Straight Staircases
As its name implies, a straight staircase is straight; typically you have two stringers to provide the main support, the treads or steps, and then the railings. If you’re putting the stairs against a wall, only one railing is needed. These stairs are very easy to install, and are perfect for placement against a wall, thus giving added support to the unit. They can also have risers to connect between each tread (step). The pluses of not having risers are that the steps are more open, thus people with big feet won’t stub their toes, and cleaning the stairs is much easier. On the other hand, by enclosing the area under a straight staircase, you can create a closet, and then risers are a real plus.
By varying what is known as the rise-over-run ratio, you can make the stairs steep or gentle. This is a function of the space available for the stairs, the distance from the first floor to the surface of the second, and how comfortable you want the stairs to be for people to climb. Normally, the rise is equal for each step; so you take the total height and divide it by seven or eight (a typical riser distance) to determine the number of steps you need. Once you have the total number of steps, you can figure out how long the staircase needs to be.
A minus to straight stairs is that they generally require a long straight area for installation. If your home or room doesn’t have such space available, straight stairs are not the way to go. To conserve space, you can make the treads (steps) narrower, but if you go too far, you’ll end up with steps that are difficult, uncomfortable, and even dangerous to climb. With our designs, that simply won’t happen. We will advise you as to the practicality of straight staircases and just look what a range of other options for you instead!
