The rail on the far side (nearer the door) is just that short piece, right? Looks like they bought off-the-shelf stuff that was closest in size, rather than making it fit the space.

When we ripped out our kitchen counters we discovered the backsplash on one side was 1" taller than the other side. Never noticed it in 15 years until we took it apart! LOL

Donna

Thank you both. And, Donna - You are correct, the far side near the door is just the short piece - it sort of runs into the wall going up.

Funny you mention the 1" difference in your kitchen.. We have found other stuff in our house not quite right too. For example, our toilet in our master bathroom sticks out from the wall 4-5" past what is normal. I wouldn't have noticed if my contractor wouldn't have said anything during the remodel... Now I notice it a lot.

Are you talking about the newel posts being staggered? If so, I know there is a good reason (because I once asked) but I can't remember the reasoning...try a google of newel post placement

maddielee - I had to google newel posts - that's how much I don't know lol... My concern is, the post closest to the front door sticks out farther than the other post - they don't line up. See pic for reference. I tried googling this but haven't confirmed what is correct.

Sorry~ I attached pics of balusters.

Hard to get a good pic, but we have a short piece on one side and ours line up exactly.

4boys2 - my mistake, I'm labeling stuff wrong since I don't know all the proper terminology ...

Yes, those looks even, unlike mine hehehe

Had you not posted the pics w/the yellow arrows I would have not caught it. DH says it's an error and he'd redo it by shortening the one further out. May mean having to patch up wood floor underneath.

bossyvossy Thank you for the input. I had a feeling it wasn't normal. My master bedroom is directly across from the staircase and I've been walking by it for about 9 years now and never noticed until today.. hahahaha

One side (toward the door) is boxed, the other is open, and the two newels are not in the same plane. It has a split personality.

Casey

Sombreuil - who ever built the homes in my neighborhood must have had split personalities lol - I just checked another house in my subdivision that's on the market and the stair case has the same issue! lol

Looks like a mistake to me too. I really had to look to find it, but once I did, I couldn't "un-see" it.

We recently noticed that the crown moulding wasn't placed on top of the upper cabinet of our butlers pantry. We've only lived here 5 years.... We might have the same builder! Lol

If the newel (closest to the door) was placed up against the stair, the slanted board (?) would hit the newel in an awkward place.

maddielee - I'm not sure. I had another tread a couple months ago asking if I should paint/stain the staircase since it doesn't match my (new) hardwood, see link below - There are more pics of the staircase..

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/should-i-paint-or-stain-staircase-fireplace-doors-to-match-hardwood-dsvw-vd~3800580

Here's one pic from the post

Whatever the reasoning (crazy code issue because of the partial wall on that side? ) it doesn't look bad to me. Pretty house.

maddielee - thank you :) I'll probably get it over hahaha I just wasn't sure if it was normal. I wish I hadn't noticed hahaha.

It would drive me bonkers! I would think that could also be a trip hazard, as someone walking toward the door would expect them to be in the same position.

Errant_gw - I don't need anymore tripping hazards, the sunken living room is enough lol... Luckily we hardly ever use the front door, but I've never noticed the staircase/newel in the way.

if you look at your picture with the added arrows, I think if you moved that newel post on the short wall back to line up with other one, the handrail would meet the round 'knob' at the top of the newel post.

It is a code thing (height of handrail) and has to do with the angle of the handrail meeting the post. And the style of the post. Remedy would be to remove the newel posts and shorten that side wall base back to the stair, using a straight post so the handrail could tie into it wherever it needs to. Angles be damned.

It would be the first thing I would notice coming in your front door. And if rectified would open up your entry.....

Does it have to be there so that the posts are the same height? And yet...it's like a brain teaser on the back of an old beer can. Unsee it. It's fine?

It is most obviously an error that was somehow overlooked - the newel post extends out too far. Moving it back should not alter the alignment of the handrail, as they should BOTH be at the same height and pitch, (angle), per code. As the posts are both on the same level, they should both be the same height and have the same pitch, going up the staircase, although it appears that the height of the handrail closest to the door is higher than the handrail on the right.

If so, this is clearly a violation, and not to code, I’m surprised that it wasn’t caught at final inspection by whomever inspects local residential construction in your neighborhood.. It would bug the dickens out of me, but you’re apparently used to it.

Correcting it would involve dismantling the left side newel post, handrail and balusters. All the balusters would need to be cut down, the handrail shortened, and the post would need to be pushed back to be flush against the bottom stair, as it is on the right. The flooring underneath that post would also need to be added to, or replaced, if they cut around the base of the post when the flooring was installed. Definitely a job for a professional. The photo below demonstrates how it should look.

Why would it be a code violation?

Handrails for the same staircase are supposed to be at the same equal height on both sides of one staircase. Residential building code specifies that they should be no less than 34” high, nor more than 38", though there can be some variation between those two numbers per code for this specific locality.

Looks like a mistake to me and would drive me nuts.

Quirky? Yes. But, if it took nine years to notice it, and the neighbor's house has the same issue, I wouldn't worry about it. When we stripped the spindles on our stairs two years ago, we found that there was one spindle that was put in upside down as compared to the rest. The house was built in 1917. I wonder if anyone else noticed it before. Did the installer make a mistake and nobody caught it, or was it a subtle signature, left to be found 100 years later? I accept it as unique, and the mark of being handmade, imperfect yet still lovely.

