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Curve Appeal


I could've killed the guy who built my parents house. The stairs squeaked so much I couldn't sneak in late at night without getting caught. My parents got over it of course, but I never did. Years later, I made my staircases a signature of quality in every home I built, earning undying gratitude from a new generation of teenagers and uninterrupted sleep for their parents.

I made a big deal about each staircase because it was usually the first feature people noticed when they’d walk through the front door. But after years of building the straight-shot, L-shaped, and U-shaped stairways, I finally snuck up on come curved stairs--and didn't get caught. It was easier and less expensive than I’d thought and boy did jaws drop when people walked into the house.

What are the secrets of stairway success? First, buy the stairs pre-built, pre-fit, and delivered, complete with newels, curved rake rail, balusters, landing tread, and balcony balustrade. Second, shop for service as well as price. Having a company representative supervise installation really helps. Third, be careful when you design, order and lay out the stairs, so the installation will be a snap. (Actually you use bolts)
Anyway, here’s how you can fire-up your foyers and create-forgive me--curve appeal.

"Curved stairs will fit in the same opening as L-shaped ones 95 percent of the time."
-Brad Rippel, Woodsmiths Design and ManufacturingDOWN-TO-EARTH PRICES

First things first. We all know that given enough time and money you could build the proverbial stairway to heaven, but God only knows when customers that rich will show up. So most of the same companies that build really fancy stairways also sell elegant lines of standard layouts for lots less money. Depending on the company, the layout, and the stair parts you use, you can install a supported, curved stair-case (one side open to foyer) for as little as $4,224; with lots more costing between $6,000 and $6,500.

"Generally a curved staircase will cost 40 percent more than a site-built L-shaped stair," says Brad Rippel of Woodsmiths Design and Manufacturing in Bowerston, Ohio. "That’s based on a nice L-shaped stair costing about $3,000 to $4,000."

Freestanding curved stairs cost more; they've got two finished sides and two balustrades, not to mention extra structural supports. How much more they cost depends on the company, but they can cost as little as 10 percent or as much as 100 percent more than a similar supported stair.


FACTORY-BUILT QUALITY
Every trim carpenter worth training tried to move up to stair building--it's right up there with cabinet work as a goal. But stair building and cabinetry have both changed since days of master builders. These days trim carpenters are more likely to trim-out pre-built staircases, even straight ones than to build them from scratch.

And nowhere does this make more sense than with curved stairs. The beauty of buying Prebuilt stairs is the control you gain over your costs and scheduling while adding incredible features to you homes. It puts a stair companies specialized training, lower labor rates and controlled environment to work for you. And it allows you to keep your jobs rolling until you see the stair truck roll up. This all leads to higher efficiency and better quality, something not always associated with factory-built components.
"Builders often perceive shop-built staircases as lower quality than site-built," says Rippel, "but that’s a misconception. We reproduce the design conditions in each home for each stair and build them in a controlled environment." That means the stairs are pre-fit, including the balustrade, and after being quality checked, they’re disassembled for shipping.

Specialization plays an important factor in quality, too. Even the best trim carpenter won't build in a lifetime the number of curved stairs that these shops put out in a year. "All we do is curved stairs," says Thomas Stilp of Arcways in Neenah, WI. "We don't even know how to build straight ones."
Most companies tout their quality, like Charlie Skillern of Staircase & Millwork of Alpharetta, GA., who calls his stairways "curved furniture". But, check the quality yourself before you buy. Here are you a few things to look for.

  • How is the carriage assembled?
  • What kind of joinery was used?
  • Will the stairs squeak?
  • Are the base turnings on balusters different lengths or all the same?
  • How are the balusters fastened?
  • How many different rail styles can you get?
  • How are the handrails laminated and shaped?
  • How are the ends of treads and risers finished?
  • What kind of curved moldings come with the stairs?


DELIVERY AND SERVICE
Then look at service. Service-oriented companies will help you with any questions you have, especially if you're doing your first curved stairs.
"We walk builders through every step," says Stilp, whose company ships more than 1,000 curved staircases a year throughout the country. "We'll look for problems in a builder’s plan." he says, "and then provide shop drawings with a checklist for every dimension and detail."
Once you've ordered, come companies offer extra service. "Our field reps will go out to job sites and do the layout for builders at any stage if they need it," says Rippel.
"And we provide curved-wall templates for the framers if you want to build your walls before the stairs show up".
When they do show up, companies often send someone along to help with installation. That’s a great service. "In our case, the guy who builds your stairs is the one who'll help you install them," says Stilp. "And that only takes a couple of hours."

We do all the difficult work in our shop, so a competent carpenter can easily complete the assembly"
-Charlie Skillern, Staircase and Millwork


INSTALLING THE STAIRCASE
No other two-hour operation will transform a house under construction more than installing the staircase. lt's definitely a phase-shifter. The biggest difference you'll find with curved-stair installation is framing the curved walls--either the supporting sidewall or the wall underneath the carriage. Otherwise, you lift the carriage into place and bolt it to the header and the floor, just like with straight stairs.

The safest setup for stair installation is to hold back the floor framing and sub-flooring from the stairwell, and hold off framing the curved walls until you can use the stairs as a template. Then you can use them to set curved wall plates. Another approach is to let your floor joists run "wild" into the stairwell and cut them back after installing the stairs. But if it makes more sense to build the curved wall and floor (for load-bearing or scheduling reasons), check the radius in five or six locations to make sure the stairs will fit, and double-check your shop drawings.

What's the best way to avoid problems? "Deal with the stair company early," says Skillern, "and stay in touch." Let your supplier know if anything changes that'll affect the stairs, especially ceiling height, or floor joists or sub floor thickness’. "When your floor-to-floor height changes, call your stair company immediately," Skillern advises. And, build in enough lead-time. Most companies need four to six weeks to process an order.

The price of curved stairs is definitely falling, so they may soon be open to new lower priced markets. Staircase & Millwork has even developed a patent-pending, mass-produced, modular system that Skillern says will lower prices further and cut lead time to zero. But, even builders of move-ups and customs are hesitant. "There are a lot of builders building big homes out there who are still doing L-shaped stairs because they're afraid of curves," says Arcways' Stilp.

I know what he means, I was afraid too. But not anymore.
-Rick Schwolsky-


Reprinted by permission
Builder         July 1995

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