Hi Susan, that's very interesting. Did you go through a contractor or you hired the company yourself ? What was the exact agreement when you ordered from them ? Was the finish not part of the contract/deal ?? (What did you pay them for, exactly?)

Finishing the stairs is quite a bit of work!

Hi, this sounds really strange. Maybe you wanted to keep the hand railing as is but even so, no one I know of would leave this as a finished job. Some sort of molding needs to be added to finish the treads and risers so you don't see the raw wood and unfinished gaps.

what you might usually see is called a skirt board, but since you have more modern railings, you don't have that piece of trim. putting it on entails taking the railing down and reinstalling them

I think the contractor needs to make good on this. This not an inexpensive fix.

HI -- Very poor job ! That trim board should have been put on before the rail pieces (pickets). I would call them back to fix things properly .

There was carpeting and we did expect to have to do some painting and repair to the wallboard. What we contracted for was the second floor and stairway to be completed. The sales person actually took pictures of the stairway and sent them to their head installer. We were assured that there was a solution prior to signing a contract. We have gone through inspectors
with the company and that was acceptable to their QC people. They now don't know how to fix which is why I am looking
For my own fix. In retrospect I should have had my own solution. I just thought when you hired professionals they would have a solution.

Oh my. If they said it was not in their "scope" then check your contract, as "scope" refers to the description of work required by that contract. If it only said something like "remove carpet, replace stair treads/risers with wood", then you got what was in the contract. I imagine the treads and risers were just plywood under the carpeting which wrapped over the edge. Whoever gave you the estimate/advised you on the work did not, in my view, do a professional job of advising you of this easily anticipated condition. You will need someone like a finish carpenter to take off the rail, add a skirt to the edge and reinstall a handrail. :(

Can you take a picture of the entire stair rail, especially the top and bottom?

This is not a good installation. A stair tread should be solid, and stick out over the skirt board or have a mitered return. The balusters are too far apart for code, and should be evenly placed on the stairs (i.e. two per tread, put in the same place on each step). If you are having trouble with the company you hired, report them to the Better Business Bureau in your area. Have a code inspector from the municipality you're in come and look at them--I'm willing to bet they don't pass code.

I can't quote the code number and section (sorry Fred), but I do know that balusters should be no more than four inches apart, so young children cannot get their heads through them and possibly be strangled or worse, take a fall through them.

That is correct, but when this house was built, it was probably 6". Depending on the whole situation, it can be taken apart and reused to meet current codes by adding a few ornamental features.

The style of the handrail looks like 70s-80s. Code was probably different. Since the contractor didn't touch it as part of their work (just removed carpet from around it), I don't think they would have been required to do anything.

But when you build a new staircase, it should conform to current code.

I have seen two inspectors in the same jurisdiction disagree on this particular situation. If you take it down to put up a skirt board, it would have to comply with new codes. That is probably why the company wants to fight this so bad. You tell me if the code sounds clear.
R102.7.1 Additions, alterations or repairs.
Additions, alterations or repairs to any structure shall conform to the requirements for a new structure without requiring the existing structure to comply with all of the requirements of this code, unless otherwise stated. Additions, alterations or repairs shall not cause an existing structure to become unsafe or adversely affect the performance of the building.

"Additions, alterations or repairs to any structure shall conform to the requirements for a new structure" Sounds like its saying it has to conform to current code to me...

This is sort of what I was referring to. Railing untouched. Basic stair structure as attached to framing untouched. Just switched out plywood for wood, which I think would be considered cosmetic, not structural.

I doubt they took any plywood off, just cut off the nosing. If they stripped the stair tread underlayment, the top risers would be off by .75" which would be a big code violation. Most jurisdictions don't count a flooring change as being structural or the railing as the same structure as the tread in this case.

Oh yes, Fred, good grief. Should have thought of that. Now that I look at the top stair showing in the photo you can just see it under the wood they installed. :)

Was this a flooring company that did this or a stair company? I can't imagine any stair builder would have set you up for this problem... I would look up a stair company from the SMA in your area to help you out. www.stairways.org If your in the northwest give us a call. www.nkwoodworking.com

The current state code is 4 3/8inches. Our rails are 4.5 inches. So what I am understanding is, that if we unfasten the rails, we have to comply with current state codes. Is that correct? I don't believe that was ever mentioned by the installer, the sales person or their inspector. Nor do I think anyone ever measured but I could be wrong. I should have mentioned there were other quality issues in the final project which the inspector said couldn't be repaired. We will have to live with those. But I just need ideas on how to complete the project. I took a couple of other pictures. The house was built in the late 1980s

"theoretically"

Even if it was carpeted before, it seems like it should have had a skirt board or some sort of finish to the edge. I suppose the carpeting could have just been wrapped around the edge. Do you have any before pics?

I don't think I've ever seen tongue and groove floor used for the treads and the risers.

I suppose it might be possible to insert angled blocks inbetween the spindle to avoid rebuilding most of the railing. It would have to be carefully measured and installed, possibly with a piece of molding put along the bottom with the spindles notched out. If they are evenly spaced, you could make a jig to do this--otherwise it is going to be a lot of individual pieces, and it may loot not quite right.

@susansherrell: victorianbungalowranch beat me to it.

The simplest solution is to insert a "simulated" skirt board in between each rail baluster that covers the offending exposed tread and riser sides. Each piece would need to be custom made to fit between each pair of balusters, with angled top and bottom and aligned along the entire length to give the impression of one angled board. You'd probably need to caulk the gaps between the new skirt pieces and existing balusters and re-finish to make it look perfect.

Our understanding of our codes in CA (based on the same ones already quoted) would be that if you start touching the rail or balusters beyond finishing, you are obliged to upgrade them to code. Which in the case of balusters, is not a bad thing if you consider it might save the life of a small child visiting your home.

That being the case, I'd recommend taking off the balusters (leaving the top and bottom posts) adding a new continuous skirtboard, and then re-installing new balusters conforming to code. That would look better than the piecemeal simulated skirt board, but be so much less time consuming it may actually be more cost effective. AND it will be safer.

As to the original installer? I'm appalled. That is NOT how we'd treat any costumer.

Yikes!!!
I'm almost afraid to ask who the "national company" is... and just what their specialty is supposed to be... Plumbing perhaps?
Am I missing something here??? Do you mean they installed the treads & risers that way?
If so... they were "beyond their scope" when they got out of the vehicle... I'm so sorry for you.
Open end treads without returns?
And buy a new blade for God's sake...

This is the kind of activity that makes it tough on the rest of us.
Even a lowly hardwood floor guy can do stairs... well, sometimes.

As I say... caveat emptor.