For Architects & Designers

A staircase is rarely the first decision in a project, but it is often the one that sets the quality standard for everything else. Architects and interior designers who specify custom steel staircases need a fabricator who can read design intent, produce accurate shop drawings, coordinate engineering sign-off, and deliver on time. Vancouver Stairs is a CWB-certified fabrication shop in Metro Vancouver built for that collaboration.

What we provide to the design team

Our standard project deliverables for architect and designer-led projects:

• Detailed shop drawings. Produced in-house after field measurement. Issued as PDF (DWG/DXF on request). Shows all steel members, connections, tread attachment details, railing geometry, anchor loads, and finish callouts. Formatted for structural engineer review.
• P.Eng-sealed structural drawings. We coordinate with a BC-licensed structural engineer to prepare and seal the structural calculations and connection design. For commercial Part 3 projects, DSE coordination is available.
• Material and finish specifications. Full material callouts on shop drawings — steel grade (CSA G40.21 or ASTM A36), HSS sections, base plate specs, anchor hardware. Finish specs in RAL or custom-mixed powder coat, hot-dip galvanized to ASTM A123, or blackened and waxed steel for interior feature stairs.
• Finish samples. Powder coat chips, galvanized samples, and blackened steel samples for client presentations and spec confirmation. Available on request with lead time.
• CWB certification documentation. We are CWB-certified (CSA W47.1 Division 1). Our certification documentation is available for inclusion in your specification package.
• Schedule B engineering letter. Provided at project completion for permit close-out. Confirms the stair was built to the approved drawings.

Project types we work on with design teams

Vancouver Stairs has fabricated and installed custom steel staircases across a range of project types in Metro Vancouver:

• Custom residential — new build. Feature staircases in custom homes: mono stringer stairs, floating stairs, and sculptural statement staircases. These projects typically begin with the architect's design intent and proceed through shop drawing, engineering, and a tight coordination with the millwork and flooring schedule.
• Custom residential — renovation. Staircase replacements in heritage homes, high-end renovation projects, and whole-floor remodels where the existing stair needs to be removed and a new steel stair designed around existing framing constraints.
• Commercial — tenant improvement. Multi-storey connecting stairs in commercial office tenancies, monumental lobby staircases, and egress stair packages for institutional projects. Commercial projects run under Part 3 of the BC Building Code and require DSE engineering sign-off.
• Multi-family residential. Interior connecting stairs in duplexes, townhouses, and multi-family buildings. Railing programs for strata buildings. We have fabricated railing systems for over a dozen Metro Vancouver strata corporations.

How to bring us into a project early

The best staircase collaborations start at design development, not at tender. Bringing a fabricator in early means:

• Stair type and structural configuration are confirmed before drywall decisions are made around it.
• Anchor details, embed plates, and structural openings are coordinated with the structural engineer before framing is complete.
• Tread material, railing system, and finish are confirmed before the flooring and millwork schedules are finalized.
• Lead time — typically 10–16 weeks from site measurement to installation — is built into the project schedule rather than discovered at the end.

The alternative — bringing the fabricator in at permit or at construction — compresses the schedule and limits the design options. Wall framing that was built assuming a cantilevered stair cannot be easily retrofitted for a mono stringer. Openings cut for a double stringer cannot be narrowed for a cable railing system without re-framing.

Design intent we can work from

We can develop shop drawings from a range of design documentation — we do not require fully coordinated construction documents to start:

• Schematic floor plans with stair opening dimensions and floor-to-floor heights
• Design intent sketches or renderings showing stair type, tread, and railing intent
• Precedent imagery with design notes
• Fully detailed construction drawings where available

Field measurement by our team confirms the final dimensions before fabrication starts, regardless of the documentation level at design development.

CWB certification and code compliance

Vancouver Stairs is CWB-certified under CSA W47.1 Division 1 for structural steel fabrication. Our fabrication process follows BC Building Code requirements for structural steel, with every structural weld performed or inspected by a CWB-certified welder. Our shop drawings are produced to a standard that supports P.Eng and DSE engineering review, and our installation team coordinates with the inspection process for permit close-out.

For specifications that require a specific CWB certification category or welding procedure specification, contact us to confirm the scope before the project is tendered.

Contact for project collaboration

The fastest way to engage us on a project is to send the stair opening dimensions, the floor-to-floor height, and the design intent (stair type, tread material, railing preference). We will confirm whether the design intent is buildable as described and give you a preliminary cost range for the design development conversation.

For projects in early design development, a site visit before drawings are finalized is often the most useful first step. Contact us through the contact page or call the number in the header.