Interior railings/St. Albert, Alberta
Interior railings in St. Albert.
St. Albert has some of the oldest established housing in the region, which means a lot of original staircases that have been carpeted over since the seventies. There's usually good work hiding under there.
St. Albert homes
What are the homes in St. Albert like?
St. Albert's core is genuinely old by Alberta standards. The town joined the provincial New Town program in 1956 and approved a three-year plan to build 700 homes across Braeside, Grandin Park, Mission Park and Sturgeon Heights. Grandin was formally established in 1959 and Forest Lawn was founded in 1970.
The result is a lot of 1960s to 1980s single-family bungalows on wide, mature, treed lots, with Braeside carrying a spread that runs from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. These are solid houses that have been lived in and updated in layers.
The usual job
What stair work do St. Albert homes usually need?
More staircase work than most of the newer communities. A house that's fifty years old has usually had carpet on the stairs the whole time, and homeowners updating the main floor to hardwood want the stairs to match rather than stopping at the bottom step.
That's a custom staircase job rather than a railing job, and the two price differently. It brings in new hardwood treads, risers, and the finished faces of the stringer. If those words are unfamiliar, the parts of a staircase walks through them on one labelled photo.
The railings in these homes are often original too, with turned wood spindles and posts that suit the house but show their age. Some homeowners keep the traditional profile, others go to a cleaner spindle profile. Ben brings real samples so you're choosing from pieces, not a brochure.
Getting to you
Built in the shop, fitted in your home.
St. Albert is northwest of Edmonton, a straight run up St. Albert Trail, and it sits inside Ben's regular service area.
About 70% of the work, all the drilling, cutting, staining and finishing, is done offsite in Ben's shop, so your home stays clean and he's on site for a fraction of the time. That's the same process wherever the job is. Ben measures your run, builds and finishes the railing offsite, then comes back and fits it, so the disruptive part of the work stays short no matter which side of the city you are on.
Every railing goes in to the National Building Code, 2023 Alberta Edition, and the workmanship is backed by a lifetime workmanship warranty.
Serving
Interior railings and stairs across Edmonton, Leduc, Spruce Grove, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, St. Albert.
What customers say
What homeowners say about Ben's work.
Ben's craftsmanship and attention to detail are top-notch. He's professional, easy to work with, and the final result exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend his services.
Ben's attention to detail, precision and finishing are what makes his work stand out. I would highly recommend Ben's Carpentry as he is excellent to work with, keeps the area very clean and is on time. Thanks Ben!
We really liked the end result of Ben's work. It was nice that he crafted the materials in his shop, thus limiting the time spent in our home. Easy to work with and his suggestions were good!
St. Albert questions
What people here ask first.
Can you put hardwood on stairs that are currently carpeted?
Yes, and it's a common job in older homes. What's under the carpet is usually construction-grade stringer and treads that were never meant to be seen, so the work is fitting new hardwood treads, risers and finished stringer faces over the existing structure. Ben will tell you at the consultation what's reusable and what isn't.
My railing is original to the house. Can it be kept?
Sometimes. If the newel posts and handrail are sound and you like the profile, the spindles can be changed on their own, which is a much smaller job. If the posts are loose or the handrail is not graspable by current code, it's usually better value to rebuild the system as a unit so everything lines up and the finish matches.
Do the stairs and the railing have to be done at the same time?
No, but there's a reason people do. Stain matching is far easier when the treads, handrail and posts are finished together from the same batch, and the shop work overlaps. Ben quotes them as separate lines either way, so you can decide once you see the two numbers.
Where else
Ben works
Interior railings and stairs across the Edmonton region.
- EdmontonInfill, older neighbourhoods and newer builds across the city.
- Sherwood ParkBroadmoor, Westboro, Sherwood Heights and around.
- Spruce GroveGreenbury, Harvest Ridge, Copperhaven and around.
- LeducSouthfork, Bridgeport, Meadowview and around.
- Fort SaskatchewanPineview, Southfort, Sherridon Heights and around.
Let's plan your St. Albert railing.
Send your measurements and the estimate comes back by email, or send a photo and Ben will price it for you.