The material costs in stained quality wood and site finishing alone would be in the 5-7K for any decent non cheepchinesecrapola import source. This is why contractors don't do stairs. No one ever wants to pay the real costs of the project.

If you kick him off the job, you will likely owe the contract amount for which you signed, and at a minimum you will owe for the materials and the time he has put in so far. Which brings up the point of what does your contract say? Is this a cost plus arrangement? Or a time and materials? You can't argue with the costs being the costs either way.

But if he gave you a fixed price, and now wants to change it because he stupidly thought he could actually do it for an insanely low price, then he is more likely to give you your labor deposit back, and walk away than you are to get rid of a precious resource like an available and ready to do the job contractor.

Only an uninsured hack would even give a ballpark price as low as your "estimate" for stair work. That is a joke is what that is. And the joke is on you if you go back to that hack with the lowball price.

You can't go by National average. Each job is different, and material and labor rates vary. Get more estimates and compare them apples to apples.

That would not be out of the ballpark in my experience. A 5K estimate would not be in the ballpark.

But why are you price shopping after you signed a contract? Or have you yet to sign a contract? This is confusing.

A lot depends on the location or relocation of the stair system. What kind of demo is required and what entails relocating the stairs structurally. A simple stair system with materials in my area (Indiana) should cost 5-7K finished (paint and stain). If we need to demo a lot and add beams and redo a lot of the structure the price goes up. I wouldn't imagine more than 3K. The 1500 would get you nothing but trash. All the best.

where are people seeing these "national average" #s?

Agree, you can't go by "national average ". Just read in my local newspaper that remodeling where I live costs double for bath remodeling than the national average.

I've seen them in Box stores, they sell this books with the national average cost for additions, kitchen/bath remodelings, decks, etc pretty much with pricing for most common home improvement projects.

I honestly think these #s come from either flawed methodology or trusting answers from idiots. Houzz featured an article a few years ago where an architect claimed you could get a permeable paver driveway done for some crazy low amount per sq ft. When she was taken to task and it was pointed out that that wouldn't cover materials anywhere in the country, her defense was "well that's what the local guy I asked told me." She then edited the article, go figure...

"National average" #s are useless, meaningless, and misleading. Anyone who claims otherwise shouldn't be trusted.

guys, are you talking about new staircases or just the railing?

I will say that we usually do wrought iron where I am, and it's about $1k for a typical flight of stairs plus railing out front. the labor to do it all in wood is way way more.

@RG We call this unrealistic rates *Tree Fiddy in HR or per SQFT, etc* another name for this is *Lawballing The Price* to get a foot in the door, and after the job starts and the house is in shambles the price grows before Homeowners eyes and if they don't pay, the "fly-by-night" contractors or whoever it is, leave the job unfinished and they disappear.

Hi guys, thanks so much for the feedback and sorry for not being clear.

The stairs are intact and will stay as is. We just need the railing replaced.

The quoted cost of 11k-15K is just for the stair railing. Maple banister (apparently oak is 3K more expensive) and plain box balusters, one starting newel.

What exists is an old painted white railing that can just come out in one piece (similar to the picture from @acm but old and painted white).

We moved forward with the contractor and discussed the stair railing as TBD. He said he would get someone else to do the railing and that "he makes no money on it" so would pass it off at cost. He has done this a few times and his "cost" has always come in 2-3 times other guys we've talked to, so I'm really starting to lose my faith.

Picture here to help. It's just to replace this bannister (oh and add a stair skirt on the wall to the left). The stairs will stay as is no demo no moving.

@acm- are you local or know anyone in LA? =o)

@Revolutionary Gardens- there are a few sites that pop up when you google and i think homeadvisor also has a module that allows you to update with zip codes. but i agree, they always seem so off. i usually double it but even in this case it was literally 3X. again i'm a real newbie but can't help feeling like i'm really getting ripped off here.

@K.O.H. Construction Corporation- in this bid we are just replacing the stair railing, not moving any stairs or beams. does that change anything from your experience?

thanks again so much for all your advice.

is the carpet staying, if not, are there to be wood steps and risers. Oak is not more expensive than Maple.

I assume it's $1,100-1,500, not 11-15k. This last picture it looks like the carpet needs to come off, each baluster has to be drilled into each thread and same goes for the top landing since it's a wrap around railing... It will have a post at the bottom, top and along the landing... you could need one in the middle of a stairway depending on the span... It sounds like you got a fair price.

The hand rail can easily cost as much as the staircase

@GN Builders L.L.C- nope he confirmed it is the latter with 3 zeroes. Here is the latest quote: $11,200 (maple) $13,400 (oak).

@K.O.H. Construction Corporation- We are replacing the stair treds but that is included in the flooring installation and materials outside the railing (we paid a pretty penny already for that as well). This crazy quote is just to update the railing itself, not the stair treds.

Did you get any other prices to compare? If not, call a few stair companies and get at least 2 more quotes. This way you know who is off and who is close. But if 2 companies come in the neighborhood between 10-15k then you will know that is what everyone charges. If they both come in the neighborhood between 3-5k you will know this a more realistic price and all you have to do is to choose who you like best for the job.

Good luck

What type of wood? What style of railing and balusters? Additions?

If he shows up with Home Depot straight red oak rail and their cheap steel balusters then no it is off by 3x's. More info needed especially due to note of changing treads.

If you're in Los Angeles.... speaking from having lived and worked there, most of the builders in Los Angeles are definitely garbage. Your contractor might be one of the few capable ones and ready to have a good laugh when you take the lower price and the handrail wobbles loose in a few months because the painter installed it without blocking. The garbage work I saw while remodeling in Los Angeles was done by multiple contractors over many years. I'm pretty sure a good contractor can ask whatever he wants in Los Angeles, if he's good.

I don't know about your price, but $1500 got me handrails along the walls of a three sided staircase, not a railing. It might be the national average for something including prefab metal railings or something.

The "just skirting" along the wall is going to add to your price, because it's going to take a lot of work to retrofit that:

For my stairs, the skirting was cut from several pieces of 1x12 and then installed. There were other tasks too. Trimming the stairs was maybe $1k added to my trim package. My stairs are wood treads/white risers.

I wasn't confused about the railing vs. stairs, that was quite clear in the original post. But it sounds like you signed a contract with an open ended price after getting a second contractor bid for $4800 and now the first one is saying $11-$14K. Wow.

I like what GN Builders said, get more estimates.

I recently got 4 bids for mudjacking a sinking driveway, and they varied from $978 to $4600. Not taking either the high or the low - it's going to be about $2k.

Incredible what stuff costs. But unless you do it yourself or have a woodworker friend, you're at the mercy of the market.

If you have kids, get them interested in mechanical trades, either as a hobby or career. You'll help increase the labor pool and competition, and they can do stuff for you free. :-D

This will take some effort on your part. Measure the length of the rail. Take that length and pictures to local lumber yards to get an accurate price. Go to subdivisions where they're building quality homes not mega mansions. Talk to the interior trim carpenter and tell him you're buying the materials and will pay him in cash for his labor. People come to my jobs frequently looking for help and I pass it on to the guys

The rail is coming in super high because it is separate from the treads. No rail guy wants it until he can see what he'sup against. He is gambling that what he shows up to rail won't be FUBAR.

A Tread/rail package from one sub would save you some $$ here IMO.

Casey

he doesnt want to work for you or he doesnt know how tackle the details of staircase werk