Cladding balcony stairs with wood | Experiences & costs

Hello everyone,

when planning our semi-detached house, we decided on a concrete staircase, which we would like to have clad with wood. Our model was the staircase of our neighbor, whose semi-detached house was completed about a year ago.

We imagined the following:

[*]Solid oak tread (40mm) finger-jointed with overhang
[*]Riser painted white, e.g. made of beech (20mm)

Two staircases with 14 steps each need to be clad. I have attached the plans of the staircase for you.

About a year ago, I budgeted €7,000 for both staircases (material & installation). The basis of the estimate was the bill from the neighbors, who paid about €5,000 at the time. The original idea was to use the same staircase builder. However, he retired a few months ago, so I am now looking for an alternative. The first rough estimates from local craftsmen have shown me that this price seems unrealistic. For example, we have received a first rough estimate from two local craftsmen. While the first estimate was about €10,000 for beech wood, the second company quoted a range of €15,000 to €20,000 (net) for beech. In addition, there is an offer from a nationwide supplier who builds its staircases in Poland at about €8,500 (net) for ash wood. All offers include delivery and installation. I should receive the exact offers in 1-2 weeks.

I myself have little to no knowledge of the subject, so I am asking you for advice :)

1. What do I need to consider when cladding the concrete staircase? What should I look for when choosing the supplier?
2. What should I consider to compare the offers?
3. Is the quality of a staircase from a local craftsman comparable to that of a Polish one?
4. Do you have experience regarding costs and designs? What is a realistic price for such a project?
5. Is there anything else to consider?

Best regards
ConnyJash

I offer a version in oak with white steps for about 16.6 thousand euros gross, carried out by a regional company registered in the craftsmen's roll, training apprentices, paying taxes in Germany, and providing jobs for people in the region. Poland? It might work, but I wouldn't dare. Why beech or ash wood if oak is desired???

So I am somewhat amazed, 16,000 euros gross not for a whole new staircase but only for the cladding? How many hours of work is that?

So I am a bit stunned, 16,000 euros gross not for a whole new staircase but just for the cladding? How many hours of work is that?

Cladding a concrete staircase so it looks like a wooden staircase is anyway double work aka nonsense but the damage is already done... :rolleyes: .. for the same money you can get 2 wooden staircases with railings... Oak has become about 50 percent more expensive since November...

So I only recently received my stair steps. 17 steps rustic oak as glued laminated timber 44mm, width 1-1.25m. Risers white matte in EL made of 30x120cm wall tiles. And I already found the 2300 net for the 17 steps quite steep. Manufactured in Poland, I can't say anything negative now. Edit: Measurement by company, installation in EL.

: Is your price for 2 staircases or would it need to be doubled? Could you possibly give a few hints about the prices for materials and services, that would help me better estimate and maybe give some tips on what to pay attention to with the providers? Otherwise, we had ash offered because we probably can’t afford oak.

: With which manufacturer did you have your stair treads produced? Does the manufacturer possibly also offer installation? Could you maybe also post a picture of your staircase?

Otherwise, I have seen that you can also order ready-made stair treads online. The prices there are significantly cheaper again. For a beech tread (block-glued) about €70 is charged and for oak about €160. Presumably, the riser still needs to be added.