With a little help from my friends...

When you have a staircase like this one ( long and steep) you really should have a handrail. I need some good ideas. The home is contemporary- clean lines and modern. What is cool? Affordable? DIY? Thanks. I will post the ideas here!

Comments

[Todd]

You need one because it's the law! If someone were to fall on your stairs and get hurt you'd be looking at a serious problem! I see you have little kids as well, so make sure you pick something that meets code. Meeting code typically causes people that like "modern" stuff to get annoyed. Do you have any photos looking up the stairs?

[Todd]

You need one because it's the law! If someone were to fall on your stairs and get hurt you'd be looking at a serious problem! I see you have little kids as well, so make sure you pick something that meets code. Meeting code typically causes people that like "modern" stuff to get annoyed. Do you have any photos looking up the stairs?

[Gene]

You definitely need one for code, but it'd be a good idea just from a basic safety standpoint. A picture showing up the stairs and the colors involved would give a better idea for some options.

[Laura]

What about a length of aluminum? It could be a square tube, or a c-shaped channel. Depending on the shape, it may or may not need to be held off from the wall with another piece of aluminum. The stair clearly isn't very wide, so you'll need a profile that doesn't stick out very far. (You could also consider capping the aluminum with a wood piece.) If you can find a decent aluminum supplier in your area, you can go check out their selection-- you'll be amazed at all the different shapes you can find. Or see if you can find a fabricator who can get the stuff & maybe weld some end caps on the thing. If you can construct it yourself, you're probably looking at $50-100 for the materials. Good luck!