Mono Stringer, Kelowna, BC
Custom mono stringer staircases for Kelowna homes, a single steel beam with cantilevered treads that keeps the lake and valley in view, fabricated at our C.W.B. certified Burnaby shop and installed across the Okanagan.
Mono Stringer, Kelowna
Custom mono stringer staircases, a single central steel beam with cantilevered treads, engineered for residential and light commercial projects.
Mono stringer staircases are a centrepiece in Kelowna's lakefront and hillside custom homes, Lower and Upper Mission, Wilden, Kettle Valley, and the wine-country estates where the budget supports an architectural stair. One central steel beam with cantilevered treads keeps the Okanagan Lake and valley views open through the core of the home. We fabricate every mono stringer at our C.W.B. certified Burnaby shop and deliver it to Kelowna for a planned install, the same delivery model behind the Interior Health stairs at Kelowna General Hospital. The semi-arid Okanagan climate shifts the finish brief toward UV-stable powder coat, strong valley and lake sun fades ordinary finishes, and white oak treads suit the warm, modern palettes common in the local market. For homes on the wildfire-interface hillsides, an all-steel stair is also a non-combustible interior element.
Kelowna is the largest city in the Okanagan and a high-value market for architectural metalwork, lakefront luxury homes, wine-country estates, and a fast-growing commercial and institutional core anchored by Kelowna General Hospital and UBC Okanagan. We fabricate in Burnaby and deliver finished assemblies to Kelowna via the Coquihalla and Highway 97, which fits the larger custom-residential and commercial scopes here. We delivered stair fabrication and installation for Interior Health at Kelowna General Hospital. Two local conditions shape the brief: the semi-arid Okanagan climate (hot summers, intense UV, lake exposure) and the wildfire-interface zones on the city's hillside margins, where non-combustible steel railings, gates, and structures are a genuine safety advantage over wood.
Configurations we fabricate
Kelowna context
Kelowna's climate, building stock, and permit process shape every mono stringer project we deliver here.
Climate
Design snow load for Kelowna is roughly 1.9 kPa ground. Coastal exposure is none. Interior seismic zone, Okanagan valley; connections detailed per CSA W47.1. These are the numbers the engineer pulls when sizing steel for a mono stringer here.
Permits
City of Kelowna requires building permits for structural work, new stairs, and guardrails. Properties in wildfire-interface development permit areas carry additional FireSmart-driven requirements, confirm with the Kelowna development services department.
Local neighbourhoods
We work throughout Kelowna, including Downtown, Lower Mission, Upper Mission, Pandosy, Glenmore, Dilworth, Rutland, Black Mountain. Most sites are a 4 hours via the Coquihalla and Highway 97 drive from our Burnaby shop.
Cost for Kelowna
Installed pricing from our Burnaby shop. Mobilization to Kelowna is included for standard drive-time sites.
| Type | Installed cost |
|---|---|
| Straight run, 13 to 15 treads, hardwood treads, steel railing Metro Vancouver baseline | $18,000, $25,000 |
| Straight run with cable railing upgrade Cable infill adds $3,000, $5,000 | $22,000, $28,000 |
| L-shape with landing Add $3,000, $6,000 over straight run | $22,000, $32,000 |
| U-shape switchback Add $5,000, $8,000 over straight run | $25,000, $38,000 |
| Curved (partial arc) Rolled beam, per-tread bracket geometry | $30,000, $42,000 |
| Curved multi-storey / tight radius Centrepiece stairs, double-height entries | $42,000, $55,000+ |
All figures include fabrication, finish, and installation. For a Kelowna-specific project quote, request a quote.
Process
1. Site visit and design review. Measurements, floor-to-floor height confirmation, opening-dimension planning, and review of structural connection points.
2. Structural engineering. Sealed drawing from a registered P.Eng., stringer section sizing, connection details, load calculations per NBC 2020.
3. Shop drawings. Fabrication drawings coordinating with the architect and GC. Opening dimensions, tread layout, railing integration, finish schedule.
4. Fabrication. Steel cut, welded, and jigged at our Burnaby shop under CWB supervision. Stringer section, tread brackets, and railing integration completed in the shop.
5. Finishing. Powder coat on a prepared substrate. Matte black (RAL 9005) is the default. Custom colours available. Clear-coat over raw steel for industrial looks.
6. Installation. Crane or hand-set depending on site access. Base plate bolted to slab or embedded in floor. Tread installation and railing integration complete the stair.
Related products in Kelowna
Mono Stringer across Metro Vancouver
FAQs
Answers to the questions we hear most often from Kelowna homeowners, architects, and GCs on mono stringer projects.
Mono stringer cost in Kelowna depends on configuration, tread material, railing type, and floor-to-floor height. The delivery from our Burnaby shop is handled as one planned install rather than a per-visit charge. <a href="/request-a-quote/">Request a quote</a> with your site dimensions and we'll follow up with project-specific pricing.
Yes. We detail and fabricate the stringer, treads, and railing complete in Burnaby under C.W.B. supervision, then deliver and install in one mobilization down Highway 97, about a 4 hour trip. It is the same approach we used for the Interior Health stairs at Kelowna General Hospital, so accurate measurements and locked shop drawings come first.
Yes. The City of Kelowna requires a building permit for a new staircase, and a mono stringer is a structural steel element, so the application includes a sealed P.Eng. drawing. Our scope covers the engineering and the drawings your permit application needs.
Yes. On the hillside-interface lots in Upper Mission, Wilden, and Crawford Estates, an all-steel stair is a non-combustible interior element. It is not a substitute for FireSmart envelope measures, but it adds nothing combustible at the core of the home.
UV-stable powder coat. The strong lake-and-valley sun fades ordinary finishes near the large window walls common in Kelowna homes, so we spec colour-stable finishes and reserve corrosion-grade hardware for lakefront exposure.
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.
