When comparing handrails for stairs, start with the shape and size of the rail. You should be able to hold it with ease, without straining your fingers. A rail that is too wide, too narrow, or hard to ...

I read your recent column about building stairs for a deck. I can handle that, but I’m worried about how to make all the complex cuts required for the deck stair railing. Can you give me a few ...

Deck stairs look simple until you cut your first stringer wrong. I have done that, and one bad cut can waste a whole board. Building deck stairs is one of the most useful DIY projects you can take on.

A San Mateo reader's husband has a neurological disorder that affects his balance and ability to walk. He's reluctant to make safety improvements to their home because he doesn't want to pay to have ...

Q. An elderly friend of mine has some steps to her basement that have no handrail. I told her I'd put one up, but the walls alongside the steps are made of cement blocks. The steps themselves are also ...

Dear Heloise: We live in a three-level house and have seven steps going up and seven steps going down. My husband installed a second handrail opposite the one that was already there on both sets of ...