There are many kinds of stairs, but some can get really expensive, so we need to watch our budget before we get too carried away in the romance of some of the stairwells available. Hardwood stairs are naturally very expensive and they need to be installed by professionals. Some types of stairs have an expensive look, but they are really quite cheap to build. Those are the kind I encourage people to build.

One thing in modern homes that is very different than a few decades ago is that long stair runs are now separated by landings. Older homes were small and so long stair runs were necessary, but not anymore.

If you build a home with vaulted ceilings then long stair runs are acceptable, otherwise you should make the stairs more user friendly to older people.

I'm always preaching how it's a lot smarter to build up not out, so I see many types of stairs. Stairs should be at least three feet wide. Most modern stairways are four feet and wider.

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