From a 7 foot prototype to a 33-foot long slide, Top Tread Stairways is putting this slide and stairway combo at the top of their Most Unique Project List!
It all started with an 8000 sq ft house in Sacramento that needed a unique stairway for its round tower room! It took over eight years for the clients to find Top Tread Stairways, a company recommended by an architect they knew.
After a basic CAD drawing and the ambitions of completing the clients’ dream curved stairway, Top Tread Stairways jumped at the opportunity. The stairway and slide combination is almost ready to be installed in the Sacramento home just two years later!
The 7-foot long prototype built last year was the final test and approval before the final build. The slide is designed for both adults and children, making this very cool mode of in-house transportation one for all.
Overall it took two years designing it and eight months building it. “Few humans have the budget to match their dreams. It’s amazing to find someone who will pay you to have so much fun! But it’s also been an enormous challenge!
Sometimes it just about drove me crazy! I’ve been jarred awake in the middle of the night many times, wondering what I got myself into. But after some sweat and brain wrangling, I got the next step figured out” (Clyde Martin, Owner of Top Tread Stairways).
The stairway and slide consist of 438 cross-laminated hardwood layers built-in Top Tread Stairways’ shop in Sierra Vista, AZ. The shop houses a few Laguna machines, including an LT20 Industrial Bandsaw, a J16 Industrial Jointer, and 25” Planer.
After just seven months from the first cut of the final project, it’s just about time to move it to Sacramento for the final install.
Laguna will be sending a video team to film the completed project and, hopefully, take a slide down this very cool project! Keep an eye out for the Customer Story on Top Tread Stairways on Laguna’s YouTube channel!
Curved Slide/Stair Timeline by Clyde Martin
11/15/2017 The clients originally contacted Clyde Martin saying an architect gave them my number recommending Top Tread Stairways as a company who may be able to help them with their dream, a curved wood slide and stairway.
1/19/2018 Clyde met with the clients and, after listening to them describe their dream, laid out some basic ideas he felt could be done in that space. The clients put down a few hundred dollars toward a basic CAD drawing of the stair and slide.
11/10/2018 Clyde built a scaled model of the slide and stair and met with the clients to present the initial design he had proposed. The clients were overjoyed, saying they had been looking for someone to built their dream slide for more than 8 years. It began to look like their dreams might come true after all!
6/19/2019 The client made a sizable down-payment towards final design and initial construction.
11/14/2019 Clyde built a 7-foot long, full-scale MDF version of the slide and met with the client at their home in Sacramento, CA in order for them to test it. Grandpa watched while grandma and the grandchildren tested and all approved it!
2/21/2020 We cut the parts for the slide and began assembly in our Arizona stair shop.
7/22/2020 Clyde completed the last section of the 33-ft long slide and began sanding.
8/03/2020 Clyde began building the stair stringer
8/24/2020 Clyde completed the stair stringer and began building the spiral newel post and other railing parts.
Delivery and installation are currently scheduled for September 15-30, 2020, Lord willing.
