Floating Stairs, North Vancouver, BC
Custom floating staircases for North Vancouver luxury homes, Edgemont, Upper Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, and Deep Cove. True cantilever and hybrid designs with marine-grade hardware for waterfront properties.
Floating Stairs, North Vancouver
True cantilevered floating staircases, each tread anchored independently into a structural wall for the "no visible support" look.
North Vancouver custom homes in Edgemont, Upper Lonsdale, and Lynn Valley have been driving steady floating staircase demand, the architecturally ambitious custom home market on the North Shore supports true cantilever designs as main-floor centrepieces. Typical project budgets run $40,000, $70,000 for true cantilever stairs with premium tread materials. Our Burnaby shop is 25 to 40 minutes via the Second Narrows Bridge.
North Vancouver sits at the foot of the Coast Mountains with a wildly varied building stock, from waterfront custom homes in Deep Cove and Dollarton to luxury modern builds in Edgemont and Upper Lonsdale to high-rises in Lower Lonsdale. Metalwork here has to handle more exposure than the Lower Mainland south of the Burrard Inlet: higher elevation, more snow, more wind, and salt air on the waterfront properties. Our crews make the trip across the Second Narrows Bridge regularly for residential and commercial work.
Configurations we fabricate
North Vancouver context
North Vancouver's climate, building stock, and permit process shape every floating stairs project we deliver here.
Climate
Design snow load for North Vancouver is roughly 1.8 kPa ground. Coastal exposure is high. Vancouver seismic zone with higher exposure on ridge and hillside lots. These are the numbers the engineer pulls when sizing steel for a floating stairs here.
Permits
District and City of North Vancouver both require building permits for structural and guardrail work. Waterfront and steep-slope properties trigger additional geotechnical review.
Local neighbourhoods
We work throughout North Vancouver, including Lower Lonsdale, Central Lonsdale, Upper Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Deep Cove, Edgemont, Capilano, Pemberton Heights. Most sites are a 25 to 40 minutes drive from our Burnaby shop.
Cost for North Vancouver
Installed pricing from our Burnaby shop. Mobilization to North Vancouver is included for standard drive-time sites.
| Type | Installed cost |
|---|---|
| Standard hybrid floating stair Concealed stringer at one edge | $25,000, $40,000 |
| True cantilever floating stair, straight run Engineered wall pocket required | $35,000, $55,000 |
| True cantilever with glass guards Glass panels add structural glass spec | $45,000, $75,000 |
| True cantilever L-shape with landing Additional engineering at the landing | $50,000, $85,000 |
All figures include fabrication, finish, and installation. For a North Vancouver-specific project quote, request a quote.
Process
1. Early design coordination. Because wall pocket framing has to be in place before drywall, floating stairs must be scoped during architectural design, not after.
2. Engineering. Structural engineering including wall pocket sizing, tread anchor specification, and connection details.
3. Framing coordination. We work with the GC and framer to ensure the wall pockets are built correctly before drywall goes up.
4. Fabrication. Tread armatures and hardware fabricated at our Burnaby shop.
5. Finishing. Powder coat on the steel armatures. Tread material (typically hardwood) finished separately.
6. Installation. Tread armatures installed into the wall pockets, treads mounted, and guards integrated.
Related products in North Vancouver
Floating Stairs across Metro Vancouver
FAQs
Answers to the questions we hear most often from North Vancouver homeowners, architects, and GCs on floating stairs projects.
North Vancouver floating staircase cost depends on whether the project is a true cantilever or hybrid design, tread material, guard type, and waterfront exposure requirements. Edgemont and Upper Lonsdale luxury custom homes typically spec true cantilever designs with premium materials; Deep Cove and Dollarton waterfront projects require 316 stainless hardware on tread armatures for long-term durability. Our Burnaby shop is 25 to 40 minutes via the Second Narrows Bridge. <a href="/request-a-quote/">Request a quote</a> with your site dimensions and we'll follow up with project-specific pricing.
True cantilever floating staircase cost in North Vancouver depends on configuration (straight-run, L-shape, or curved), tread material (white oak, walnut, or stone), guard type (glass, cable, or none), and the complexity of the wall-pocket framing coordination. Hybrid floating stairs with a concealed stringer are a more economical alternative when the pure cantilever look is not strictly required. Engineering, wall-pocket framing coordination, fabrication, and install are all included in the project scope. <a href="/request-a-quote/">Request a quote</a> with your site dimensions and we'll follow up with project-specific pricing.
A mono stringer stair uses one central steel beam running under the treads. A true cantilever floating stair has no stringer at all, each tread is independently anchored into a structural wall pocket. The result is a stair where the treads appear to project from the wall with no visible support. True cantilever floating stairs are significantly more demanding structurally and require architectural coordination months before fabrication because the wall pocket framing has to be in place before drywall goes up.
In most cases, no, not as a true cantilever. Retrofitting requires tearing open the wall to install the structural backing for tread pockets, which means removing drywall, insulation, and sometimes wall framing, then reinforcing the studs with steel or heavy blocking. It is possible but expensive. Hybrid floating stairs (cantilever treads with a concealed stringer at one edge) are a more practical retrofit option.
They can be, but the engineering gets more involved. Hillside lots often have unusual floor-to-floor heights and non-rectangular floor plans that constrain stair geometry. For steeply sloped Upper Lonsdale and Edgemont hillside properties we sometimes recommend hybrid floating stairs because the engineering is easier to accommodate.
For interior floating stairs in Deep Cove and Dollarton waterfront homes we still spec 316 stainless tread armature hardware as insurance against long-term moisture exposure through exterior wall cavities. The spec adds modest cost but extends service life significantly.
Building permits are required because floating stairs are structural elements. Processing runs 4 to 10 weeks. Steep-slope lots may require additional geotechnical review which extends timelines.
Get in touch
Send us drawings, photos, or a project description. We will review the scope and follow up with a quote covering engineering, fabrication, and installation from our Burnaby shop.
