Plexiglass zip tied to the spindles.

I only mean this gently, but generations of people grew up in homes with railings like this and survived. I was home at my parents 1913 farmhouse and the railings are only 24" high on the second floor balcony over the staircase. I grew up there and it was 'normal' (looks crazy to me now...)

Or use bird netting zip-tied to the spindles. Sold at HD and Lowes.

Awesome gallery wall there!

Hello All, thank you. I actually found a previous thread with many good suggestions, including a pony wall, which I think would be inexpensive. My grandkids are not all toddlers; some are almost teen-aged, but very daring, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. Unfortunately, hyperactivity has become "a thing," and as such, we need to be proactive. Again, thanks to all!

I am assuming you want your railing to be taller, not closed in since your grands are not toddlers. Would it be expensive to have another rail added above what you have....with spindles and rail...about 15 inches above what you have? I know what you mean by rambunctious preteens. A pony wall would be okay but it would have to be taller so it can't be "climbed" over.

Sounds overly cautious to me. Don't put any ideas in their heads and they'll never have an issue with the railing unless they visit while drunk (a much later offense, for sure.)

I would do Plexiglas if you're really concerned because it's much harder to climb; something like this. Still, I'm not sure I'd react to quickly because they won't be young forever and as others have mentioned, plenty of kids grew up with railings just like that. I did, I climbed them, and i survived lol. Hope you find something that works

In my area, "A minimum height of 90 cm (36 in.) applies to all guardrails inside private dwellings." so I understand your discomfort. A renovator explains how he brings up to code historic railings in this video. Similar to what erinsean proposed. Perhaps the info will be useful to you.

I'm not getting the feeling OP is worried about climbing the railing so much as falling over easily because it's lower than today's recommended height.

That's not a dangerous railing, its a beautiful one. I wouldn't do anything to "fix" it, it's NOT broken - I'd fix the grandkids. One false move and they'd have it from me.

tartan,,the grandkids are almost teenagers. they're not going to 'fall over'. ( How in the world did anyone survive childhood back in the 20's?!)

I agree w/Design Grirl

Seeing as no one has a crystal ball, if the homeowner wants to be proactive, there are solutions out there.

yes, a belt. Or, she can spend thousands to redo a railing on what might be a nice vintage home, only to have the children outgrow their monkey tendencies in a few years.

The railing is not up to code and you're suggesting OP discipline their grandkids with a belt, Beth? The next owners of this nice vintage home might want a railing that's up to code as well. Every generation gets taller so it's not surprising that building codes increase minimum railing height. Five generations ago, 24 inches for a railing made a lot more sense than it makes today. It's unfortunate OP mentioned their grandkids because they're essentially irrelevant to the question here.

the belt was tongue in cheek Tartan. Read my earlier comment.

tartan, if the kids are 11 or 12, raising it to 36" is going to do what?

and no, the grandkids aren't irrelevant. They shouldn't be roughhousing against the stair railing anyway, if that's the fear. if she's afraid they will climb on it because it's too low, they shouldn't be doing that either. they are the reason she will have to spend money and redo it.

But, by all means, bring the entire staircase up to code, including the stairs themselves. Because once you change one thing on them, you have to do the entire thing. By code. So this is a bit more than just 'changing the railing height', if the intention is to bring it up to code.

IMO this is over thinking a situation if your teen grandchildren are ever remotely smart they will not topple over the railing and the little ones you need to keep from going up there with a gate at the bottom of the stairs.

How high is it from the floor to the top of your railing? Folks, this is not an actual picture of the OP's home.

How's this for a threat: if you fall to your death, I'll never let you come here again! There! That'll show 'em!!

But seriously, thank you all for your suggestions. This seems not to be a "new" dilemma, so I see that there are solutions out there.

In 216 years, no one has fallen over the shorter-than-today’s-code railing at my house. Unless a grandchild is special needs, most grandmas would give instructions along the line of, “ Darling, I love you so much, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt. The railings here are special and antique. You are smart enough and old enough to treat antiques with the respect they deserve. Therefore, at Grandma’s house, please walk like a young lady (or young gentleman) in my upstairs hallway.”

OP needs to post a pic of HER railings because those above don't look low to me.

OP doesn't need to post pictures of her railings. She can simply share the height.

tartan, if the kids are 11 or 12, raising it to 36" is going to do what? It's going to raise the railing the inches it's missing to meet code and that could mean the top now reaches their hips or waist, depending on their height.

But, by all means, bring the entire staircase up to code, including the stairs themselves. Because once you change one thing on them, you have to do the entire thing. By code.

Why?

In 216 years, no one has fallen over the shorter-than-today’s-code railing at my house.

Well, there you have it, OP. No need for YOU to worry. It's never happened in remodeling1840's house.

tartan, because by 'law' (code law) once you change one code violation (on something that's been previously grandfathered in) you now have bring the entire thing up to code. Being that those older staircases often had shallow steps, or the steps and risers didn't meant code, or the spindles were more than 4" apart, those would now have to be rectified. Once you touch it and change one thing, you've opened the pandoras box.

Is it do it all or not at all because of inspections? Couldn't the homeowner find an interim solution on their own to allay a fear?

well yes, of course. she could absolutely just do the railing. I suppose issue would arise if the house was ever put up for sale and the inspector caught it. You mentioned 'code', so that's why I brought it up. You can't stress the importance of codes but then say, 'oh well, no one will ever catch you, so just forget the other code violations'.

Besides, most teenagers are over 5' tall so whether the railing is 2' or 3', I don't think it's going to matter. are the kids that ignorant that they're really going to 'fall over' ? (and if so, then she needs to do a lot more) we don't even know if OP's staircase is 24". it may not be since that is not her photo.

you're missing my point. if it was a toddler, I'd say yes. but 10-12 year olds? come on. they aren't going to just fall over by walking too closely to the railing. raising it a foot is a waste of money in my book. The kids need some discipline and guidance, not grandma remodeling her home so little johnny doesn't hurt himself. Millions and millions of children lived through the 1800/1900's w/those types of staircases. (and worse) they survived. (yes they were shorter, but only by a few inches, not feet!)

kids nowadays are so overly protected, they're clueless to real danger.

Besides, this is all moot. OP has moved on.

Folks - can I add to this thread? I have a similar railing but not fearful for my kids but rather myself because I'm 6.2 and my railing is 33 inches in this very old house. At times, when we access a closet right next to the rail or I walk besides somebody accessing the closet with its doors open, I feel a little uneasy. I'm not old by any means but still uneasy about this 33' height and even 36' could be low. What do you think it'll cost to add a section for about 8ft of rail like in this video with a handyman (parts and labor)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXL_07d1C0c

As a decorator, for what it's worth, I think the piece they added to the top of the railing in that video certainly doesn't carry the historic charm of the original railing, but instead looks very modern. If you only have an 8 foot section to deal with, I'd rip it out and replace it with something that has the height you need in the style that is in keeping with the nature of your home.