Standard geometry
Standard box stairs
The bread-and-butter staircase. Closed on both sides, hidden stringers.
- Walls on both sides of the run
- Treads + risers + skirt board
- Stain-grade or carpet-grade
- Quickest fabrication and install
- Est. 198739 yrs
- Family-Owned
- Veteran-Owned
- 4.8★ Verified
- Lehigh Valley
Definition
What is a standard box stair?
A box stair is a straight staircase closed on both sides by walls, with the stringers hidden behind a skirt board. It is the simplest and fastest configuration to fabricate and install, built from treads, risers, and a skirt in either stain-grade or carpet-grade finishes.
Built & reviewed by Snyder Stairs · Whitehall, PA · Est. 1987 · Updated June 2026
How it compares
How does a turn-style stair save space?
The trade-off across the turning configurations is footprint versus comfort. A landing is easiest to walk; a winder is the most compact. Here is where each one sits.
| Configuration | Turns on | Footprint | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-shape | Flat square landing | Largest of the turns | Comfort, code rest point |
| Winder | Pie-shaped treads | Most compact | Tight footprints, basements |
| Switch-back | Mid-landing, 180° | Stacked / vertical | Apartments, stair towers |
| Curved | Custom-radius arc | Open sweep | Formal foyers, statement |
Standard box stairs FAQs
Common questions about standard box stairs.
Q: What does a box stair cost compared to an open-tread stair?
A box stair is the lowest-cost configuration we build — closed walls mean no exposed stringer to finish and no balustrade on the wall sides, which cuts both material and labor. An open-one-side or open-two-sides stair adds newels, balusters, and finished stringers, raising the price.
Q: Can a box stair be opened up later?
Sometimes. If a wall beside the run is non-structural it can be removed and the stair re-trimmed with a finished stringer and balustrade. We confirm what's load-bearing at the site measure before quoting an open-up conversion.
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Custom stairs and railings, built in Whitehall.
Custom stairs and railings, built by a family of Pennsylvania craftsmen for nearly forty years. We'll give you a realistic budget on the first call — not a teaser, not a pressure-close. Get in touch, or send a few photos.
Budget on the first call · (610) 443-2240 · Whitehall, PA
