Your carpenter is not familiar with the building code. The handrail isn't "gripable"; its dimensions are wrong and it's not continuous. It's a do-over.

Thank you. Joseph, I could not read the attachment of codes well as it came out blurry. I don’t think that hand rail can be continuous because the wall ends. When we purchased the house there was a round relatively shorter but gripable handrail. Because of dry wall work we removed it. I will send more pictures of the staircase later today.

Inspection doesn't care what the wall does. Continuous rail on each flight. Yes or no.

You need a better finish carpenter. Period.

He is supposed to make my kitchen cabinets too.

Ooops.....I touched the screen to try to enlarge the pic, and inadvertently posted a vote. It won’t let me un-vote. Sorry.

I think that the "spindles" are just holding up the railing until it dries (??) -- a handrail is ok, but it needs metal supports. I think with the boards removed the upper rail would look ok, but both are quite odd in shape. Probably a start-over with somebody who knows what they're doing. I'd consider metal...

Yes that is what I am assuming. Yes the shape is odd and really not gripable.

I opted for open stairs at the bottom to open up the narrow space. You can see the wall supports for the railing against the wall that someone mentioned above. I agree that the vertical 2x4 are prob. temp railing supports. You can purchase premade railings and also premade railings with spindles. I would have liked getting rid of the sheet rock and having spindles come to the bottom of the stairs, but it was not in my budget, so my contractor just shortened the wall and premade rail and spindles that came with the house. We also took out that side molding that follows the stairs taking the wall texture right down to the treads and it makes the stairs look wider than they are.

That rail should end against edge of wall. There needs to be a grippable handrail installed inside of that or on the other side.

"He is supposed to make my kitchen cabinets too."

Do not let him. Please. Just buy cabinets from a cabinet company, and find a good installer. This "carpenter" is a problem. He is just taking your money, and doing terrible work. That staircase should not have been done like that. This guy is bad news.

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He is a hack who will ruin cabinets. Get your money back. Find someone real.