Custom staircase design and fabrication throughout Michigan; installation services for southwest Michigan, Lake Michigan towns.
The southwest Michigan shoreline along Lake Michigan draws a specific kind of home — second homes, lake homes, and high-end new construction built with attention to detail and unique styling.
In communities like Three Oaks, New Buffalo, Bridgman, and Grand Beach, to name a few, the staircase is often part of the investment rather than an afterthought.
Designed Stairs has been building custom staircases since 1969, and the southwestern lake cities are part of our installation territory — we serve southwest Michigan lake and inland homes from planning through installation. Throughout the rest of Michigan we offer our custom assembled products and kits, which bring you the high-level custom stair and rail styles and designs available in all our products. Our shop, design staff, and installation team work out of our 50,000-square-foot facility in Sandwich, Illinois.
Whatever the project — a contemporary open-riser lake stair, a historic reproduction, or a traditional hardwood staircase; a new custom home or a remodel of your stairs and rails — we will bring your inspirations to life.
Throughout Michigan and the Midwest, Designed Stairs specializes in curved stairs and luxury stairs for upper-bracket homes.
If your stair project requires more than your trim carpenter's skills, bringing in a stair professional is your solution. Designed Stairs — one of the few stair professionals serving Michigan — has been building custom stairs for over 55 years.
Designed Stairs is your full-service staircase partner, from concept to completion, proudly serving Michigan. We handle every detail with care and craftsmanship.
The most common request in the southwest Michigan lake home market. Clean lines, natural light between floors, and treads paired with glass rail, cable rail, or custom metal infill fit contemporary and transitional lake interiors. The exposed structural connections require precise CNC-milled joinery.
For larger lake homes and estate properties designed around a grand foyer. We use a traditional Tangent Handrail method for a continuous, flowing handrail without flat sections or awkward transitions — a level of craft most stair companies do not offer.
For the traditional and transitional homes along the southwest Michigan shoreline. We work with oak, maple, cherry, mahogany, and alder, kiln-dried in-house.
Railing upgrades and replacements are common here, particularly in homes built with builder-grade components now being renovated. Installed as part of a full stair project or as a standalone railing replacement.
For lake homes with loft spaces or small spaces that do not allow for a full standard stair.
Our Michigan installation work is focused on the Lake Michigan shoreline corridor in the southwest corner of the state. For projects outside this area, we ship fully fabricated stairs and stair kits anywhere in the United States.
Installation Services Offered
Fabricated Kits & Assembled Stairs
The reviews people share with us prove our dedication to quality, service, and results.
“Designed Stairs has been a valuable resource for our company. They provide expert technical advice at the plan stage and can design one-of-a-kind styles that meet our customers exacting requirements. Their ability to pull all of the details of a high end project together sets them apart from other stair companies.”
Whether you're building new, remodeling, or upgrading your staircase, we're here to help you create something beautiful and built to last.
We install in the southwest Michigan Lake Michigan shoreline corridor, in communities such as Three Oaks, New Buffalo, Bridgman, and Grand Beach. Everywhere else in Michigan we supply fully fabricated stairs, assembled stairs, and stair kits, which carry the same custom stair and rail styles available in the rest of our work. Reach out if you are not sure which applies to your location and we will confirm.
It depends on the type of stair, opening size, wood species, railing system, and design complexity. Custom spiral stairs start around $15,000. Full custom architectural staircases range from $3,000 to $150,000. Prefabricated stair and rail kits are available at lower price points. We provide detailed quotes after the site visit.
Eight to fourteen weeks from quote to installation is standard for most projects. Production timeline depends on design complexity, material selection, and shop schedule. We provide a production schedule when the project releases to the shop.
Open-riser and floating stairs, curved staircases, traditional hardwood staircases, spiral stairs and stairs for small spaces, and custom railing and balustrade systems. Infill options include glass panels, cable rail, wrought iron, stainless steel, and custom metal fabrications.
Yes. We work with custom home builders, architects, interior designers, and remodelers throughout the southwest Michigan market. We provide early stair budget planning, CAD drawings, field measuring, manufacturing, and installation support.
Yes. For projects outside our installation range, we ship fully fabricated stairs and stair kits anywhere in the United States. The kits are designed for installation by a trim carpenter or local contractor.