Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide)

Product Description

This Quick Guide shows you how to design and build all kinds of staircases and railings for your home. The most essential information you need to successfully handle each task is packed into this concise construction manual. Over 190 detailed drawings clearly illustrate the step-by-step instruction, which has been written with you, the do-it-yourselfer, in mind. With the help of this Quick Guide, you can add value to your home while enjoying the greatest possible savings in time, effort, and money.

Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings shows you how to:

Design a staircase

Build a basic straight-run stairway

Construct open-riser exterior stairs

Build an L-shaped staircase with landing

Install ladder, spiral, folding, and platform stairs

Assemble and install balustrades and railings

Repair damaged steps, handrails, and balusters

Softcover, 80 pages

Victorian Architectural Details: Designs for Over 700 Stairs, Mantels, Doors, Windows, Cornices, Porches, and Other Decorative Elements

Average customer rating:

A Must-Have if you like details
Lots of woodwork

Victorian Architectural Details: Designs for Over 700 Stairs, Mantels, Doors, Windows, Cornices, Porches, and Other Decorative Elements
A. J. Bicknell & Co.
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Decoration & Ornament | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Victorian Domestic Architectural Plans and Details: 734 Scale Drawings of Doorways, Windows, Staircases, Moldings, Cornices, and Other Elements
Victorian Ornamental Carpentry: 186 Photographs
Roberts' Illustrated Millwork Catalog: A Sourcebook of Turn-of-the-Century Architectural Woodwork (Dover Books on Architecture)
Turn-of-the-Century Doors, Windows and Decorative Millwork: The Mulliner Catalog of 1893
Authentic Color Schemes for Victorian Houses: Comstock's Modern House Painting, 1883

ASIN: 048644015X

Book Description

Hundreds of rare illustrations depict wide range of design alternatives for prospective homeowners and other customers of the late 19th century. While the collection includes elevations and floor plans for a variety of handsome, private residences and commercial structures, the emphasis is on architectural details — from dormer windows to balconies.

Customer Reviews:

A Must-Have if you like details.......2007-09-26

We've been working on rehabilitating a Transitional Victorian circa 1909 and have had this book for a year or so. Much of this ornamentation is grander than what is appropriate for our house, but this is a teriffic reference book for us and for me as a professional remodeler/restorer. True, there is no text, but I find the illustrations full of information when pored over carefully. One particularly helpful detail is that each profile within an illustration is provided with a cross-section to help gauge its massing and proportions. Oh, if only we had the lumber available to feasibly replicate all these great details! If you're considering this book, trust me, it'll be the best ten bucks you'll ever spend for your reference library.

Lots of woodwork.......2007-03-08

The photo on the cover is a good sample of what is in this 1873 catalog reprint - many drawings of stairways, cornices, fireplaces, windows. It even has storefronts, 2 barns, and gazebos. It has a few house layouts and exterior elevations, and plaster cornices and ceiling designs. We are building a Victorian house, and the ceiling designs are ones I think I can replicate with Millwork and paint. Lots of neat ideas to ponder and show our carpenter. There is no text - just the index and the plates themselves.

Average customer rating:

Why bother
Not enough detail
do not buy this book!!
At best, a poor collection of ill-connected articles.

Building Stairs (For Pros by Pros)

Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Carpentry | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Basic Stairbuilding
Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide)
Framing Roofs (Best of Fine Homebuilding)
Finish Carpentry (For Pros by Pros)
Stair Builders Handbook

ASIN: 1561586536
Release Date: 2004-02-01

Book Description

Stairway design and construction is considered a cornerstone of homebuilding. To address this important topic, Building Stairs contains design, fabrication, and installation information for a wide variety of options, from simple, site-built utility staircases to elaborate spirals.

Customer Reviews:

Why bother.......2007-07-12

The book addressed building stair-related structures that were just not relevant to standard stair building needs...

