Choosing the best stair builders in Blenheim comes down to finding a joiner who can design, manufacture and install a staircase that fits your space and meets the Building Code. The Marlborough workshops below, in Blenheim and Picton, make interior and exterior timber stairs, handrails and balustrades for new builds, renovations and commercial fit outs. Bays Joinery and A.K. Joinery lead the list, with Nazareth Joinery on Warwick Street since 1983.
1Bays Joinery
Bays Joinery designs, manufactures and installs custom staircases alongside kitchens, bathrooms, timber windows, doors, wardrobes and storage solutions, and it also manufactures to architects’ plans. Established in 1992, it has grown from a small business into a substantial Nelson and Marlborough joinery manufacturer, and it runs a design studio on Redwood Street in Blenheim as well as its Nelson workshop. It suits homeowners and builders who want a staircase drawn, built and fitted by the same team.
Services
- Custom staircase design, manufacture and installation
- Timber windows and doors
- Bespoke kitchens and bathroom joinery
- Wardrobes and storage solutions
- Manufacturing to architects’ plans
Highlights
- Established in 1992
- Design studios in both Blenheim and Nelson
- 2023 NZ Master Joiner Awards Regional Award for Nelson and Marlborough
- 2024 JADA Myles Seller Supreme Award
- Free design consultation offered on new projects
Location & Contact
Name: Bays Joinery
Address: 25 Redwood Street, Blenheim
Phone: 03 579 2520
Website: baysjoinery.co.nz
2A.K. Joinery Ltd
A.K. Joinery is a small family owned workshop in Picton that designs and manufactures both interior and exterior wooden staircases, with recent stairs built from kwila, oak, ash, macrocarpa and yakka. Owner Andy Kenny is a registered Master Joiner, and the traditional mortice and tenon construction the workshop is known for in its sash windows and doors goes into its stairs as well. It suits Marlborough homeowners and building contractors who want a solid timber staircase made to order rather than a manufactured kit.
Services
- Interior timber staircases
- Exterior timber staircases
- Sliding sash and solid timber casement windows
- Entrance, French, patio and sliding timber doors
Highlights
- Owner Andy Kenny is a registered Master Joiner
- Small family owned business, based in Picton and serving Marlborough
- Traditional mortice and tenon construction across all joinery
- Staircases built in timbers including kwila, oak, ash, macrocarpa and yakka
Location & Contact
Name: A.K. Joinery Ltd
Address: 32 Dublin Street, Picton
Phone: 03 573 6860
Website: akjoinery.co.nz
3Cantwell Joinery
Cantwell Joinery has been hand building joinery in Marlborough since 1973 and lists stairs alongside wardrobes and storage in its range of custom work. Everything it designs, manufactures and installs is made locally by its own joiners and aluminium specialists, and the business also trades as Mastercraft Kitchens Marlborough. Stairs sit within a broad residential and commercial offering rather than being a standalone specialism, so it suits people building or renovating who want the whole joinery package handled in one place.
Services
- Stairs, wardrobes and storage
- Custom made kitchens
- Timber and aluminium joinery
- Windows and doors, including Vistalite systems
- Commercial joinery and fit outs
Highlights
- Building joinery in Marlborough since 1973
- Family business with design, manufacture and installation kept in house
- Long standing Vistalite fabricator and part of the Mastercraft group, whose kitchens carry a 10 year guarantee
Location & Contact
Name: Cantwell Joinery
Address: Blenheim
Phone: 03 578 3375
Website: cantwelljoinery.co.nz
4Nazareth Joinery
Nazareth Joinery has worked in Marlborough since 1983 from Warwick Street in Blenheim, producing custom interior joinery including stairs, kitchens, wardrobes and benchtops. It is an award-winning shop and offers a free measure and quote, so a stair project can be priced before committing.
Services
- Custom staircases
- Kitchen and wardrobe joinery
- Benchtops
- General interior joinery
- Free measure and quote
Highlights
- Trading in Marlborough since 1983
- Award-winning custom joinery shop
- Free measure and quote before committing
- Warwick Street workshop in Blenheim
Location & Contact
Name: Nazareth Joinery
Address: 1 Warwick Street, Blenheim, Marlborough
Website: nazarethjoinery.co.nz
Stair Builders in Blenheim at a Glance
| Business | Highlight |
|---|---|
| Bays Joinery | Established in 1992 |
| A.K. Joinery Ltd | Owner Andy Kenny is a registered Master Joiner |
| Cantwell Joinery | Building joinery in Marlborough since 1973 |
| Nazareth Joinery | Trading in Marlborough since 1983 |
How to Choose the Right Stair Builder in Blenheim
- Check the staircase will be designed to the New Zealand Building Code, covering tread depth, riser height, landings and handrails.
- Ask whether the company manufactures in its own workshop or subcontracts the work, and who does the installation on site.
- Match the timber species and finish to the rest of your interior joinery, and ask to see samples before you sign off a design.
- Confirm the balustrade and handrail are quoted with the stairs rather than left as a separate job later.
- Get lead times in writing, because a custom staircase is built to order once your plans and measurements are final.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blenheim Stair Builders
What does a custom staircase cost in Blenheim?
Cost depends on the layout, the timber species, the balustrade and handrail, the finish and whether the stairs are installed as part of a wider build. Ask each joiner for an itemised quote that separates manufacture, delivery, installation and the balustrade, so you are comparing the same scope.
Do I need a building consent for a new staircase?
A staircase in a new build or a major alteration is normally covered by the consent for that work, while replacing or reconfiguring an existing stair can trigger a consent in its own right. Check the requirements with the Marlborough District Council building consents team before you commit to a design.
What do the Building Code rules cover for stairs?
Clause D1 Access Routes sets the requirements for safe stairs, including slope, tread and riser dimensions, landings, slip resistance and handrails. The full requirements are published by Building Performance, and a joiner working to plan should be designing to them as a matter of course.
How long does a custom staircase take to build?
Custom stairs are made to order, so the clock generally starts once the plans are final and the site has been measured. Ask for a written lead time at quoting stage, and confirm whether the timber species you have chosen is held in stock or needs to be ordered in.
Can a stair builder supply the balustrade and handrail as well?
Yes. Joinery workshops routinely make timber handrails and balustrades to go with the stairs they build, and can coordinate glass, steel or wire infills where a design calls for them. Handling both together avoids a mismatch in timber and finish between the stairs and the rail.
Should I choose timber or steel stairs?
Timber is the common choice for houses in Marlborough because it can be matched to your flooring and interior joinery and is straightforward for a local workshop to make and fit. Steel is more often used for exterior access, commercial buildings and open riser feature stairs, and usually involves a fabricator working alongside the joiner.
Will a Blenheim stair builder work from an architect’s plans?
Yes. Manufacturing to architects’ plans is a standard part of the service at larger Marlborough workshops, and smaller joiners will work from drawings too. Send the plans through with your enquiry so the quote reflects the actual stair opening, floor to floor height and finish you have specified.
How We Chose the Best Stair Builders in Blenheim
Every business in this guide was found by searching for stair builders in Blenheim, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Blenheim, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.