Straight stairs are certainly one of the most common types of stairs found in both residential and commercial properties.
Advantages of straight Stairs:
- Straight stairs tend to be the easiest to go up and down or ascend/descend as we say in the industry.
- They are typically the easiest to build however this depends allot on the level of detail in the design.
- Straight stairs only need to be connected at the top and the bottom (no intermediate supporting structure is required).
- They work well with minimalist designed homes due to their inherent simplicity.
- By selecting thinner treads, open risers and thin metal stringers, straight stairs can be made more transparent than other types of stairs allowing less obstruction to the view beyond.
- No landing is required if the number of risers are kept under 16 or the overall vertical height is less than 12 feet.
- Its relatively easy to build railings and handrails for straight stairs.
- Measuring for railings is simpler also.
Disadvantages of straight stairs:
- Straight stairs use up a fair amount of linear space which has to be planned for in your design.
- Some of the other stair types create a privacy barrier between the floors of your home. Straight stairs do not offer this privacy.
- A stair 12 feet high requires a landing to break up the span. The addition of a landing will use up allot more space and therefore these types of stairs are seldom used in residential construction. You will see these more frequently in large commercial buildings.
