A staircase can be the centerpiece of the entrance to your home, helping to influence the first impressions of guests. Everyone who has seen the movie "Gone With The Wind," remembers Scarlett running down the steps of that grand old staircase in Tara. On the other hand, staircases are not well understood - the perfect example of an everyday item taken for granted.

Staircases are an essential part of your new home. Staircases can either be custom-built or purchased pre-assembled. Materials can be wood, stone, concrete, iron or many other materials. The special characteristics that each material possesses lend to its use in preference to another's in certain situations. Each type of staircase can be made from each of these materials. Whether you are building a single story home with a basement or a multiple level home with a grand entrance, knowing the different types of staircases will help you decide between the functional and the decorative aspects.

Definitions

It would first be beneficial to go over the basic components of staircases and their definitions before describing the different types of staircases available.

Types of Staircases

Staircases are generally separated into two broad classifications, straight and turning. Straight stairs continue in the same direction throughout the entire ascent, while turning stairs change their direction in the course of the climb.

Straight stairs are simple without a lot of variety. Straight stairs are the most inexpensive type of staircase to build. They generally continue in one flight from top to bottom, in cases where the height to be attained is great, a landing might be desirable.

The second class, turning stairs, has several variations. The variations are based on the amount of turning that is done throughout the ascent. The four standard variations of turning stairs are: quarter-turn, half-turn, three-quarter turn, and one-turn stairs. Turning stairs can employ the use of a newel at the turnings to connect the strings and handrails of separate flights; this is referred to as newel stairs. Turning stirs that do not use a newel at the turns are called geometrical stairs, in place of a newel the strings of adjacent flights are continued into each other for a smoother, curved look.

Quarter-turn stairs have only one complete 90-degree angle. The angle can be at the bottom, at a landing, or start at the bottom and continue uniformly to the top. The later is composed entirely of winders and is often referred to as circular stairs. Another type of quarter-turn stairs are side flight stairs, these have two side flights branching off from a common landing, each at right angles to the center flight.

Half-turn stairs complete a 180-degree turn during the ascent of the staircase. Half-turn stairs can be broken down into three types, Dog-legged, Open Newelled, and Half-turn Geometrical.

Dog-legged stairs are named so because, when viewed from the side elevation they have the appearance of the bend of a dog's hind leg. They do not have a well separating the two flights, the outer strings and rails of the forward and backward flights are directly over one another. Three varieties of dog-legged stair are available, with a landing in the half space, with a landing in a quarter of the half space and with winders in the other quarter, or with winders in the entire half space.

Open Newelled stairshave a clear vertical space or well left between the progressive and retrogressive flights. Two newels are required instead of one as in the case of a dog-legged staircase. Various arrangements may be made between the two flights. The most common arrangements are, a full landing, the space can have two landings on each side of a small flight of stairs, or with winders through out the whole space.

Half-turn Geometrical stairs have an open well similar to open newelled stairs but do not use a newel. The change of direction is curved, instead of boxed. The landings and winders have to be placed in the well as to produce agreeable curves in the strings and handrails.

Three-quarter turn stairs are a combination of the first two types of turning stairs. Three-quarter stairs have a flight of stairs that lead to a landing; the staircase then makes a 90-degree turn up another flight, and then makes a 180-degree turn at a second landing. As with half-turn stairs differences can be integrated in the landings and/or winders at the turns.

Circular staircases are stairs that use geometrical curves throughout the ascent of the flight. Circular stairs can be used with quarter turn, half-turn, three-quarter turn, or whole turn staircases. There are several points of difference in this class of stair. For example, the inner ends of the steps may be both supported and cased into the finished string encompassing a well, or they may be attached to a central newel, around which the stair is built. The outer ends of the steps may be supported by a wall, or the stair may be completely detached from the wall, and self-supporting. Circular stairs are also often called, spiral stairs, helical stairs, and wheeling stairs.

When designing your stairs, consider how they will be used as well as where in the house they will be located. The following are some suggestions:

Where and how you design your staircase for your home can add a sense of playfulness, generosity, privacy, and spatial daring in addition to moving people up and down. Don't be afraid to alter the stair design of your plan to match your lifestyle.