Rates are UK national (non-London): central London and constrained urban sites typically run dearer — adjust the labour, plant and access lines in the build-up accordingly.
Staircase balustrade (supply & fix)
per m² · supply & lay
£161 – £434 / m
What is it
The supply and fixing of a staircase balustrade — the guarding to the open side of a flight and to landings and galleries: newels set and plumbed, base rail and handrail cut to the rake between the newels, and softwood spindles measured, cut top and bottom to the rake, drilled, pinned and spaced to the Building-Regs 100 mm sphere rule (around seven spindles per metre of run) — priced per metre of run. A mainstream softwood spindle balustrade is the UK budget default; a plainer wall-mounted handrail run is the lower end and an oak or hardwood turned-spindle balustrade the dearer. This rate prices the BALUSTRADE RUN supplied and fixed only — the manufactured flight itself, the structural trimming of the opening, the strip-out of an existing balustrade and the finishes and decoration are separate rates. The rate carries three operations:
Set the newels — the newel posts set and plumbed to the flight and landing, jointed to the strings and floor.
Cut the rails — the base rail and handrail measured and cut to the rake between the newels and fixed off.
Fix the spindles — each spindle measured, cut top and bottom to the rake, drilled, pinned and spaced to the 100 mm sphere rule, and the run made good.
Rate range by balustrade spec
Wall handrail / plain softwood£161 – £208 / m
Softwood spindle balustrade£210 – £270 / m
Oak / hardwood turned£337 – £434 / m
Budget rate per m².
3 key cost drivers
Balustrade complexity & access
A straight raked flight run fixes fastest; a level landing or gallery run, a half-turn with a continuous over-the-post handrail, or a restricted stairwell add fixing time. It is a key driver of the labour per metre.
Balustrade spec & material
A mainstream softwood spindle balustrade is the priced default. A plainer wall-mounted handrail run is the lower end; an oak or hardwood turned-spindle balustrade runs dearer, with full oak and glass or metal balustrades the ceiling. It is the key driver of material cost — the calculator flexes the balustrade set across its price band.
Location
London and the South East typically add around 20% to labour.
Estimator
Budget rate generator
£210 – £270 / m
Covers the balustrade set (spindles, handrail, base rail, newels & fixings), the carpenter and O&P · excl. the flight itself, structural trimming, strip-out, finishes, decoration & VAT
Exclusions
Lifting & material distribution — telehandler / forklift, hoist and site-distribution labour (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
The manufactured staircase flight itself (a separate per-nr rate), the structural trimming of the floor opening and the strip-out of an existing balustrade
Floor & wall finishes, decoration (a painter’s rate), making good behind and access / scaffold; glass & metal balustrades (a separate specialist trade)
Scaffold supply (usually in preliminaries)
Preliminaries — main-contractor site set-up, management & welfare