
7. Don’t Forget to Measure the Ceiling, Too.
Earlier on this list, I showed the image of someone building very wonky and uneven stairs. Unfortunately, even if you carefully measure all of the steps correctly, there is something else that can go wrong…The height. Remember that even if you’re a relatively short person, tall people are going to need to use the stairs, too. Always remember to measure the head height on the angle of a stairwell to make sure someone over 6 feet tall can comfortably climb the stairs without hitting their head. In the photo above, it looks like the opening needs to be larger, but that might not be possible in that house.

In older homes, it may not be possible for you to fix a problem like this. People used to be much shorter than they are in modern times. However, if you’re working on a modern house, or doing modern updates, there is no excuse for this terrible DIY fail. Like everything else on this list, you want to hire someone who knows what they’re doing when it comes to installing a staircase. This can be a very expensive and dangerous mistake if it’s not done correctly.