Many a builder has told me, that one of the most common construction blunders made by DIY'ers are the step's measurement on staircases. I'd bet most Realtors have been out to list or view a home and while either going up or down the staircase, the last step was off a bit. It is just automatic and without any thought that ones foot just steps down at a uniformed rate... until oops that last step was deeper or shorter than the rest. It's an opportunity for a twisted ankle of worse maybe a fall. This structural defect can be a really expensive slip-up to repair. In most cases this mistake usually doesn't get fixed ever. Often it will cause the home to last much longer on the market than it normally would if the steps were right.
Some of the older rural homes I list on a regular basis have what might be called "farm-steps". Those are very steps from 100+ years ago. They are very vertical, extremely narrow and often have worn-in depressions from trudging for eons up and down those steps by the former occupants of those upper rooms. They too, are always found hidden behind a closed doorway, so the second floor can be unheated if wanted. Unless the staircase is completely relocated there is likely to be no extra room to fix it. As it would consume too much space or the headroom is just not there at either end of the staircase to bring this type of stairway into modern day building code.
One other difficult to sell stairway, is the Spiral Staircases. These stairway relics of the 70's, often conjurer up visual images of a hip and swank bachelor pad. I can just imagine Dean Martin crooning "Everybody Loves Somebody" on his way down those circular steps with a martini in hand.
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About the author:
Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang. All rights reserved... " Up Stairs Downs Stairs" the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.
Mary - Being a century home lover I have had the pleasure of trying to travel up and down those back stairways that were designed for mountain goats.
My Grandfather who now would be well over 100 since my Mom. youngest of 3 is almost 90, built a spiral staircase ...Frank Lloyd Wright himself saw it and said "I want to shake the hand of the man who made that perfect spiral staircase".....and so he did....One can't begin to appreciate the thought, precision, craftsmanship that goes into design and construction until one step is a half inch different...your feet know the difference..tumble, tumble !
Sally, that is just it, every time I climb down some new listing's steps, I hope not to notice a stairway issue.
Mary, Bet you have been in some thin and steep back maids stairways, I have!
I can't believe that once I thought those spiral staircases were neat. You're right. We have to give away homes with those things now.
Barbara, yes in the 70's with platform shoes on ones feet you would feel totally cool on a spiral staircase. Today, you would not even want to climb up them.
I took a buyer to show a cute home with one of those spiral staircases. It was so tiny and the buyer was petrified that she would get stuck in the spiral. I think she would have bought the place if it had been a regular staircase.
Stacey just made me think of something. Possibly the obesity of American has made those stairs scary! Back in the 70's one could just glide down them!!! Not now.
Stacey, sadly I know a lady who fell on the spiral staircase in her home and was unable to get help and died, this was a terrible thing for the family to discover.
Barbara, I bet that is true, not just because of the fact they can be narrow, but also bearing the weight could be a structural thing too.