Custom Stairs, Built in Portland
Every stair that leaves our shop was designed, welded, or built by hand right here in Portland: never sourced from a catalog, never shipped in from somewhere else.
Wood & Welded Steel — Fabricated In-House in Portland
Stumptown Stairs is a dual-trade shop offering both services under one roof: fine woodworking and welded steel fabrication, in-house, done by the same crew. Most homeowners assume a Portland stair company has to pick one trade for their home's stairs and subcontract the rest; we don't. Licensed under CCB #218207, we design, cut, weld, and install every part of your stairs ourselves, as one company instead of two.
The hardwood side runs through white oak, hard maple, and Douglas fir, chosen for the stair design and railing style you're after rather than whatever's cheapest that week. The steel side runs mild steel and stainless, mitered and welded rather than bolted together, then primed and finished to hold up indoors or out. Every set of railings and guards we build for your stairs meets Oregon stair code for rise, run, and railing height; for the numbers behind that, the Oregon stair code page breaks down the requirements in full. The result is craftsmanship, quality, and design you can see in the joinery, not just claim in an ad.
Stumptown has run this way since 2016: a small, family-owned company and a licensed Oregon business rather than a franchise, small enough that the person who quotes your project is usually the person who builds it. As a Portland stair company, that trade-off is deliberate: fewer jobs running at once, more attention and better construction quality on each set of stairs that leaves the shop, whether it's a remodel or new construction, from first design sketch to the final install in your home.
Why one Portland stair shop beats two subcontractors
One shop means one point of accountability. When woodwork and metal fabrication happen at two different businesses, every change has to travel between them before it reaches your project. At Stumptown, the same crew that frames your stringers welds your railing on every set of stairs that leaves here.
What in-house fabrication means for your price and timeline
It means no subcontractor markup and no waiting behind someone else's schedule, from design to installation. Every hardwood and steel component is built to fit your stairs in our own shop, which keeps both your price and your timeline tied to the work in front of us.
Stair Services for Portland Homes
Seven services covering everything a staircase in your home might need, from a single loose tread to a full custom design with new railings. Every one of these services starts with a real look at your home, not a guess over the phone. Pick the one that matches what's going on, or ask during your site visit if you're not sure.
All seven services above include a written scope and a design walkthrough, not just a price.
Stair ReplacementFull staircase replacement when repair won't cut it anymore.
Stair RepairSqueaks, loose rails, and cracked treads, fixed without a full rebuild.
Custom StairsNew staircases designed and built around your home, in wood, steel, or both.
Stair InstallationFitting a new staircase into new construction or an addition in your home, tread and railing installation included.
Stair Railings & HandrailsHardwood, cable, or welded steel railings, matched to your design and built to code.
Staircase RemodelRefinish, restain, or rebuild a tired staircase.
Commercial StairsCode-compliant stair design and installation for offices, retail, and multifamily buildings.
Exact pricing is confirmed at your site visit.
Custom Staircases We've Built in Portland
A sample of finished stairs: mixed hardwood and steel, mixed residential and commercial, all built in this shop. Every project here started the same way every quote does, with a site visit and a design that fit the home instead of a catalog spec, and the craftsmanship shows in the joinery and the welds as much as in the finished stairs. Some are floating stairs with a single steel stringer, some are traditional hardwood staircases with painted risers, and a few are commercial jobs built to handle daily public traffic instead of one household. What ties them together is the same shop, the same crew, and the same standard of craftsmanship regardless of the address. It's proof of custom stairs that Portland homeowners live with every day, not a stock plan.
Portland Homeowners on Working with Stumptown
These are the words of people who hired this small, family-run company for the craftsmanship and design, not just the lowest bid, on stairs ranging from a single repair to a full custom staircase build.
4.8/5
13 Google reviews
We needed to replace our deck and chose Stumptown Stairs for the project. Dave did an exceptional job. He was highly knowledgeable and detail oriented, which made for an excellent final product. He is friendly, communica… Read moreWe needed to replace our deck and chose Stumptown Stairs for the project. Dave did an exceptional job. He was highly knowledgeable and detail oriented, which made for an excellent final product. He is friendly, communicated well, respectful, keeps a clean job site, and addressed many small details that I believe many other contractors would have missed. I highly recommend, he is a true craftsman.
