On a Feng Shui note, try to put a large plant or something to redirect the chi at the bottom of the stairs. (Photo courtesy of Cheryll Gillespie)

When was the last time you slid down a banister? Staircases are an integral part of almost all of our homes. We have stairs leading to the front porch, to the patio, to the second floor, to the basement and even into a sunken living room.

Staircases play an important role in the construction of a home and your builder followed strict criteria for the construction of each and every step. There has always been a significant number of accidents in the home involving stairs which has resulted in building codes with specific requirements for steps and their rise, run, width, handrails, balustrades and railings. Although architects and builders must adhere to building codes, we still have many design and decorating options with respect to staircases in the home.

A riser and a tread are the two basic elements of a step. The rise being the vertical distance, usually 7.5 inches, between the top of the one tread to the bottom of the next. The tread is the horizontal surface, usually 10 inches wide, that you place your foot on as you walk up or down the stair.

In addition to a rise and a tread, each step will generally have a nosing, the section of the tread (generally 1 to 1 and a half inch) that extends past the vertical face of the rise. Nosings may be shaped depending on the finished material of the staircase.

For example, if the standard staircase is to be covered with carpet the nosing will be left square and you will not be asked to choose a nosing, but if you are having hardwood stairs you will need to specify the nosing shape, similar to the bull nose of the kitchen or bathroom countertops. The local building codes allow for some flexibility with respect to the height of the run and depth of the tread.

Next time you climb a set of stairs, check for the nosing, if the steps do not have the extra inch of foot space that the nosing provides you will find them difficult to climb or descend. You often come across staircases without nosing at historical sites.

One aspect of stair detail that is often overlooked is the transition between the finished material used on the staircase and the flooring material at the top and bottom of the staircase.

For example, if you are planning to leave the basement of your home undeveloped you should still do a little future design planning for this space. If the concrete that is the unfinished flooring material is assumed to be the finished material, once you do complete the basement development with new flooring in place, be it hardwood, carpet or ceramic tile you could have an awkward bottom step as the rise will be too short.

The same consideration needs to be extended to your exterior spaces. Always consider what, regardless of how long in the future the finished treatment will take to be completed, will be.

Each full set of stairs will account for approximately 100 square feet of living space, and they often are considered architectural features of the home so it is imperative that we don’t neglect to give each ‘case’ the care and attention this vital passage provides our home.

If you’re planning any kind of renovation this fall (whether it be major or minor)consider updating your staircases, even simply painting the spindles. Or if you are resurfacing the existing flooring or planning to install an entirely new set of stairs - perhaps even in a new location - remember that under the stairway is an ideal location for storage.

Wall surfaces along the staircase should be finished in durable materials as we may get a fair bit of wear and tear here and you’ll want to also consider some dramatic art that takes you up or down that staircase.

On a Feng Shui note, ensure that all the good chi that flows down your stairs doesn’t keep right on flowing out the front door, try to position the staircase so that it is not directly in line with your front doors or if that is not possible you’ll need to put a large plant or something to redirect the chi at the bottom of the stairs.