Location: Stevensville, MD
Service Type: Residential deck with spiral staircase
Residential Deck with Spiral Staircase – Stevensville, MD
For this project, we installed a second story deck with a large steel and aluminum spiral staircase. We also installed black aluminum railings on the deck which were custom-fabricated by the staircase manufacturer. The decking material is Owens Corning WearDeck in Barefoot Gray. We use WearDeck on a majority of our projects because it has some major manufacturing advantages compared to other common decking brands. Namely, this decking will not get hot in the sun, unlike its competitors.
This project had a few unique components. First, we have never installed a staircase from this manufacturer. This would mean a new assembly method for our team. Additionally, the client for this project had plans to sell the property, so we had a relatively tight deadline.
Challenges
- The greatest challenges on this project in Stevensville, MD include the staircase railing assembly and the deck railing installation.
- We had never installed this brand of spiral staircase before, and the manufacturer’s instructions were not clear regarding the most efficient method of installation. We were required to bend the handrail into place to match the radius and angle of the stair treads, and nothing seemed to line up properly on our initial attempt.
- The deck railing installation itself was actually impossible due to a manufacturer defect – the aluminum railings were not welded square, which did not allow for the railing to be attached correctly. We immediately presented these findings to the client, who expressed some disappointment about the manufacturing quality, but expressed full faith in Cavallo Home Services to remedy the issue within budget and on schedule.
Overcoming Deck Installation Challenges
Using our knowledge garnered from other spiral staircase projects, our team of craftsmen was able to use basic mathematics and geometry to calculate the specific pitch and radius of the stair treads which allowed us to match those numbers when bending the handrail into place.
Regarding the deck railing, the manufacturer offered to fabricate a new railing section for us, however they stated it would take 6 weeks to create and deliver the new railing. Our client had plans to put this house on the market, and we were unable to wait that amount of time. Fortunately, due to our vast network of individuals from all trades, we knew an aluminum welder who was able to disassemble, repair, and then reassemble the entire railing system for us with a 1-day turnaround.
Although this project presented unique difficulties which we had not specifically encountered in the past, our extensive knowledge of all aspects of deck building allowed us to quickly overcome these issues and adhere to the client’s strict schedule.
Before and After
Results
Because of our team’s vast experience with building techniques, we were able to overcome installation difficulties relatively quickly. Additionally, thanks to our network of contractors we were able to have the railing repaired on schedule, allowing the client to list their property for sale on time.
The client was extremely satisfied with our ability to overcome challenges. The client was also thrilled with the quality of the construction and installation. This project highlights our team’s problem-solving capability and ability to work under time pressure without compromising quality and project integrity.
