Our new house – looked like original Edwardian Art Deco ish staircase had simply been clad in panels and painted over.
However it seems that they might have ripped the lots out decades ago and it’s made out of rough 4×2 with an exterior cladding. Cack!
So I want to, at some point, take it all down and put back what was there. I don’t want turned spindles or that kind of nonsense.
Anyone done it? I’m pretty good with wood for boxing in, replacing renovating skirting and doors, altering furniture but not done stairs before.
I am guessing if the bottom of the newel posts are still there it would be good as I could splice new posts into the old stumps.

I did it at my last house. I cut the existing post off as low as possible and drilled into the top of the existing and bottom of the new posts to insert a large dowel (24mm I think). That got glued and screwed. I clad over the existing post which was narrower than the new post and routed along the join to match the detail on the top of the new posts then filled and sanded the cladding joints. You couldn’t tell it wasn’t one piece of wood. The rest of the spindles are easy but be careful to measure the spindles and not go off the manufacturers dimension. Some people use the infill pieces at the size that they come from the manufacturer and adjust the last few at either end but I always set the spindles at an equal distance and cut the spacers to suit. No more than 99mm gaps though.

Yes, done a couple, one as repair what was left, one replace. Getting some good dowelling or threaded bar into joins is essential because of the strength required, and triple measure for the spindle gaps. Gorilla glue is your friend for strength, but also it keeps foaming a bit longer than you think and needs watching and wiping for longer than you want to.