I think it's more than quirky but a building error...just because it was repeated doesn't make it less of an error. There was probably some money-saving reason why he did it that way. I'd really want to get it fixed.

The handrail was brought out farther from the stair on the left side because of the newel post top square blocking where the hand rail ties in; if the post was moved back to the stair where it belongs the handrail would not tie into the block part. It would be too high. They shortened the whole assembly height to fit that newel post. You would have to change newel posts on both sides to rectify. Or add a block to the shorter post where the rail ties in. Refinishing the post to hide this would be dicey in the wrong hands; I would probably suggest painting both newels, in that case, your floors not matching would be less of an issue.

This is not a big fix issue for a skilled handyman but someone might make it an expensive one...One day job, if you do the painting. The floor patch would be the biggest problem to get right. Hope you saved some flooring for repairs.

However all that being said I would make my DH do it. Actually I wouldn't have to make him, he would do it anyway because it seems like a lazy builder thing. Not really wrong but a sloppy way to use those newel posts. They should have used a different style.

If it was not really noticeable to you before it might disappear again. Some people just cant unsee something that bugs them.

If I hadn't noticed it in 9 years, it wouldn't start bothering me now.

4Heidesign - "It would bug the dickens out of me, but you’re apparently used to it."

It's not that I'm use to it, I just never really noticed until yesterday. It bothers me, but not enough to want to change it right away. I have lots of other things I would spend time and money on before changing the stairs.

Furthermore, if what you're saying is true about Residential building code in MO, then my house wouldn't be up to code. The heights are different and they are higher than 40"...

missymoo12 - thank you for the input, what you're saying makes total sense. If the rail closest to the door was pushed back to line up with the other post, then the handrail wouldn't line up correctly, or at least that's what I'm thinking.

I'm not going to worry myself over the issue. Like I said, I have lots of projects in mind, and the staircase doesn't bother me enough to want to rip it apart. Plus I have matching railings going in the basement and in the kitchen so I would have to change a lot if I change the newel/posts on the stairs.. Lots of work for little return in my opinion.

Where I live, in a Philadelphia suburb, and an inspector came in for a totally different project and they saw this I'd have to change it just to pass inspection on the other project. Around here they're always looking for things.

I didn't realize they were different heights. That explains the geometry at least (and the potential code issue).

It's much easier for the stair shop to build one side open and the other side completely boxed than to split the finish partway down.

Casey

Mrsshanye, I’m a retired architectural draftsman, and quirks like that naturally would really bother me, but not be noticeable by others. You’ve not been bothered by it for 9 years, so shouldn’t stress about it too much now.

The reason all of this probably happened is because the builder used two different newel posts at the base of your stairs. As you can see by the photo, the post on the right is slightly different than the one on the left. They look similar, but aren’t - the squared off section at the base is higher on the right post than it is on the left post. In order to get the handrail slope to meet the left hand post at the necessary height for a handrail, (between 34-38”), the builder had to bring out the left post several inches. Had he just used two identical newel posts, this wouldn’t have happened. You mentioned that the heights were different and were above 40”, that’s okay, the newel posts can be that high, but the handrails that go up the stair shouldn’t be higher than 38”, and I imagine yours fall within those guidelines - although different heights.

Since the mistake was duplicated in another house - it may be that that homeowner has the matching newel to yours, and you have theirs! They may have both been built at the same time, and gotten mixed up. And just because it was duplicated at another house doesn’t make it “normal” - it’s still incorrectly done.

4Heidesign - thank you for the detailed explanation.. You are right - the newel posts don't even match! Gosh, I didn't notice that until you said something. No wonder everything is out of whack! It bothers me, but I'll probably let it go for now.. I just hate to spend money on something that an untrained eye wouldn't always notice. Of course, I notice it now lol... But this isn't my forever home.

This is a great example of sloppy builder grade... Maybe someday I'll rip out the carpet on the stairs and have new treads and all new railing done.... Hopefully the next person can get it done right. I have a fear of running out of stuff, so I have plenty of extra hardwood, should I need any :)

I see it as laziness on the part of whoever was doing the install, and it's either the same person or the supervisor is giving the go ahead. How it did not get caught/noticed on the final walkthru by the inspector, after the house was completed is unbelieveable. I see it as a possible tripping hazzard and even though the house is obviously past the warranty date, if there were an accident, the builder could be liable. I would take pictures, and email the builder, mentioning a possible hazzard. I'm sure they'll try to give you the runaround reminding you you're not under warranty, so I would mention contacting a lawyer. This may or may not work, but worth a try.

In your case, the balusters should line up. They don't always have to though. Is this a newly built home for you? If so, call the builder and make him come back to fix it. He should have no problem doing that!

It looks like the trim guys wanted to make the spacing between the last spindle and the corner match the spacing between the other spindles. This pushed the whole assembly out beyond the near side. It looks like putting the ends even might have required them to cut the spindle vertically, and doing that presents some problems of its own.

I am a professional bricklayer. I had overheard a conversation on a marble staircase in a new museum. A question was asked ."Which baluster did you put upside down.? The explanation still humbles me. The reasoning was , Only God is perfect. If you put one in upside down you admit you are only human. I will never forget that. I do not know where it originated. Now i find myself looking for that one upside down baluster.