The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Estimating Frame And Brick Houses
The author does not advise the building of this kind of stairs, particularly if the stairway is situated in the entrance hall. It is not the fashion now to build straight flights of stairs where such can be avoided, for with the introduction of the Colonial and Queen Anne style of buildings the rule for stairways is short flights with rests or landings. This rule is, perhaps, the only good thing come to stay that these styles brought to us. Landings make quite a difference in the cost of a stair, and in making an estimate for this sort of a stairway it is best to figure each short flight separately, charging per step as given in the foregoing figures, then make a special estimate of the landings, including joists, flooring, extra newels, rail and balusters and cost of labor. A fair idea of the cost of landings may be gathered from the cost oi the flights. If the work on the stairs is done in the Colonial style, which is now so fashionable, an addition of from 5 to 10 per cent, extra should be charged for the labor, as more time will be taken up in preparing this style of work than is usual with other work.
Hard Wood Stairways.
If a stairway is constructed altogether of hard wood, and is to be finished in its natural state, the cost will be about double, as the most perfect workmanship and fault less materials must be employed, while at the same time the greatest of care must be exercised in protecting the work from stains or injury during the construction. If the rails are made extra heavy or double, the newels fluted and hand wrought, extra charges must be made proportionate to the extra labor required to perform the work. Rails of any required section may be obtained ready made by the foot at prices varying from 8 cents to $2. Balusters of all sizes and shapes, in any usable material, sell at from 8 to 90 cents each, according to whether they are round, square, octagonal, spiral or hand wrought or swash turned.
Newels in all hard woods, turned, carved, spiral or built up, may be had at from $4 to $5 each. Unless the estimator owns a factory and machines, or is too far removed from one, he will find it to his interest to purchase his stair furniture at the factory rather than attempt to make it himself, and his estimate will be more certain when he knows exactly for what he can get the work done, as he may by consulting the manufacturers' catalogue and price-list.
