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Upgrade wood on stair treads/railing - $1000+?!!!

16 years ago

Hello,

I have just gotten a price from the estimator for my builder telling me that it will cost more than $1,000+ extra to upgrade my stair treads to Brazilian Cherry and my handrails (balausters will be iron) to Mahogany.

The standard option is White Oak.

Does this seem high, or is it reasonable? The stairway is curved, but not large, and the railing is along the stairway, and then also on a loft overlooking the Great Room.

I can see ALL the wood costing $1,000, but it seems high to me for the upgrade to be $1,000 over and above. Maybe I am just clueless?

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

Gina_W
16 years ago
Stairing is expensive work - the pieces for the "stair-nose" are expensive and the labor is more intensive. So this price seems okay to me.
oakrunfarm
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, Gina. I admit I am totally new to this whole thing, but I was surprised that it would be this much just to use a different wood. I can easily see that being the cost for the treads and railings, but not OVER and above the cost for treads and railings that I am already being charged.

I found a website that had Braz. Cherry treads at only a few dollars more each than the White Oak, so that is one reason I was confused.
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glennsfc
16 years ago
Around here white oak is an upcharge from red oak and can be as much as $900 for the average staircase.

Now the jungle wood that you're wanting to use...well that has to be more money, simply for the fact that it has to be transported from the jungle (rainforest, really) to your stair builder. I wouldn't even think about using an exotic for lots of reasons.
oakrunfarm
Original Author
16 years ago
glenn,

I appreciate your sensitivity to the ecology of the wood I am considering. I did a lot of research into the different wood species before I selected Brazilian Cherry.

For all of my interior wood flooring, I am making arrangements to purchase wood flooring ONLY from companies which import under the Forest Stewardship Council's COC program. This insures that the wood will come from sustainable and legal operations that are monitored and do not include old-growth harvesting.

There are only a few sources in the U.S. that import this way and they are more expensive than the mainstream importers, but I felt - as you do - that it is important to be a conscientious consumer.

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