Mitch Page2025-12-22
Dave was incredible and our stair railing turned out amazing. Ours was kind of a unique job as we were modernizing an older stair railing but didn't want to completely start from scratch. Dave was super creative and flex… Read moreDave was incredible and our stair railing turned out amazing. Ours was kind of a unique job as we were modernizing an older stair railing but didn't want to completely start from scratch. Dave was super creative and flexible in coming up with a solution that met our aesthetic and functional desires while staying within our budget and using as much of our existing materials as possible. I had the unique opportunity to see him create our wood railing in person and was so impressed with his attention to detail and quality. This is true high end, custom craftsmanship. A cherry on top, Dave came back and did very detailed clean up and polishing to ensure everything was perfect after the main job was done. He's also a super nice, friendly guy who clearly loves what he does. Book him now!!
Andrew Bartholomew2025-05-03
We reached out to a few different vendors to have our staircase updated. Dave was the most responsive and gave us an estimate based on a few photos. We were able to get scheduled quickly and now we have a new staircase… Read moreWe reached out to a few different vendors to have our staircase updated. Dave was the most responsive and gave us an estimate based on a few photos. We were able to get scheduled quickly and now we have a new staircase! We are very happy with the quality of Dave's work and would recommend Stumptown Stairs to anyone looking to have work done in their home.
Jude Sturman2025-02-12
Where We Build Stairs in the Portland Metro
As a Portland stair company, we offer the same stair services for every home across the Portland metro, from the city core through the west side and south into the valley. If your address falls somewhere between the cities listed below, we're probably already building nearby. Staying close to home keeps drive time off the clock and lets the same crew that measured your stairs during the site visit handle installation of the finished stairs, keeping quality consistent from the first measurement to the final coat.
See the full service area map for every city we build in.
How a Custom Stair Project Works
Stumptown doesn't quote stairs over the phone. A stair project has too many variables (framing, headroom, material, code) to price accurately without seeing it in person. The site visit is paid: a real on-site estimate, not a sales pitch, and it's what gets you a firm number instead of a guess.
Submit your project
tell us what's going on with your stairs through our quote form, with photos and a rough idea of budget and style if you have them.
Site visit & measure
Dave or a crew member measures the stairs, checks the framing and structural condition, and walks the space with you in your home.
Firm quote & spec
an accurate number and a written scope covering design, materials, railings, finish, and install date, not a range with an asterisk.
Build
fabrication happens in our shop on your timeline, not a subcontractor's; installation happens on-site, and your stairs are finished to match the rest of the room.
Custom Stair Questions, Answered
Who builds custom stairs in Portland?
Stumptown Stairs does, as a family-run Portland stair company and small Oregon business working out of one shop since 2016. We design, fabricate, and handle installation ourselves rather than subcontracting the metalwork or the finish carpentry to somebody else, which is usually where craftsmanship gets lost on a project.
Is Stumptown Stairs licensed and insured in Oregon?
Stumptown is licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board under CCB #218207, carrying the insurance that license requires, and building stairs throughout the Portland metro since 2016. It's a small business, so you can look the license up directly on the CCB's public site before you hire anyone, us included.
Do you build both wood and metal stairs, or just one?
Both, in the same shop, one company handling every trade from design through installation. Fine woodworking and welded steel fabrication happen under one roof, so a project that mixes materials never gets split between two contractors, or loses quality in the handoff.
What makes custom stairs worth it over prefab?
Fit. A prefab staircase is built to a standard rise and run, then trimmed to squeeze into your stairwell; a custom staircase is designed and built to your home's actual dimensions from the start. That gap between standard and actual is where most of the squeaks, gaps, and code problems in older stairs come from in the first place, and it's the quality difference a custom build is meant to solve.
Do you offer free stair estimates in Portland?
Yes, for a rough range: send photos or hop on FaceTime and Dave will give you a free ballpark. The firm number comes from a paid, in-person site visit, where measuring your stairs in person replaces a phone guess with a figure you can build a budget around.
What happens during the site visit for your stairs?
We measure your stairs, check the framing, structural condition, and existing construction, and walk through material and design options together in your home. You leave with a clear scope and a firm quote to follow.
How long from site visit to a finished staircase?
A straightforward Portland stair project typically runs one to three weeks for most stairs, start to finish. Complexity moves that range either way, and Dave will confirm your timeline once scope is set.
What areas around Portland do you serve?
We serve the Portland metro area with the same seven services, including Beaverton, Scappoose, West Linn, Tigard, and the surrounding communities. See our complete list of service areas for every city we build in.
What does a custom staircase cost in Portland?
Cost depends on materials, size, hardware quality, and railing complexity, and every combination of hardwood, steel, and cable prices differently. There's no flat rate without seeing the project. The staircase cost guide breaks down the factors, or run the stair cost calculator for a quick ballpark.