For over 30 years Seattle Stair & Design has been designing and building unique, passionate staircases, beautifying the continent’s finest homes and public spaces. Our staircases are shop built; we build the entire staircase and railing (or balustrade) right here in our shop as a piece of structural furniture. Architectural plans are vague when it comes to your staircase. To get a building permit, the law requires very little of architects in this area – and yet the stair is often the most complex piece of workmanship in the project. If your architect hasn’t designed the staircase, e.g., 2-3 full blueprint pages with plans, elevations, sections and details - your framing contractor will. His primary design tools are a Skilsaw and a hammer. These rough stair jacks will form the substrate for the most expensive pieces of hardwood to be placed in your home. No one builds a fine dinning table by starting with a picnic table as a foundation. Your staircase may be the most expensive piece of furniture in your home.