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Can anyone give me advice on how to get interior staircase work done, who to call, what the options are, how long it takes, and how much money we’re talking about, roughly?

I just bought a small frame house, it has two sets of interior stairs that are covered in carpet. Although narrow, the stairs seem to be pretty sound. But I have no idea what’s under the dirty carpet. The staircase has a plaster wall on one side, and on the other, are wood balusters and newels and handrail that are in so-so restored condition.

I want to prettify the stairs, since it’s the first thing you see as you walk in the house, and envision stair-step tops made out of a nice wood. If it ends up that the staircase is made out of plywood, is this possible to do without rebuiding the whole thing?

Who do I call to come in and take a look at what is under the carpet? Can they check without ripping off huge chunks of carpet? (the existing carpet appears to be laid down in one sheet)

Is Soxco or Heights Woodworking the kind of place to call for this, or are they too high end (I don’t have a big budget, and don’t necessarily need restoration) They could at least give me an estimate though, right?

I’m tempted just to recover with new carpet, since I’m anxious to have my new house looking pretty. But then I figure that if
I’m going to have the carpet taken up anyway, it makes sense to get a qualified person to take a look at what’s underneath.

Any advice, sharing of experiences or hand-holding you can provide, would be appreciated!