Timber stairs and balustrades in BrisbaneQuotes from QBCC-licensed carpenters for stairs, handrails and balustrades

Stair and balustrade work on Brisbane houses

Brisbane has more outside stairs than most cities. Highset houses and Queenslanders on stumps have a long run of front or back stairs, raised decks need stairs down to the yard, and verandahs and decks need balustrades that hold. Timber outside takes sun and rain, and stairs take the most wear of all.

Replacing worn or split treads

Split, cupped or soft treads are replaced with new treads of the same size, fixed to the stringers with screws or bolts so they stay tight.

Rotten stringers and bottom steps

Stringers rot first where they meet the ground or a concrete pad. Short lengths can sometimes be repaired; a stringer that's soft along its length is replaced, which usually means taking the stair apart.

Queenslander front stairs

The long front stairs of a highset Queenslander, often with turned or square timber balusters and a handrail down each side. Worn parts are repaired to match, or the stair is rebuilt in the same style.

New deck stairs

A new stair down from a raised deck, with a landing where it turns and handrails to match the deck balustrade.

Balustrades and handrails

Loose balustrade posts refixed, and low or wide-gapped balustrades replaced in timber, aluminium, glass or stainless wire. Handrails are refixed or replaced where they've worked loose.

How much do stairs and balustrades cost in Brisbane?

Stair and balustrade work is priced after the carpenter has seen it or clear photos. The number of steps, the height of the top landing, whether the stringers can stay, the timber, and the length and type of balustrade set the price. Replacing a few treads is a small job; rebuilding a full highset stair is a large one.

Published carpenter rates are on the carpenter rates page. If the job comes to more than $3,300, counting labour, materials and GST, it needs a QBCC-licensed contractor and a written contract.

Balustrade rules in Queensland

Queensland applies the National Construction Code. It requires a barrier where it's possible to fall 1 m or more, measured from the floor or step to the surface beneath. On a deck, verandah, balcony or landing, the barrier must be at least 1 m high, and its openings must not let a 125 mm sphere pass through (NCC Housing Provisions, part 11.3).

The wording is the same in NCC 2022, which Queensland applies until NCC 2025 starts on 1 May 2027. The code also sets rules for stair steps and handrails, so a rebuilt stair is set out to the code rather than copied from the old one.

When stair repairs need a builder or certifier

Treads, handrails and balusters are repairs. Stringers, posts and the beams a stair hangs from carry its load, so replacing them is structural work: over $3,300 it needs a contractor whose QBCC licence class covers it. The carpentry class includes building timber stairs.

The Building Regulation lets some structural repairs go ahead as accepted development only where they don't affect "more than 20% of the building's structural components of the same type". A new stair, or rebuilding most of an old one, is a question for a building certifier before work starts.

Front stairs and balustrades on character houses

On a house built in 1946 or earlier in one of Brisbane's character overlays, the front stair and verandah balustrade are part of the street front the overlay protects. City Plan's list of accepted development includes taking out balustrades, along with windows, doors, window hoods and fretwork, so they can be replaced with new features "of the same style and appearance". A change in style is a different question.

Check with Council or a building certifier before a front stair or balustrade changes its look. The Queenslander renovation guide explains the overlays, and Queenslander carpentry covers verandahs, VJ walls and windows.

What to send with your enquiry

• Photos of the stairs from the bottom and the top, and of the worst steps
• How many steps, and roughly how high the top landing is
• What the stairs and balustrade are made of now
• Whether you want repairs, a new balustrade or a full rebuild
• The year the house was built, and whether it's a Queenslander or highset house

Questions about stairs and balustrades in Brisbane