Floating Stairs, Vancouver, BC
Custom floating staircases for Vancouver custom homes, Shaughnessy, Point Grey, Dunbar, Kitsilano, and Coal Harbour. True cantilever and hybrid designs with architectural coordination.
Floating Stairs, Vancouver
True cantilevered floating staircases, each tread anchored independently into a structural wall for the "no visible support" look.
Vancouver has the deepest floating staircase market in our service area, custom home builds in Shaughnessy, Point Grey, Dunbar, and Coal Harbour routinely specify true cantilever floating stairs as the centrepiece of the main floor. Budgets support architectural ambition: walnut or stone treads, frameless glass guards, integrated LED channels, and double-height open configurations. Heritage home renovations in Kitsilano and East Van occasionally use hybrid floating stairs as a cleaner alternative to mono stringer replacements. Our Burnaby shop is 15 to 25 minutes from most Vancouver neighbourhoods.
Vancouver is where the largest share of our project work lands, heritage restorations downtown, custom mono stringer staircases in East Van character homes, frameless glass railings on new Kitsilano builds, luxury residential metalwork in Shaughnessy and Point Grey. Our Burnaby shop is 15 to 25 minutes from most Vancouver neighbourhoods depending on time of day. The city's mix of heritage buildings, modern custom homes, and high-density condos means every project type shows up here.
Configurations we fabricate
Vancouver context
Vancouver's climate, building stock, and permit process shape every floating stairs project we deliver here.
Climate
Design snow load for Vancouver is roughly 1.6 kPa ground. Coastal exposure is moderate. Vancouver seismic zone, seismic detailing required on all structural connections. These are the numbers the engineer pulls when sizing steel for a floating stairs here.
Permits
City of Vancouver requires building permits for structural modifications, new guardrails, and canopies. Heritage-designated properties (Gastown, Shaughnessy, West End) add a heritage review step of 4 to 8 weeks.
Local neighbourhoods
We work throughout Vancouver, including Downtown, Yaletown, Gastown, Coal Harbour, Kitsilano, Point Grey, Dunbar, Kerrisdale. Most sites are a 15 to 25 minutes drive from our Burnaby shop.
Cost for Vancouver
Installed pricing from our Burnaby shop. Mobilization to 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 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 Vancouver
Floating Stairs across Metro Vancouver
FAQs
Answers to the questions we hear most often from Vancouver homeowners, architects, and GCs on floating stairs projects.
Vancouver floating staircase cost depends on whether the project is a true cantilever or hybrid design, tread material, guard type, and the complexity of wall-pocket framing coordination. Shaughnessy, Point Grey, and Dunbar luxury custom homes typically spec true cantilever designs with premium materials; Kitsilano and East Van character home renovations more often use hybrid floating stairs as a more practical alternative. Our Burnaby shop is 15 to 25 minutes from most Vancouver neighbourhoods. <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 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.
Interior floating stair installations are generally not subject to heritage review even in heritage-designated areas, because the stair is not visible from the exterior. However, if the project involves structural changes to heritage elements (load-bearing walls, exterior wall framing), heritage review may apply. We coordinate with the City of Vancouver heritage process when required.
Yes, for two-storey sub-penthouse and townhouse units in downtown buildings. Coordination is more complex because the existing concrete wall structure must be evaluated for tread anchoring, and access for delivery and install is constrained by elevator and hallway dimensions.
From design approval to install, expect 16 to 22 weeks. The longer timeline versus mono stringer work reflects additional engineering, wall pocket framing coordination, and install complexity. For new custom home builds, the floating stair is typically specified during schematic design.
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.
