Kermit is packed onto a narrow flat, and when a house cannot spread out it goes up. That makes stairs central here — steep interior flights in tight houses, and outside stairs to upper doors where there was no room for anything else.
Had them out after the back steps started going soft underfoot. He came and looked properly before quoting anything, and told me the structure underneath was still sound — so it ended up a smaller job than I had braced myself for. Turned up when he said he would, cleaned up after himself, and the price at the end was the price we agreed. Not much more you can ask for.
Owner replied
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Skyler White
9 months ago
Called on a Tuesday and had someone out the same week. What I appreciated most was being told straight what needed doing now and what could safely wait until spring. No pressure and no trying to talk me into the bigger version of the job. It has held up fine through the winter since.
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Trevor Alford
2 months ago
The quote came through itemised and the final bill matched it, which has honestly not been my experience with everyone around here. They worked around an awkward driveway without once making it my problem, and left the place tidier than they found it. Would have them back.
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Kaleb Withrow
3 weeks ago
Fair price, showed up on time, tidy work. No complaints.
See something like yours?
Send a few photos and we'll tell you what it'll take — free written quote, no pressure.
With so little floor to give, these houses put the stair in the smallest space that would take it. Steep runs, tight winders at one end, and headroom that is marginal at the top are all normal here.
Rise evened across steep original flights
Treads and nosings replaced where worn
Full-length handrails at a usable height
Exterior stairs to upper-floor doors
Guards brought to a proper height on landings
Why Choose Mackwood Construction?
What you get when Mackwood does your stairs & railings — and what we won't do.
Free written quote, itemised before anything starts
We get underneath and look properly before quoting — not from the kerb
We'll tell you straight if a repair isn't worth doing
Based in Williamson — Mingo and Logan counties, about an hour out
Straight answers on permits, which differ either side of the county line
Built for this climate: drainage, flashing and ground contact done right
From first call to finished work — no surprises in between.
Step 1
Tell us about the project
Call, text, or send a message with what you're looking to build or repair. No form to fill in and no call centre — it comes straight to us, and you'll get a real answer about whether it's something we do.
Step 2
Send photos or schedule a look
A few photos are often enough to tell us what we're dealing with. Where it isn't — anything structural, anything hidden underneath — we'll come out and look properly before quoting rather than guessing from the kerb.
Step 3
Get a clear quote
You get a written quote that itemises the work, so you can see what you're paying for and what you aren't. If we think part of it isn't worth doing, we'll say so. No pressure and no surprises at the end.
Step 4
We build it right
We turn up when we said we would, work clean, and haul the offcuts away with us. The job gets built to last in this climate — and we'll walk it with you before we call it finished.
Not sure what your stairs & railing needs?
We'll come and look, then tell you straight — including if it isn't worth doing.
Changing the pitch usually needs floor length these houses do not have, so often not. What can be done is making the rise consistent, putting proper nosings and grip on the treads, and running a full-length handrail. Those change how the stair behaves far more than people expect.
The outside stair to my upstairs door worries me. What should I check?
Guard height and the gaps between balusters first, because on an elevated stair going over or through one means a fall to the ground. Then the fixing at the top and whether the structure moves under load.
Can a new stair be built where there's no room to bring one in?
Yes — we build in place rather than assembling and lifting in. It suits an old house anyway, because the flight is set out to the actual opening rather than trimmed to fit afterwards.
Do you work across the river in Kentucky?
No, we stay on the West Virginia side — that is a licensing matter rather than a distance one. Kermit is comfortably inside the area we cover.
You're right on the Kentucky line. Do you work across the river?
No. We stay on the West Virginia side — that's a licensing matter, not a distance one. Kermit itself is well inside the area we cover.
My house flooded years ago and seemed fine. Should I still have it looked at?
Yes. Flood damage in framing is biological, not immediate — the wetting starts rot that works through joist ends and post bottoms over years. The floor above it can feel solid the whole time.
There's nowhere to park at my house. Does that stop the job?
No, it's normal in town here. It affects staging and carry time, which we allow for in the quote.
What stairs & railings in Kermit actually involves
Most people are buying a result, not a list of tasks. Pick a topic to see what we look at before quoting in Kermit.
More on stair & railing work in Kermit
Changing the geometry usually is not possible, because a shallower stair needs floor length these houses do not have. What is nearly always possible is making the flight consistent, giving the treads proper nosings and grip, and running a handrail the full length at a usable height.
Those changes do not look like much and they change how the stair behaves under someone carrying a laundry basket, which is the real test.
Outside stairs to an upper door
Where the ground floor has no room, the second entrance is upstairs and the stair to it is outside. That is a genuinely different structure from a set of back steps — it is elevated, exposed on all sides, and its guard is doing real work.
Guard height and the gaps between balusters both matter more on an elevated stair, because the consequence of going through or over one is a fall to the ground rather than a stumble. That is worth building properly and worth checking on anything already there.
It is also fully weather-exposed, so material choice and how water leaves the treads decide how long it lasts.
Working in a tight town
Lots sit close to the street with limited parking and very little room between buildings, so material comes in by hand and a stair frequently gets built in place rather than assembled and lifted in.
That is normal practice for us here and it suits an old house anyway, since the flight can be set out to the actual opening rather than trimmed to fit. About thirty minutes up US-52 from Williamson, planned as a proper piece of work rather than squeezed in.
Homes around Kermit
Kermit is a small town on a narrow flat right against the Tug Fork, and the housing is packed onto what level ground there is — older wood-framed homes, close together, most on block or pier foundations with covered porches as standard. There is not much room between houses and not much room behind them, so additions here tend to go up or onto the porch rather than out the back.
What we see locally
The Tug Fork is the whole story in Kermit. The town sits low against the river and has taken water repeatedly, and what that leaves behind is rot in the parts of a house nobody inspects — sill plates, the ends of floor joists where they bear, post bottoms, and the base of exterior door frames. It shows up long after the water is gone, which is why a floor that feels sound is not evidence of much.
Getting to the job
About thirty minutes from Williamson up US-52 along the river, and the drive itself is easy. Working in town is the tighter part: lots sit close to the street with limited parking, so material gets carried and there is often nowhere to leave a trailer. We plan the day around that rather than treating it as a surprise.
Get a free quote for stairs & railings in Kermit
Tell us what you're building or repairing and get a clear, no-pressure quote. Free quotes, honest answers, and craftsmanship built to last.