Where are you located?

I'll cast my vote for the L-shape stairway. We rented a house (while we were house hunting) that had a spiral staircase to the second floor. We actually put the kids on the first floor and took the upstairs bedroom so that they wouldn't have to use the spiral staircase. It is an accident waiting to happen, specially if you are carrying anything.

My first one word thought. Slippery!

Agree w/previous posters. We went with a "U" shaped stai statement to use lass of the yard. In other words you walk down the stairs, hit a landing, turn 180-degrees, finish walking down. It didn't eat as much space out of our yard, and more importantly for us, we were able to "tuck" the staircase in such a way that none of the views from the downstairs windows are obstructed as they would have been with an "L" shaped system.

Thanks for the opinions; I too prefer the permanence of cement stairs to "spiral of death", but issue is related to lot slope and possible privacy issues. While it may seem that there is plenty of land (5 acres), the home site is limited by drop off (40+ feet) toward community lake where neighbors may fish dawn to dusk. We accept this as a compromise that is abated somewhat by trees and due to great views to the East. I'll attach a few pics (partial site plan and Sketch-up on Google Earth, red arrow is outdoor patio stair location.) Contour lines are at 10' increments. Thanks again.

The metal spiral staircase will be hard if anyone slips and falls...and the inside part of the spiral is usually too narrow to comfortably use.

And if you have any inclement weather (snow, ice or lots of rain) it will be an accident waiting to happen.

Is this house built yet and if not, are you working with an architect?

I hope there's no winter! I can't imagine trying to use a snow shovel on a spiral staircase...

Hope to leave snow blower 1800 miles behind! However SE Texas hill country does get ice and lots of rain lately. There is to be a lockable gate at the top of the stairs, and use is to be occasional to bring up firewood, trek to lake, etc. It seems that all are leaning away from the spiral idea (including DW.) Just thought we'd explore the idea.

Well, I'll add a different voice. The idea of concrete steps being a safety improvement does not make sense to me - the risk of serious injury when falling on concrete stairs is very real. If you will have 17 concrete steps and a concrete landing, I would worry more about that than a spiral staircase with a proper handrail and tread protection. However, are those your only two options? For example a quick search shows this metal/wood (or composite) tread option. Visibility is still great and it looks safe. I hope you do keep your options open.

Hudson Street Townhouse · More Info

Thanks again, wood stairway is not an desired option due to frustration in past/current homes; composite/metal might work but trying to stay more traditional. (DW prefers no stairs...firewood brought up one load at a time in rope basket???) A bit of history on the project, we lived in the area 30 years ago, bought this lot 9 years ago for our retirement home, wintered nearby the past 5 years, have had 3 plans/designers in the past 4 years (the latest by far the most creative/responsive...not an architect, she's a mechanical engineer/Certified Professional Building Designer.) Now we're fully retired and ready to soon seek firm bids from three of the 20+ builders we've considered over the years. Here is the current lakeside elevation with "L" stairway (yes, there's lots of foundation on this side but it's not uncommon for the area; walkout basement is not an option due to previous old wells and rocky terrain.)

Looks like a very exciting project. As has been well-documented in many threads, you don't need to work with an architect, just someone with great design skills with whom you make a great team. Good luck with your project, I hope it is a great adventure!

OK let me understand this. You are retired, which to me means you're nearing the "golden" years and you're building a house with lots of stairs? Do you also have an elevator in the house or do you have a closet mapped out that can be a future elevator?

CPA, your concerns are our concerns. All our living is planned for main floor; all doors and baths are ADA-planned, step-less showers etc. Upstairs is for kids/grandchildren only and can be closed off for utilities (they can do cleaning/laundry before they leave.) The "casita" to left of patio is for "healthier than us" 80-something MIL to winter with us. No elevator planned but interior stairs are less than 6.5" rise and level entry is from garage/west-side door. A recent broken foot and crutch/walker use taught us a lot.

No elevator planned but interior stairs are less than 6.5" rise

Even one or two steps that high in much later years can be a problem. My mother who had parkinsons would not have been able to maneuver even a step that high. Just a thought to maybe plumb a closet now that can be easily retrofitted later if needed.

You can also get spiral stairs with the treads open, kind of like a fire escape.

we stay at the beach and there's spiral staircase to the beach from the house. It hasn't been a problem, not even on rainy days. Ice would be different, but so would concrete stairs.

Any interest in a multi-level patio, kind of a terraced effect? For example, the higher level big enough for a grill and eating area, then a few steps down to space for a fire pit and casual seating? That would break up the number of stairs from the lower part of the patio to the ground level, and potentially maximize your views from the upper level.