Planning

• Decide if you would like to build your staircase from scratch using materials purchased at your local home improvement store, or if you prefer to use a manufactured kit. Manufactured kits are often easier to piece together and already follow government standards for staircases. Both options can be carpeted or stained for a more finished look.
  
  If you choose to build your staircase from scratch, keep in mind that you are building for function and safety rather than for decorative purposes. While you can add a decorative touch to your railing or other portions of the stairwell, the staircase itself should be practical and functional.
  
  To begin, sketch your desired staircase. Keep all of your local regulations at hand so that you can design a staircase that is usable and follows local codes and ordinances. Most residential staircases require a minimum 10-inch tread run accompanied by a 7 3/4-inch riser plate (height) per stair. If your staircase is going to a basement or a second floor, you must also account for headroom. Headroom should be a minimum of six feet and eight inches.
  
  

Building

• Using your sketch, build your staircase. First, lay out the frame for the staircase, also known as the stringers. The stringers are the panels on either side of the staircase that support the treads, or steps, you walk on to go up and down the stairs, while the riser plates are the height between each stair tread.
  
  Using predetermined measurements for the height and width of the stair riser and tread, mark off each stair onto the stringer. Once you've marked off each stair, cut these sections out--creating the frame for your new staircase. After the sections have been removed, install each tread and riser plate to the stringer.
  
  Overall, the measurement process is the most difficult portion of building your stairs. Once all of your measurements have been taken and you've double-checked them, the rest of the staircase construction is relatively quick and simple.