Stairs can be a great, sculptural focal point for a home, deck, or business, and they certainly provide a useful function too: to get you up and down safely. Stairs are complicated. They are tricky to design, tough to build, and there’s a whole myriad of codes that must be complied with. As an experienced architect and craftsman, I have learned a few tricks over the years for building stairs. There’s some seasoned veterans out there that can do it well too, but I have created some unique tricks that have helped many builders.
On most projects, I’ll get a call from the builder about how to frame the stair. As an architect, framing is not in my purview, but I get it… being out there on a hot, cold, windy, or rainy jobsite perched high up on a ladder is not the best place to figure out how to fit one of the trickiest things you can build into a project. With a couple measurements, I can usually help the builder figure this out rather quickly. All I really need is the exact change in vertical height from one floor to the other and the exact horizontal length from one landing to the next. Depending on the design, there’s a few other bits of info I may need, but I can advise on those when applicable.
Once I have those critical measurements, I can draw the stair stringer (or stair carriage) in autocad. This enables me to create an exact diagram of all the parts and pieces needed for a stair. After I’ve drawn it, I can send the builder all the measurements needed to confirm it works. I can also send full sized printed templates to the job site, so builders can simply “trace” them with a saw. This takes all the guesswork out of it. In some applications, I could even cut the stair stringer on a CNC milling machine to send the finished product to the job site ready to install. Imagine the entire day you spend planning and measuring (and re-measuring) for a stair being unnecessary because a perfectly cut stringer magically shows up on the job site for you.
Feel free to reach out if you need help with a stair you are planning. This will save you time and money.
Also for reference, there’s a lot of codes that relate to stairs, and some of the more common ones for residential applications are (check your codes in your area to verify and consult with a professional to confirm):
treads must be a minimum of 10”
risers have a maximum of 7.75”
treads must be a minimum of 36” wide
handrails may project up to 4.5” over the treads on each side
handrails must be 34”-38” high
guardrails must be 36” high with a maximum spacing of 4” (6” ok at the triangular area of tread/riser) and must withstand 200 pounds of force in all directions
landings must be the same width as the stair and at least 36” long
there are also additional codes to comply with