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I've always liked this style of stairs! I went to school in St. Augustine, FL and many of the homes in the area are quite old, with narrow stairs, and you'd find these there. They remind me of something cozy, as if I might find a dormer window with a seat at the top. :)

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Unfortunately, I think many city building codes are now very strict about the size and way winder stairs can be built. You know ADA, safety and all that.

That's too bad however, because they are really beautiful (if not always practical) - just try moving furniture up and down some of the older intensely winding and narrow ones or running down them at 2 in the morning to try to get to the bathroom in time. Not fun.

Chicago allows them, but BOCA/IBC require a minimum tread depth of 6" typically.

I grew up with two flights of winder stairs in my house, and to be perfectly honest, I never thought twice about it until today. My house was old and small, and both staircases had those wedge-shaped stairs. They seemed to work out fine for us. You usually walk up the outside by the railing anyways, where the stairs are wide. I think it actually makes it faster to get upstairs without the landing in the middle.

Nice for the hale and hearty. Those of us with walking disabilities of any kind (or heavy armoires for the second floor -- a recent issue for me) don't think they are attractive enough for the hazard they provide. Spiral stairs are the same problem...

That looks like a long flight for that pup to the kibble bowl.

Having pets I would not move into a place with this type of stairs. I had carpeted stairs the only carpet in the place and dogs with short legs and long backs can develop serious problems. One of my JRT's backs went out.

I never knew these were called winder stairs before now but we do have these type of stairs in our home with 2 narrow windows, one on west wall & one on north wall, at the corner turn area. It was a space issue but our carpenter came up with the winder stair plan and we loved how it turned out. The steps are 42" wide so we have no navigation problems. The turn area has enough room to fit a plant (a 34" Norfolk Pine) in the corner which gets plenty of light from the approx 15x33 windows.

oh, cool! now i know what our apartments stairs called. never knew they had a name. i'm always afraid I'll step on the narrow edge of the stair and slip or something..

my parents have these. Most people creep down them one foot at a time. It takes a while getting used to running up and down.

winders are great space savers but they are very $$$ to construct and take great skill...just ask any contractor.

also as commenters have noted above, bldg codes make it very difficult in many situations. you need more room than you think.

With my new bi-focals going down any stair now is a challenge. They have their purpose but I couldn't imagine dealing with winders on a daily basis.

i live in a 130 year old mansion in minneapolis- we were told our winder stairs were not up to code and would have to be replaced... luckily they never followed through on the threat!

Hmm. I have these at the bottom of my stairs. Never really gave them a second though.

In my area winders are legal as long as you don't exceed 90 degrees between floors. Apparently a study was done and they're less of a tripping hazard than landings because you don't have to change the pattern of your stride. And as a contractor my opinion would be that if your carpenter is charging way more to build winders then he either is gypping you or he's unsure of his abilities. Winders really aren't that difficult to construct.

Those steel stairs look difficult to build though.

no no no...I had these when I was in university, they took on the nickname "suicide stairs" after several people fell down them. Where I live now they're illegal to build. I guess if they were wider they might be ok...but mine were narrow and pretty dangerous.

I've lived in a home with them - they can be catchy if you aren't paying attention coming down the stairs. They are a good space saver - but not always so practical.

In my old house (built 1890), the back stairs going to the kitchen were like this, but steeper and narrower. The bottom step lifted up, too - a secret compartment! My "new" house (built 1880) had been remodeled so alas... no back stairs, but now there's a powder room on the 1st floor - so - WIN!

We've got winder stairs in my apartment building. Most of the time they're fine, but hauling furniture up them is really dangerous.