases discussed above. Instead, these are standard ladders, albeit much more robust and more pleasing to the eye.

In most cases, the stair height for ship ladders is higher than 9 inches, and the angle is greater than 60 degrees.

Ship ladders are frequently utilized as entrance points for lofts. This is due to the fact that ship ladders require a comparatively small amount of space, mainly if they come equipped with a sliding bracket that allows the ladder to be stored flush against the wall when it’s not in use.

Mix-and-Match Staircases For A Custom Look

You might want to think about getting a mixed combination staircase if the available space is limited, but you are adamant about having a unique staircase design. You could, for example, mix curved or spiral stairs as intermediate steps, but the beginning and ending points of the stairway will be straight.

Staircase Materials

In addition to the design, you will also need to make a selection from the wide variety of materials available. This choice will determine the overall appearance of your staircase. So, to construct a staircase, what types of materials are there? If you prefer a more traditional look, you have the option of selecting traditional materials such as:

Various kinds of wood
Various wrought iron materials
Different types of marble and granite, or
The traditional stone staircase

If, on the other hand, your home is more contemporary or modern, you might find that you lean towards:

Powder-coated steel
Stainless steel
Durable plastics and acrylic materials, or
Glass look.

However, if you want your staircase to look genuinely remarkable, you should consider using a combination of different materials.The staircase is now not only an element that serves the practical purpose of connecting two or more floors, but it’s also a central feature in any space. Whether this space is:

A private home
A motel or hotel
A venue facility
A shopping mall
An office building

Any interior design must have stairs that are expertly incorporated into the space.Make sure that the material you pick, regardless of what it is, complements the style you have established throughout the rest of your home’s interior. Even a beautifully designed staircase can look out of place if it doesn’t coordinate with its surroundings.

Designing staircases are one of our favorite things! We will be happy to make any recommendations that may help you pick the perfect custom staircase for you and your home.

Taking Stair Safety Into Consideration

Your selection of staircase should also fit into your lifestyle. It should be the most secure and comfortable staircase possible for you and your loved ones to use. Your first and foremost concern should be for safety. Consider who will be using the stairs and how often, especially if young children or older people will be using them.

Building standards can vary between states or even cities. It is extremely important that your new renovations follow your local staircase building regulations. Of course, the Gibin Remodeling team can handle this important part of the job.

The Best Custom Staircase

Whether you dream of an ornate wooden showpiece or a sleek glass and metal design, we would love to help you bring it to life. Our homes are important pieces of our lives. You deserve a beautiful place to spend it.

Whether you are in the process of constructing a new house or are renovating your home and looking to replace the current staircase, we can help.

Now is the time to turn your dream into a reality and turn your house into a home. Get in touch with us to start the process!