Building Stairs (Andy Engel)

I consider myself as a serious DIY with attention to detail. I have remodeled nearly every room in the house. Built the cabinets, plumbing, wiring, tile, hardwood floors and windows. When it came time to replace the stairs, I looked through my collection of Fine Homebuilding and didn't find much help. I purchased a DVD from TheStairGuy.com. It is not worth the time or the money. My wife purchased two books for Christmas for me. This one and Stairs & Railings step by step projects. The book Building Stairs is an excellent book that covers all aspects of construction and trimming out the stairs. It is comprehensive and easy to follow. I highly recommend it. The book Stairs & Railings is advertised as a quick guide and that is what it is. It goes into less detail than Building Stairs. But it still is a good book and complements the other book. Gary

There are a lot of books on stair building available and it's overwhelming to choose the right one. I am a carpenter who builds stairs once in a while--meaning I usually forget the things I learned from the last experience. This book is like my cheat sheet, reminding me of all the things I really wished I had remembered. Reading it is like working next to a top notch carpenter. A lot of stair building books are very high-minded (with good reason because the geometry can be complex). This book simplifies but doesn't dumb down the process. It simplifies it in the way only an experienced carpenter can simplify it. I particularly liked the section on doing easings on over-the-post handrails (176-177), which have caused me trouble in the past. I've seen a lot of very elaborate jigs made up for this, but this author simplifies it beautifully. I think if you've never built a set of stairs before or installed handrails and balusters, going just from this book should work out fine,... Read more

I am a serious DIYer, and when I decided to tackle a stair construction project in a two-story addition, I looked through my collection of books, downloaded stair building codes, and found whatever else I could on the internet. I also had back issues of Fine Homebuilding Magazine, where I found various articles, including the March 1998 issue which has an article by Mr. Engel, "Bulding Finish Stairs." Despite having these resources, I still lacked the confidence to tackle the project, and I wanted a better book. I bought this book based on the excellent reviews, and I haven't been disappointed. If you need to build some stairs, indoor or outdoor, this book has everything you need to start the job, provided you already own a shop full of tools and know how to use them. The book fully explains the trade-offs between various types of construction and details how to accomplish the job with illustrated clearly-written text. As an example, I located a local source for engineered string... Read more

This is truly a well-written book on how to build stairs! Mr. Engel explores every aspect of stairbuilding and describes each step in the process in great detail. I highly recommend this book for the novice and the expert, alike. There's always something new to be learned by any of us and this book is chock full of new and interesting methods and tips on how one can build a stair the right way and without error! Well worth the price to purchase!

A nicely organized and well laid-out manual that covers everything from stairbuilding basics up to complex railing and finishing details. Written in an easy-to-read casual tone with clear photos and drawings, helpful sidebars and useful appendices. Definitely recommended.