Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Stairs renovation

Well, I got some extremely unpleasant news the other day. I had a professional stair maker (if that's the term) come in to give me a quote on replacing my stairs to the basement, as they are quite dangerous and have been an eyesore for a couple years now because we tore the carpet off them when I was in the midst of overhauling the TV/entertainment room, and relocating the elevator. Long story short, it looks like the previous homeowners just framed in the temporary stairs that the contractors built when initially constructing the house. So, they are an absolute piece of junk and have to be completely removed.

It's going to cost $2400 (before taxes) to have the stairs and railing built and installed. On top of that, my contractor friend just told me yesterday that it will cost his guys $1500 to take the stairs out, straighten the wall etc. etc. (I'll post some pictures of them so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with.)

Altogether, that's $4000 to replace approximately 12-15 flights of stairs, and that's not including what it will cost to stain them.

I just wanted to vent, but also to reiterate how important it is to have a professional inspector look at a house before you purchase it, and don't rely on a friend, even though they are a professional contractor, because things like this can be accidentally overlooked.

Anyway, it just really sucks and I'm rather pissed off.

Man, that is terrible. I don't know what else to say but I hope for the best outcome for you.

I have a few matches.

Yikes, hope it all works out for the better, at least you know they will be safe when it's all done.

Sucks!

Double Sucks!!

Ouch!! The four grand does include a jar of Vaseline, doesn't it?

I think I would get more bids on the job. ie. drop the professional stair maker and hire a hungry carpenter.

CAM: This time, I really do think you need the stair guy. Tearing out and rebuilding a stairway isn't for Joe Carpenter. That's why they were so poorly constructed in the first place.

I hate telling clients this kind of stuff--when what's behind/underneath will not allow a proper result w/o being addre$$ed. They're the only "dread goin' to work" days I really have, so I can't complain.

Being really good at what you do includes knowing when an expert is needed and when that guy is not you.

There's a big difference between a competent carpenter versus the people who just made due, cheaply. My dad was a carpenter, and I've seen him work. He built and or supervised all of the framework and stairs in a house I lived in for years. It doesn't take an expert to do everything in a house, including stairs. But, it does take experience. (That's where I'm laking, but I muddle through projects anyway.)