Staircases are one of the few elements in a house that you interact with physically every day. The proportion of the handrail, the weight of the balustrade, the way light hits a folded stringer — these details are noticed, even if they’re not consciously named.
This post covers a staircase we recently completed for a private Queenstown residence. The brief was a straight-run mild steel staircase with integrated oak treads, a flat-bar balustrade, and a handrail that felt substantial without being heavy.
The design
The architect had a clear intent: a staircase that was structural but restrained — no ornament, nothing that competed with the view.
We modelled the full staircase in Autodesk Inventor before anything was cut. The model let us resolve the connection details, confirm clearances, and produce shop drawings the architect could review and approve.
The fabrication
The stringers were cut on our fibre laser from 10mm mild steel plate. The flat bar balustrade was cut, straightened and welded in our workshop. The handrail was fabricated from 50x10mm flat bar, with a machined radius at the top edge to soften the grip.
The mild steel was cleaned, primed and powder coated in a dark charcoal, semi-matte finish. The oak treads were supplied and fitted by the joinery contractor, with the steel framework pre-drilled and countersunk to receive them.
The installation
Installation took a day and a half. The lower stringer connections had been pre-positioned during the concrete pour, which made the install clean. The staircase arrived on site in three sections and was bolted and welded together in place.
This is why the documentation phase matters. The time spent resolving the connection details in the model is recovered on site — sometimes several times over.
The result
The staircase does what good metalwork should do: it holds its ground without shouting. The proportion feels right. The handrail is solid. The powder coat is consistent across every surface.
If you’re specifying a staircase for a new build or renovation and want to understand the process and cost, get in touch.