Typical cost in Irving
Irving Spiral Staircases remodels existing staircases in Irving, from swapping wood spindles for iron balusters and replacing handrails and newel posts to adding glass or cable railings, putting hardwood treads where carpet was and replacing worn spiral stairs.
Remodel work keeps the stair’s structure and changes what you see and hold: the rail, the balusters, the treads. Our service area for remodel and railing work covers Irving and nearby Coppell and Southlake.
Replacing turned wood spindles with black iron balusters changes the look of a foyer stair without rebuilding it. The old spindles come out of the treads and handrail, the iron balusters go into the same holes or new ones, and the handrail can stay if it is sound or be replaced at the same time. On the stair’s open side, the new spacing must stop a 4 3/8-inch sphere.
A new handrail sits 34 to 38 inches above the tread nosings, runs continuously for the full flight and, if round, measures 1 1/4 to 2 inches across for a proper grip. Along a wall it needs at least 1 1/2 inches of clearance. New newel posts can be wood, iron or both, and the rail can end in a volute or turnout over the first tread.
Glass railings must be safety glazing whatever the panel size, because the 2024 IRC treats glass in guards and railings as a hazardous location, and structural glass panels need an attached top rail. Cable railings use tensioned cables that have to stay tight enough to stop a 4-inch sphere, or 4 3/8 inches on the stair’s open side, which means firm end posts and re-tensioning from time to time.
Pulling carpet off a stair exposes the treads and risers underneath, which may be plain framing lumber never meant to be seen. The fix is new hardwood treads or tread caps over the old ones, with new risers and a nosing on each step. Caps add thickness, so the top and bottom risers are checked to keep every step within 3/8 inch of the others.
An old spiral that wobbles, has narrow treads or went in without a permit can be replaced with a new one sized to the current spiral rules, reusing the opening if it is large enough. Where a straight stair takes too much space, it can be changed to a spiral to free up floor; the opening, headroom and surrounding framing all change with that swap, so it is a permitted alteration.
New guards follow today’s rules even on an older stair: at least 34 inches high on the open side of the stair, measured from the nosings, and at least 36 inches along landings, balconies and loft edges, with openings that stop a 4-inch sphere there and a 4 3/8-inch sphere on the stair side. The 2024 IRC does not make you rebuild the stair itself where the existing space and construction do not allow a reduction in pitch, so a railing job does not turn into a new stair.
Irving requires permits for structural work and exempts cosmetic work such as painting and carpeting. Whether a baluster-only swap counts as cosmetic is not spelled out, so ask Irving Inspections at (972) 721-2600 before work starts.
About 37 percent of Irving’s homes were built in the 1980s and 1990s and another 36 percent before 1980, so nearly three in four are more than 25 years old. Houses from the 1980s and 1990s may still have original oak handrails, wood spindles and carpeted treads, and homes in eastern Irving, where the city’s oldest neighborhoods are, may have stairs built to earlier rules than today’s.
If the stair itself needs replacing with a new curve, see curved staircases. For a new spiral to an attic or game room, see spiral stairs for lofts and attics, or return to the Irving Spiral Staircases home page.
Tell us what kind of stair you have, straight, curved or spiral, what you want to change, and roughly how many balusters or treads are involved. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (469) 351-6754