U Stairs - Return Stairway - Switch Back

Cost To Install - Inexpensive To Moderate

Experience Level Required To Install - Do It Yourselfer To Experienced Carpenter

Safety Use Level - Excellent


U-Shaped Stairs

This is probably the second most popular stairway used by architects and designers, next to Straight stairs. These stairs can be used more efficiently under certain circumstances than other types of stairways.

They are usually relatively inexpensive to build and usually provide people with an excellent safety use level. This is only my personal opinion, but it seems to make a lot of sense.

If some one fell down a Straight set of stairs, they could end up falling all the way down the stairway, but with a U-shaped or L-shaped stairway, there's a good chance they would only fall half the distance. This could reduce the amount of injury they might suffer and that's why I'm providing the stairway with an excellent level of safety.

The biggest problem inexperienced stair builders will face with this type of stairway is positioning the stair stringers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen these stairways sticking into a hallway or even the platform area, when they shouldn't be.


Floor Plan


Left U Shaped Stairway - Floor Plan


Right U Shaped Stairway - Floor Plan


Elevation


Left U Shaped Stairway - Elevation


Right U Shaped Stairway - Elevation


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