The OP's next response said this, which introduced the topic of light to her original question: "The reason I wanted to go with the open staircase is that it is U-shaped and located in the corner of the structure. It has landings that are bumped out from the structure with windows. I was hoping the open risers would help bing light in to the basement..." I did not say the forum should be a place to congratulate each other on home design and avoid critical design issues. I have no problem with your statements about the codes applicable to winder stairs and your suggestion for the grab bar, which we already have and is a good suggestion. But my stairs are already built and not going to be changed and no one responding to the thread even suggested that they were thinking about building winder stairs, so it served no constructive purpose for you and Sue to go beyond the code issues and give your personal opinions on my stairs other than to make me, the home owner who was criticized for building the winder stairs, to regret posting a picture on this forum, and doing things that discourage homeowners from posting picgtures of their already built/can't be changed homes is not good for the forum, IMO. I did measure the depth of our treads at the wind, and the minimum depth at the wind (at the wall) is 4-1/2", so our code is probably like the code in your area.

Another issue popped up last night, regarding one of the realtors I interviewed. This lady gave me the lowest comp, and I had already decided not to use her. She called me a couple times since then, and she offered to give me new comps. She also said she was sure she already had a buyer for the house - it was exactly what they are looking for. Yeah right, I'm not going to fall for that one. Well, I still wanted to see what the new comps were and I was curious about the "buyer". She came over last night to the house, had a camera with her, and was snapping pictures everywhere. She wasn't waiting for me to escort her throughout the house, she was off and running the minute she got in the door. She kept saying out loud, "oh this house is perfect.....they will LOVE this.....I already told them about this house and they can't wait to see it." OK, I admit I find it interesting, but I'm still not convinced she truly has anyone. I'm very suspicious she is creating a sense of urgency so I will sign with her. Then the story got even weirder. She said she used to be a mortgage broker. She said she helped these people get a reverse mortgage on their house. They are senior citizens - in their 80s. They are relocating here from 2.5 hours away (coming from the city to settle down in a smaller town). They had a contract on another house, but the bank foreclosed on it, the owner freaked out and stripped the house of all light fixtures, plumbing fixtures and the heat pump, so that deal is done. They have all this cash from the reverse mortgage and are just itching to spend it on another house. She said she was going to show them my neighbors house, but wanted to give us first dibs. I asked her if she could show them the house BEFORE we signed, treat it sort of like a FSBO and I would giver her 4%. She was not interested in that, she wants a listing contract first. So........who else finds that story to be totally unbelievable? My wife thinks she was telling the truth, because who would fabricate such a story if it wasn't actually true? My biggest problem with the story is who gets a reverse mortgage only to use that money to go buy ANOTHER house? Is that even legal in the first place? Secondly......if they want another house so bad, why would they wait around for mine when there are plenty of others that are actually on the market? Another thing she kept doing that I found annoying....she must have asked me 5 times what my rock bottom price is. She kept suggesting whatever it is, thats where I should price it. I would never tell her, b/c its none of her business, especially since we haven't signed yet. And no way would I ever price a house at rock bottom, knowing full well that I will not be getting full price offers. After I refused to give her my lowest price, then she started doing what I thought was a "trick" to figure out on her own what it might be. She started saying, "So if your lowest price is say....$270, then you should start there......or if your lowest is $250 you should start there...." To me it felt like she was fishing and she was studying my facial expressions whenever she hit the right number. Once I figured that out I broke eye contact and showed no emotion. I'm pretty sure thats what she was doing. Anyway, I'm sure I should stay away from this lady. I just wanted to know what you guys think, and if my gut feelings here are correct.

Went to look at the prints last night. Very long story, but the young man selling them decided he'd rather hold on to them and do some more research, as he thought they might have more value than what he had advertised them at. It was a very long drive and he said he "felt bad" that we'd driven so far, so he allowed me to take one of the prints of my choice. My initial reaction was to be utterly pissed off, but for a number of reasons I found myself feeling very compassionate toward the kid instead. When I got home, I was able to deconstruct the backing on my frame sufficiently to see that the print is actually a page that has been pulled from a book. I assume the others are from the same book. The value is really in the custom framing, and some of the frames are a bit scratched (nothing that couldn't be covered with a wood scratch filler though), and although I left with only one of the prints I'd like to have the others. Maybe hang them in the hallway upstairs, gallery-style, or even in the library where the sepia tones would work well. I wouldn't hang them on the staircase wall after all.

I also have to find house numbers regularly (I'm a Realtor) and Joseph Corlett is right - have them large and illuminated and on the mailbox and the house. It is irritating to search for a property and find no numbers, no sign and then have to calculate the likelihood that I am choosing the right house to show to potential buyers. It happens more often than you can imagine especially in neighborhoods where there is an HOA and no signs are permitted and many of the houses look alike! However, the EMS service or other emergency service teams are a more important consideration. Keep the numbers large, simple font and illuminated with high contrast. Now, on to the shutters. They aren't sized right for your windows at all. Please read these two articles so you know what works. Yours shutters are too skinny. I do like the color of the shutters - but they could be much better if changed to the right size with hardware so they are functional looking: https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/ http://www.oldhouseguy.com/shutters/ ^See how the shutters are sized to each cover half of the window? Plus they have hinges and shutter dogs to make them look functional. These particular shutters may or may not be functional...but they look like they could cover the window.