Not enough detail.......2006-09-30

So I don't know why I bought this book without reading the previous reviews. I usually check those first and avoid books like this. It had too many types of stairs to be documented and not enough detail for each one. I would have rather had just three basic types of stairs covered in detail than all of the types in here. The writer appeared to be showing off.

Still, it did show me what I needed to purchase (bending rail) and had about two pages worth of useful information. I finished my curved baluster, but I see flaws in my work. I am a pretty ambitious DIYer and I would not recommend that anyone try doing this but a professional. This book did not give enough detail or complete instructions to help me through the rough spots.

do not buy this book!!.......2004-11-15

As an installer by trade, I urge anyone interested in learning the construction of stairs to consult another book. I wish I had read the other readers comments before I wasted my money on this book.

At best, a poor collection of ill-connected articles........2004-09-29

I have a large amount of admiration for the Taunton Press. Fine Homebuilding is quality magazine and the For Pros books have been worth the money. This book is a poor collection of disjointed FH articles that have no cogent flow to them. I should know better than to buy books by "Editors," but I made a mistake here. William Spence's "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings," while not a perfect book, is much better than this collection.

Taunton's "For Pros" books on Electrical (Caldwell) and Plumbing (Hemp) are well worth the money, particularly Caldwell's offering.

Average customer rating:

Stair Design

Manufacturer: daab
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decoration & Ornament | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Door Design
Glass Design (Design Books)
Lobby Design
Staircase Design (Architecture Tools)
Window Design

ASIN: 3937718648

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

Average customer rating:

Interesting Reading,,,,,Good For Straight , Conventional Stair Building.
This book has everything I needed.
Great Inexpensive Staircase Book!
The Price Is Right - The Book Is Wrong
Not useful for railings

Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings: (Building Basics Series)
William P. Spence
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Basic Stairbuilding
Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide)
Building Stairs (For Pros by Pros)
A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding and Tangent Handrailing
Stair Builders Handbook

ASIN: 0806981016

Book Description

Ten chapters cover all the essentials, including the subjects of code requirements, stairwell framing, notched and housed stringers, L-shaped, and U-shaped and curved stair construction...many color photos and drawings to explain and expand on the text. It offers great value for the price.”—Wood Design & Building

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Reading,,,,,Good For Straight , Conventional Stair Building........2005-09-17

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. I felt like I was an o.k. stair builder(I'm a contractor/carpenter} and this book confirmed it. 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 to show to your customers unless your planning to move in with them. It takes that long build those old antique designs with all of the decorative achitectural mouldings and ornamental handrailings. This book will get your guys to using phrases like newell post and quarter turn landing just as fluently as the redneck phrase "jooseeHER??".

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

"Mayonaise some good advice in air."

This book has everything I needed........2003-09-22

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!

Great Inexpensive Staircase Book!.......2003-04-26

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!

The Price Is Right - The Book Is Wrong.......2002-11-26

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 :-)

Not useful for railings.......2002-08-15

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.

Customer Reviews:

Great Info on Railings.......2002-08-15

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.

Limited Help.......2001-01-19

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.

Gave me the info I was looking for............1999-02-23

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.

Average customer rating:

Larry Haun is awesome

Framing Floors & Stairs
Larry Haun
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Framing Walls
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Installing Doors and Windows: with Tom Law
Drywall: Hanging and Taping

ASIN: 1561587176
Release Date: 2003-11-01

Customer Reviews:

Larry Haun is awesome.......2007-06-10

Easy to follow, great for basic framing priciples. Get all three videos and you will have a better knowledge of framing. Besides, learning from a man that has dedicated his life to economy framing is pretty cool. Larry rocks and so do the videos and his book.

