Staircases are fundamental to any house that has changes in level from one floor to another. They come in all heights, widths, and configurations, from very basic and utilitarian to grand and sweeping. The form they take is determined by the home's design, the builder's skills, the amount of space available and, of course, the budget for building them.

Some stairs have landings, some don't. A staircase that runs in a straight line from one floor to the next is easiest to build but can be somewhat formidible to climb. Stairs that stop at a landing and turn 90 or 180 degrees take up less space and can be safer and easier to traverse. A spiral staircase takes up the least amount of space and is typically economical to install, but is not easy to climb and is particularly impractical when you need to carry large objects from one floor to the next--and they are not safe for use by children or the elderly.

In this section of HomeTips, you will find information on the various types of stairs in use, how they are built, and how to maintain them.