Customer Reviews

Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings: (Building Basics Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a stair railing. I used information from instructions the stair parts manufacturers produce and help from a stair parts salesman to figure out the parts I would need but needed some additional help in actually installing it. I found this book at a woodworking show and thought I was set. Unfortunately almost all it covers is the design and constructions of the stairs themselves. The design and construction of the railing is barely touched on. I got more information from the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions that came with some of the installation hardware.

I can't really comment on how good the stair construction information is since that's not what I was interested in, but I can't recommend this at all if your looking for information on stair railing design and construction.

If you're looking for railing information I would recommend the book "Stairs: The Best of Fine Homebuiling". (ISBN 1561581313)

This book is not for you if you are looking for information on how to build a curved staircase. It virtually tells you nothing except that the stair manufacturer will bring it to you in pieces and install it. The curved staircase picture on the cover may lead you to believe you'll learn about how to construct a curved staircase. That is not the case. Plenty of information on how to construct straight stairs though.

Like the photograph on the cover, this book is not what it seems. The text is simplistic, skimming the surface of a topic that people can devote a rich lifetime to studying.

I bought it on the price and the strength of the cover photograph, because I'm Scottish (i.e. cheap), felt ambitious, and wanted to build a circular staircase from scratch.

The book doesn't touch on that subject at all. The cover "photograph" is actually a poorly-rendered computer graphic, and the text inside matches it well.

(By the way: DO NOT attempt to build a circular staircase from scratch unless you have years of woodworking under your belt, a very complete workshop at your disposal, are completely comfortable with extremely complex geometry, and have a source of income that allows you infinite free time :-)

This book will not give you all of the information required to build any staircase - anytime. But if you're interested in building stairs down to your basement or up to your 2nd floor addition, this is a very good source of information on the lay-out and space requirements. Professionals looking for new and interesting ideas will more than likely be disappointed. But if you're looking for a teaching aid for your guys, or a good book of examples of stairs, to show to your customers, then this book is a good buy.

Don't EVER take the book "A Treatise On Staircases And Handrails" on jobsite to show to your customers unless your planning to move in with them. It takes a major investment in time to build those old antique designs with all of the decorative achitectural mouldings and ornamental handrailings. This book will have your guys using phrases like newell post and quarter turn landing as if they know what they're talking about.

For the non-professional,, this is a good resource for the basics.

I purchased every book I could find on staircase building including _Basic Stairbuilding_ (usefull but not as straightforward as this one) and _Stair Builders Handbook_ (absolutely useless - don't waste your money).

This book (Constructing Staircases...) contained the clearest diagrams and language that was easy for someone with no construction background to understand. I've used it exclusively to plan the construction of my staircase and am ready to begin building.

Most of the reviews of this book are negative. I don't really understand why. If you want to build a staircase and have very little construction experience, this is the book you need. Building a staircase isn't rocket science but is reasonably complex as far as construction goes. Good luck!

I purchased the "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings" book after getting frustrated by the lack of details in the general purpose books out there, reguarding stairs.

The book is GREAT! I learned a LOT about the basics in just the first two chapters. At under [$$], this book is a steal if you are looking for info on making your own staircase!