Building Floors, Walls and Stairs (Fine Homebuilding Builder's Library)

Average customer rating:

Building Floors, Walls and Stairs (Fine Homebuilding Builder's Library)

Manufacturer: Taunton Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Frame Carpentry (Fine Homebuilding Builder's Library)
Building With Concrete, Brick and Stone (Fine Homebuilding Builder's Library)

ASIN: 0942391128

Average customer rating:

A relevant book for our times
Just the right level for a survey course on Information Systems

Succeeding with Technology
Ralph M. Stair
Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MIS | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Systems Analysis & Design | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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New Perspectives on MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003: First Course, PREMIUM EDITION
New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2003, First Course, Second Edition (New Perspectives (Paperback Course Technology))
Microsoft Office 2007 Illustrated Introductory, Windows XP Edition (Illustrated Series) (Illustrated Series)
New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2007, First Course, Windows XP Edition
HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition (Visual Quickstart Guide)

ASIN: 1418839280

Book Description

A truly innovative approach to teaching computer concepts, now updated throughout to include the latest information on technology developments, innovations, and trends. Succeeding with Technology, Second Edition presents students with the underlying principles of technologies that have an impact on our lives and how those principles are related to real-world activities. By focusing on the application of technology and how technology may be used by students for personal and professional gain, this text gives students the information they need to prosper.

Customer Reviews:

A relevant book for our times.......2007-07-20

This book was written to be relevant for students who have grown up with technology. It provides the important IT information that college students will need in their professional life, relevant information on new communications and media technologies, and poignant information on information security, social and global trends and concerns. Tons of examples have been included to reinforce the relevance of the content. Audio study guides for the iPod and high-quality PPT presentations are provided at the author's own Web site.

Just the right level for a survey course on Information Systems.......2005-09-27

I am teaching a graduate level survey class on information systems using this as one of two required textbooks. My students range from first year graduate students in Information Science with bachelors in accounting, english, history, philosophy, and psychology to those near the end of their masters studies with bachelors in computer science or information science, so finding a survey-type text that might
be useful and interesting to all was a challenge.

So far, so good. The less savvy students say that the text is not too technical and the more savvy students say it provides a good reminder of concepts they already knew and filled in a few that they didn't know.

I chose this text over Stairs' "Principles of Information Systems' because I felt the latter covered the same scope but with more cases, concepts, and depth than I could effectively cover in a one semester class. Instead of business cases,
this text introduces a scenario that the students are likely to encounter at the beginning of each chapter, teaches concepts and skills they need to know to address the scenario, and then includes an "Action Plan" at the end that describes a methodology for solving it. Throughout the text, there are many boxes describing real world situations or novel ways the technology under consideration has been used. This text is also about half the price of "Principles...".

In the Instructors edition, I like the summary spreadsheet at the end of each chapter that relates learning objectives to specific concepts to questions to excercises.

I like the way the "2005 Update" edition is formatted. The basic chapters appear to be the same (I didn't compare word for word though) but at the end of each chapter, there is a "What's New" section that seems to cover up to approximately May 2005.
In this way, instructors should not have to do much translation from newer to older editions of the texts.

There are already prepared Powerpoint presentations for each chapter that come on a CD with the Instructors' edition. They have been very helpful in providing starting point for identifying key concepts from the chapters and then adapting or adding my own slides to them.

Overall I think this is a very good textbook for a survey course in information systems and technology for not only undergraduates but also graduate students who do not have a computer science background.

Roger D. Gifford, Adjunct Lecturer
University at Albany

Build Your Own Paths, Steps & Patios (Build Your Own Series)

Average customer rating:

Build Your Own Paths, Steps & Patios (Build Your Own Series)
Penny Swift , and Janet Szymanowski
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Outdoor & Recreational Areas | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1853687405

Book Description

Dozens of photos show ingenious solutions for steep slopes and cramped spaces, and the simple, fully illustrated instructions explain how to lay paths from brick, stone, and slate, and how to make steps from precast concrete, timber poles, and railroad ties. Other designs and plans cover such features as timber treads, planted steps, stepping-stone paths, rustic steps, and a wandering walkway.

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