It is really easy to walk through a house when it is done and take it all for granted. When Summer and I walked through this house (mid-construction) over a year ago, we sounded something like this;
“We’ll put the guest bathroom there, kitchen in this room, we’ll open up the wall a bit, stairs over there, lights up there….”
We were absolutely stoked on the house…and the house was at a perfect stage in construction…we get to do all of the finish work and really customize it to be exactly what we want. It was a great thing for both of us..I wanted to build from the ground up (I don’t like all the small room concrete construction you find all over the place down here) but Summer didn’t want to build from the ground up…she said it was going to be way more work than I though and it was our first house…we should wait to build. Summer couldn’t have been more right (there, I said it) about not building from the ground up. It would have been very very difficult…especially without the proper budget. I couldn’t imagine starting from scratch on the first go…we are decisioned out at this point (and we took over over half way through the phase of construction)…sort of punch drunk…and this is the stage of the game where you make the wrong move if you’re not careful.
One of the many decisions we have to make this month is the layout of the stairs that will lead us from the great room upstairs to the great room downstairs (same size rooms up/down). I remember us saying…”Ok, stairs go there” but never even contemplated what stairs; spiral, straight down, turn at a platform, iron stairs, wood stairs (what type of wood: ipe, swiss pear, burmese teak, asian ebony, curly tasmanian euclalyptus, asian hardwood, Koa, treated lumber) concrete stairs…..ahhhhhhhhhhh! Funny…so many decisions.
Here are a few examples of stairs that I liked. Some of them I don’t like as a whole, but there may be one detail that I really like (toe kicks, tread, round railings, square railings, rod iron, glass, mesh)…do you have any suggestions or input for us?
Stairs Idea A
Stairs Idea B
Stairs Idea C
Stairs Idea D
Stairs Idea E
Stairs Idea F
Stairs Idea G
Keep in mind with all of these stair pictures and ideas, we still need to find the materials in Puerto Rico and find a contractor with the skills needed to construct them.
Looks like your after something sleek and modern. Not sure why you want open treads in that corner. I would put in standard closed steps to a mid span landing , in the corner changing directions. Frame the stairwell in below for secured storage. Would hide the support for the second floor. Finsh the steps in same hardwood that the floors are in. Railings can be down the road anyway you want. I can build anything traditional but not steel or curved. Should I book a flight?
Mike…I have a contractor coming out tomorrow or Friday to give me an estimate on installing the steps. I would much rather you come down and hang out and we can build the steps together rather than pay a contractor! I don’t know what I am doing…but I am good at grunt work.
Book a flight! Anytime is good…the only time I won’t be able to come to Aguadilla is the last two days of this month…anytime before that is perfect. The earlier the better as far as cost per ticket goes…we are coming into the high season.
Meet with him and get his ideas and a price. Will take me 2 weeks to wrap up the projects I have going. If nothing else we’ll plant grass or build a tree house for me in the mango.