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I have a cousin who's supposedly a real whiz when it comes to carpentry, so I had him build some stairs for me. Unfortunately, there were some hang ups. I didn't want to make him feel bad or embarrass him, but honestly, I had to take the stairs down and learn the art of building stairs myself.

I didn't have the means to hire a professional, since I'd already paid my cousin. Here are my tips based on what I learned.

- Always check with local codes and requirements before building stairs or anything else in your home. This was something my cousin didn't do. Fortunately, there doesn't appear to be any problems here.

It was probably the only area, but that could be because the code inspector didn't see the stairs. If he'd seen them for himself, there might have been a whole new section written!

- I am no expert, but I believe in quality materials. Needless to say, my cousin doesn't; he used the cheapest material he could get his hands on. His reasoning was that since we'd be covering the stairs with carpet, it would be unnecessary to get 'fancy.'

But cheap wood, especially if it has knots and other imperfections, has a greater likelihood of cracking sooner than other kinds of wood. I have children, and I can't risk a hazard like this.

- One of the most helpful things I learned with building stairs is that drawing up a blue print can really help you get organized and focused. You'll get to see what the final result will look like, and you'll know if everything adds up right.

I hope these tips help you finish your stairs the correct way, and without any glitches. You won't need to spend more money than necessary this way. By the by, if a 'handy' family member offers to build some stairs for you, don't take him up on the offer!

Working on a new stair project? Visit Build Stairs and discover How To Build Stairs quickly and easily without the headaches. We even cover Hardwood Stairs!