Stairs (Best of Fine Homebuilding) [Paperback]

Fine Homebuilding (Author), Taunton Press (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best of Fine Homebuilding | Publication Date: March 14, 1996

Collected from the pages of Fine Homebuilding, these articles on stairbuilding feature more than 20 common and uncommon staircases, from simple to complex. Professional builders and homeowners learn from master craftsmen, architects, and engineers how to design and build beautiful, practical stairways for any home. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This essential reference brings together the best articles on stairbuilding from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine. Written by master craftsmen, architects and engineers, this book contains first-hand information about designing and building stairs that you won't find anywhere else. More than 20 common and unique staircases are showcased in this book, so whether you are interested in building straight and simple or complex curved ones, this book will show you how! Since it began publication in 1981, Fine Homebuilding has been the magazine of choice for builders and homeowners interested in working smarter, faster and better. "The Best of Fine Homebuilding" series organizes the most useful articles from the first 100 issues by subject. Whether you are working on your own house or in the building trades, you will find the field-tested information you need right here.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (March 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561581313
• ISBN-13: 978-1561581313
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #928,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gave me the info I was looking for....., February 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stairs (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

As soon as I opened this book I knew it was what I was looking for. Being in the middle of renovations I was stuck on how to rebuild my staircase and this book came to the rescue. The terminology was simple, the instructional pictures very clear and concise. There was an exact example in the book of what I had to build and using the techiniques, I have sucessfully rebuilt my staircase to my own amazement. I would reccomend this book for anyone from a begining home renovator to a well establish contractor as this book also goes into great detail about more complicated stair structures, ballusters,railing and again with very clear and concise instructions. In amongst the instructions are some beautiful shots of some staircases that have been built using the methods in this book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Limited Help, January 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Stairs (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

This book was a disapointment, as it contained lots of pretty pictures, but not much in the way of detailed construction information. There was no info on constructing circular stairs, instead, valuable space was spent explaining and photographing stone walkways on a hillside. It does not contain enough good instruction to be of help to me.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Info on Railings, August 14, 2002

By 

Brian Ekins (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stairs (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a railing. Using information from the stair parts manufacturers and from a local stair parts salesman, I had managed to figure out the pieces I needed but now needed help installing it. The instructions from the stair parts manufacturers did not provide the detail I needed. I purchased another stair book at a woodworking show but it didn't help much either. While standing in line at a tool store I spotted this book on the counter. It has saved me.

It has one chapter "Design Guidelines for Safe Stairs" that was invaluable in working out some of the details of my design. Good practical information where they're not afraid to express their opinion. The real life saver for me was the chapter "Installing Manufactured Stair Parts". This gave me the confidence and advice I needed to get through the project.

I didn't end up using much, if any, of the rest of the book but it served as inspiration. There are some amazing stair projects of some of the most beautiful stairways you'll ever see.