A staircase is one of the most visible elements in a London home. Getting it right requires the right joiner, the right material, and a realistic understanding of what bespoke fabrication costs.
The staircase is often the centrepiece of a London home's interior. In a Victorian or Georgian terraced house, it sits at the heart of the building; in a modern lateral apartment, it may be the only real architectural gesture. Getting it right repays investment. Getting it wrong — fitting a standard softwood stair in a property that warrants better — registers immediately to any informed eye.
This guide covers the key decisions: material, configuration, structural approach, lead times, and realistic cost ranges for bespoke staircase work in London.
Why bespoke versus standard
Standard staircases are manufactured to common riser and going dimensions. They fit most domestic situations. They are also instantly recognisable as what they are: functional, inexpensive, and interchangeable.
Bespoke staircases are fabricated to the exact dimensions of your opening, with chosen materials, balustrade design, newel post details, and handrail profile. In a property at the upper end of the market — where every other finish has been specified carefully — a standard stair is incongruous.
Bespoke also becomes necessary when the opening is non-standard: a curved flight, a helical stair, a floating cantilevered design, or an unusually tight footprint. Standard components simply do not accommodate these.
Material choices
Hardwood — oak, ash, walnut The most common choice for high-specification residential work. Oak is the default; walnut commands a premium for its colour and grain. Both can be clear-lacquered, oiled, or painted. Treads in solid hardwood (minimum 40mm for strength) behave well under foot traffic and age with character. Expect tight-grained timber for premium finishes — loose grain in oak, for example, shows every mark.
Painted softwood with hardwood elements Many clients specify painted risers and strings with hardwood treads and handrail. This gives a classic period look — common in Georgian and Victorian properties — at lower cost than a fully hardwood stair. Pine or tulipwood are typical for the painted elements.
Steel with timber or glass Structural steel stringers or monoposts carrying cantilevered or floating treads are increasingly popular in contemporary refurbishments. Steel allows thinner profiles, more dramatic open designs, and spans that solid timber cannot achieve. Steel must be fabricated off-site by a specialist metalworker, and galvanic isolation from the concrete structure is important.
Glass balustrades Structural glass — channel-fixed or frameless — opens up the stair visually and is common in lateral apartments and contemporary townhouses. Frameless systems are significantly more expensive than framed. Glass must be laminated safety glass throughout.
Configuration and structural approach
The structural type — closed-string, open-string, cut-string, cantilever, helical — will determine both fabrication approach and cost. A cut-string stair (where the profile of treads and risers is visible from the side) is more labour-intensive than a closed-string (where a solid board conceals the step profile). A cantilevered stair, where each tread is bolted to a central spine wall, requires structural engineering sign-off and close coordination with the structural engineer.
Helical and curved stairs require specialist fabricators — there are relatively few in the UK — and lead times can reach 16–20 weeks.
Realistic costs
| Configuration | Indicative cost (supply and install, exc. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Painted softwood with oak treads and handrail | £8,000 – £14,000 |
| Full hardwood (oak) straight flight, open-string | £14,000 – £22,000 |
| Steel spine with cantilevered oak treads | £20,000 – £35,000 |
| Helical or curved stair | £35,000 – £80,000+ |
These ranges cover supply and installation. They exclude structural engineering fees where required, any making-good of surrounding finishes, and structural alterations to the opening (e.g. trimming a floor opening or removing an existing stair).
Lead times
Bespoke staircases are not available off the shelf. Expect:
- —Simple hardwood replacement stair: 6–10 weeks from order to installation
- —Steel/glass contemporary design: 10–14 weeks
- —Helical or curved: 16–22 weeks
Design, survey, and approval time before fabrication typically adds 2–4 weeks. For a complex project where the stair is on the critical path, it should be the first item ordered after structural sign-off.
Managing the installation
Staircase installation generates significant dust and disruption. The first fix — removing the existing stair, treating or preparing the structural carcase — should happen before flooring and final decoration. The staircase should be protected immediately after installation until the rest of the programme is complete.
Handrail and balustrade work requires exact on-site templating, which means one or more visits by the fabricator before final fit-out. Programme this into the project schedule.
ASAAN has coordinated bespoke staircase fabrication and installation as part of wider renovation programmes. Our team manages the interface between structural, joinery, and decorating trades so that the staircase is installed in sequence and protected until handover.
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