A lot of architects can draw a pretty stair but I have seen many drawn that cannot be built to code and do not take into account the cost of railings, freestanding, curved stringers and many other factors. Her education includes marketing and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. You must get a "stair" company involved that can produce accurate CAD … An avid traveler, Lawrence has visited at least 10 cities on each inhabitable continent. Measure the length of the sloping line in the scale drawing. simple answer no you cant have them as steep as you want,get a staircase company round they may be able to fit in a single or double winder 2012-01-27T10:10:01+00:00 Answered 27th Jan 2012 In the case of 1 inch representing 1 foot, for example, multiply the number by 12 to get the actual number of inches that you need to make the staircase. Anyway, take your time marking the stringers level and plumb. How to Lay Out Stair Stringers for a Deck, Potter Construction: Potter Takes Stairs to the Next Level. Changing that requires major structural alterations. Some builders use the “7-11 Rule” to create comfortable and safe staircases. If you grew up in a house with steep steps, you probably wouldn't have any problems with these. Once you have it all stripped then do the stairs that you didn't complete already. Move the ruler so that it lies between the top of the wall line and the far edge of the floor line and draw a sloped line between the points. fix for tall concrete steps. Those steep and narrow stairs in Dutch houses are indeed a menace if you don’t grow up with them. Unless your home has a floor plan that prevents extending the staircase on the lower floor, reconfiguring is probably the best option. That's as steep as steep can be. What's the building code? Having a multi-story home is amazing. Here's an example of how you can build UNSAFE and HARD TO CLIMB stairs that fit your fixed dimensions of rise and run. Most building codes 2 won't let you go over 8". A stair tread should be at least 9 inches deep. Alexis Lawrence is a freelance writer, filmmaker and photographer with extensive experience in digital video, book publishing and graphic design. Your local building codes will determine what’s required. My stairs to the second floor are too steep and too narrow. Measure from the spot on the wall or landing to which the staircase attaches at the top to the base of the wall where it touches the floor to get the total height in inches. is the pool long enough for a Baja ledge with steps? If you do, you just race up and down them with learned brain-body athleticism I must say, I’ve never seen those wicked “butcher-block” stairs on that first stair-case photo. Expanding the stair space on the lower floor typically does not require floor joist reframing. The average stair is somewhere around 7-1/2" high and 11" wide (usually called rise and run). Problems you can run into is not heaving the required headroom, the landing size could become to small. After you've done the treads and risers, come back through and do the baseboards (actually can't quite tell if they're still there or not from the photo). Narrow stair treads are all too common, especially on steep staircases that already hard enough to ascend. Continue down the wood board this way to create a notch for each stair. Building a stair can be very satisfying but trying to fix someone else’s mistakes can be frustrating. To make the stairs safer to climb and descend, you must reduce stair riser height and increase tread depth. Repeat the marks on the second board and remove the sections of the boards with a circular saw to create the new stringers for the stairs. Spiral staircases are also notoriously restrictive when moving furniture. The stairs feel too steep. Stair tread & step construction or maintenance mistakes can create a wide range of serious stair fall hazards. posted by jabberjaw at 6:31 PM on August 11, 2009 The staircase at right is Open Underneath, and incorporates Open Risers so the users foot can comfortably go beyond the width of the treads as they walk up the stairway. Divide 105" in TOTAL STAIR HEIGHT by a reasonable step riser height of 7" - 105 / 7 = 15 - so you'd need 15 steps to climb UP that height at 7" per step up. That is, until you remember the steep marble stairs that got you there—and are your only way down. Be aware of this if you do any renovations, could cause problems with the inspector if the stairs … The seller should remedy the situation before closing or offer a credit at closing that you are happy with. And this of course will change the slope of the stairs. That may be a problem if your stairs need to be steep in order to fit in a small space. 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