It looks fine to me. I've never fallen down stairs nor has DH, but lives change and we do have older people in ours now who could find going up those stairs difficult. Someone with a weaker left hip or knee would very much appreciate a right hand friendly railing. Please don't get hung up on minor cosmetic details with your build, keep function in mind too.... My house was built by a doctor for his retirement home. It has some features I probably would not have paid for, but have come to appreciate. Wide hallways/doorways, curb less showers, no stairs from attached garage to inside, and a paved sidewalk that encircles the entire house under a deep overhang. I find I like it that I can be outside in the rain and not get my shoes wet or dirty ;) And, we did have a drop-in guest in a wheelchair last week, it was nice to be able to accommodate him without calling undo attention to his disability, or have to visit with him in the driveway (in December).

I think Saypoint's railing is exactly what I'll have to do and remind the carpenter who installs it that I need to be able to unscrew the brackets (using a drill screwdriver) when moving. The inset handrail would unfortunately, be at least a $10,000 expense. Those are load-bearing walls, so the studs can't be notched out. We'd have to open up the wall, install a new beam to hold up the 2nd story floor and attic, etc. Then, in the basement, we'd have to add another beam, open up the stairwell down-- and add new footings to fit the weight distribution. It could even involve removing the stairs and reinstalling. I saw what's involved when my dining room doors were widened. An engineer had to specify the correct beams for the door and under the first floor, along with these huge iron footings/jacks to hold up the new support because they couldn't dig new footings in the crawlspace. I'll have to add the rail on the left because the right side has two 1939 -era HVAC ducts going up through the wall. I'd have to have one of those punctured. On the left, there's the closet at the front, and the pantry at the back. Thanks for all the creative and thoughtful responses!

The post I mentioned would not be at the bottom tread so the design of a continuous handrail would have to bypass the post to get to a newel at the bottom tread and there would need to be a guard at the new opening whether it be solid, balusters, etc. At first glance it seems a potentially messy solution. Perhaps the handrail could be at the other side and the guard could terminate at the post. The bottom tread should have had returns at each side. Its looks like a abasement stair in the entryway.

@just_janni - Great idea! I was afraid of this option initially because I wasn’t sure if it would work in the space but it just might. I will look into this option. @lucky998877 - I agree, this may be the route to take if I do not find a better option. @Norwood Architects - I love your thought process. I agree, the darker tone would be a nice contrast for the home. We are also getting our flooring replaced so this may work in our favor. @Patricia Colwell Consulting - You make a valid point in regard to trying to match the exterior, thank you. At the time of purchase we didn’t have the option to choose the stair railing for the home so we had to wait until completion to make this change. I will look a little more into the glass railing.