How to build stairs
If you have ever struggled for hours over building stairs or spent the afternoon cutting piece after piece of lumber for stringers only to findout that you cut them all wrong, dont worrry, you are not alone. How to build stairs, is one of the toughest things a builder will do. It can seem impossible for the novice. But with the right infor mation, a little patience and few attempts you should be able to accomplish the goal.
I just built a set of stairs for a porch landing, we opted for the Pre cut stringers from Home Depot, they worked fine but even that got a little tricky. The local code required that each rise be within 5/8 of an inch of all the other rises. When we set the stringers in place everything fit fine except the last step was a full 1" shorter than the rest. (this was the step off the stringer and onto the landing)
The solution was to trim a bit off the bottom but stay within the 5/8" requirement. That brought the top step into line also, and it passed the inspection. Buf for a few minutes I could see myself cutting all new stringers by hand and I wasnt too excited about the prospect.
Stair building is one of the hardest things you will encounter while deck building or home building. Here are some of the best information you will find with detailed plans on building stairs. I have included a photo and an excerpt from each site so you can see what to expect from thats site.
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Stair building is one of the most complex aspects of carpentry. My experience is that a good and accurate design is the only way to approach any complex geometry problem. I made these drawings on an inexpensive computer-aided drafting program called QuickCAD, which I bought for $60 several years ago. At first I hated QuickCAD because it was bass-ackwards from all the CAD programs I had used years before. I ignored the program for a couple of years, and eventually I took the time to struggle with it and (most importantly) read the manual for solutions to problems that kept arising. Eventually I figured out the darned thing, and now I can't live without QuickCAD.
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 | Taunton's For Pros By Pros: Building Stairs
Stairbuilding advice from the experts
Stairway design and construction is a cornerstone of homebuilding. This is where carpenters show off their skill in combining safe, solid construction with ..Taunton's For Pros By Pros: Building Stairs |
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Stairs consist of treads and stringers. Treads are the step part of the stairs, which are supported by stringers, 2x10's or 2x12's. Stairs are typically a maximum of 36 inches wide. Wider stairs need a reinforcement of a third stringer.
You have two options for stringers: closed or open. Closed is where there is a back to the step. When you walk up the stairs, you cannot see through the step to the other side. Open is far less attractive and can cause a problem for a young child, if they should happen to fall on the stairs, their leg can go through and become caught or scratched. Closed treads are the most common and favorite way to design steps in homes today.
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I sure hope you paid attention in math class and have some basic carpentry and sketching skills. You are going to need all of these to successfully complete the project. Stair construction can be very challenging and confusing. It is important that you follow all safety recommendations and building code requirements. If you pay attention to detail you will be able to complete the staircase in one day. If not, you better have a ladder nearby.
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No matter where the stairs are to be installed, the rule of thumb to be followed when building stairs is 7/10, i.e., a 7" rise and a 10" tread. These are maximum finished measurements and include a 1" overhang on the tread. Generally, building codes use a rule where the measurements of two risers and one run (nose to nose of tread) added together should equal no more than 25". Stairs within a private residence are allowed a maximum 8" riser and a minimum 9" run (personally, I find 8" risers too high).
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Building wooden stairs is not as difficult as you may first believe. With some very simple wood tools and a small knowledge of maths you can easily build your own wooden staircase. Things do of course this can get a harder when you want to build stairs with several landings but the basic principle will always remain the same.
This following article on wooden stairs will take you through the steps for building a straight set of stairs. It is probably a fair bet that if you are reading this article you are still in the early stages of wooden stair building and won't be taking on a complex stair anyway.
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Most of the custom homes I build have two stories and therefore require a set of stairs, and, except for a wrought iron spiral job, every staircase gets built on site. To make it easy to remember all the nuances of stair framing, I use a three-stage building checklist that helps me stay on track as I go along. The checklist is based on fundamentals that work on all sets of stairs, no matter what style.
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 | American Series Fireplace Mantels
Our high quality mantel kits come with everything you need
to assemble a mantel as easy as 1-2-3!
..American Series Fireplace Mantels |
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I have a deck that has no steps. It just comes out the family room and currently there is no way off the deck except back thru the house. I want to build stairs and have a few questions.
What angle is the stringers? Is it 45 degrees? I need to figure out where to pour a concrete landing. The deck is 14 feet off the ground and the ground is level.
How do I figure out where the landing should be? How big of a landing? What rise and run dimensions? Is it correct to make the stringers out of 2x10s? How far back into the stringer is it safe to cut?
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Stair construction can intimidate even the most seasoned carpenters and there are lots of ways to build stairs. But regardless of the method you choose, every set of stairs requires the same basic approach to get from one floor to another safely, comfortably, and legally. In this photo slideshow, Fine Homebuilding author John Spier takes you through the steps of Making a simple cut-stringer stair.
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