Many sleepless hours trying to settle this in my mind.
I am trying to design an open-riser, straight stair to replace the current temps. The stair is against drywall on one side and open on the other. The temp has been in place for a year and is built to code with headroom and a comfortable rise etc. Here is the problem: I want to mortise my 5/4 x42″ oak treads into the stringers. The current stringers are 12 gauge 2×12 steel floor joists which are going to be difficult to cover with wood and finish. Any suggestions on stringer material? My late night misery has produced these thoughts: Solid sawn fir, pine or hemlock; LVL, Glue lam, laminate my own.
The steel is very strong but the tread attachment is problematic aesthetically.
Thanks for the time.
Replies
Wow - I'm doing something very similar right now, but mine are to a lofted area, and not-so-much to code due to the steepness and width. I've had the temp stairs in for a year too, and I've been up for sleepness nights over-engineering them.
I'm doing open riser, and decided on going with 8/4 (1 3/4 actual) red oak stringers with 6/4 (1 1/4") hard maple treads. I'm using 5/4 x 5/4 by tread depth blocks to attach the treads to the stingers.
My stairs however are only around 28" wide, so two stringers for me, and the stringers won't be stair stepped (cut).
Are you planning to cut in the stringers or leave them whole? Three stringers or two (sounds like 3 might be smarter for a 40" width)?
I did consider routing a sliding dovetail into the stringers and then slide the treads in from the backside. That way a weight applied, flexing the tread, would pull on the dovetail and not open up.
Whaddaya thinking for the rest?
You might want to check with your building inspector before you get too involved with the design. Seems to me the IRC made it almost impossible to not have risers.
That is a valid comment re an inspector, but I was just thinking about how many places in this country have no inspection whatsoever.
If I recall correctly IRC does permit open stairs without a riser. However without a riser, you do need to run a horizonal pc. between the opening of the treads, so that you can't pass a 4" sphere thru at any point. Sounds alot like baluster specs doesn''t it.
Roger
This one, completed last year, and now on the market for $5.5 million, shows lots of baluster spaces over 4" width, and a few convenient climbing spots, too. Edit: I didn't build it. Adirondack great camp ain't my style.
Inside, the open-riser stairs are made with treads of half log sections.
This is typical of virtually anything currently being built in the Adirondack Park of upstate NY, where building permits are required, plans review takes place, but nothing ever gets said about balustrades, railings, or open risers.
I'll bet the same thing is going on where the mega ski homes are being built in places like Aspen, Telluride, Tahoe, Jackson Hole, etc.
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Edited 12/5/2005 5:40 pm ET by Stinger
Yea, I don't get it. Seems like half the stair pictures in any magazine show what could be considered not up to code.
Multi million homes and no code requirements, sounds like a recipe to sue an architect (sp) if anyone ever gets hurt on them. Oh well, they look good and fashionable, isn't that all that matters?
This might sound like a stupid question, but does anything *really* need to be up to code when someone goes to purchase a property? Or is it more along the lines of "If some poor sucker wants to buy it not to code they can"??I mean, say your some homebuyer with no code knowledge - you get a home inspector to tell you what you're getting into. But you can still buy a home in most any condition.I'm sure the Fire Dept has some say in their arena prior to home purchase with smokes outside bedrooms, but overall...Might that explain why some stuff seems up to code, and stuff like 4" sphere passage slips through the cracks? (pun intended).
Lake Tahoe has about the strictest building codes in the nation. Anyone who tries to get away with anything is run out of town or out of business. There are very few McMansions built here. Ultra high end is the norm for new construction. Not bad work if you can get it. No one has been able to build a shanty in the woods for about 30 years now. Our building inspectors are very thorough and very sharp.
Open riser stairs are a bad idea. Any dirt that falls from dogs or humans will end up under the stairs. Dogs seem to do all their shedding on the stairs. The space under ends up being wasted space because you can't put anything there without it getting really funky. Don't do it.
Here are a few photos of a project I am working on. It's about a five million dollar home at Lake Tahoe.Mike Callahan, Lake Tahoe, Ca.
Fine job of carpentry, Mr. Callahan, fine job. Nice lookin' stone work too.
Wow, that's a beautiful place. Mike, can you tell us how that post was anchored/connected to the rock?
Pour a sono tube pier with two 7/8 allthread embedded about 30 inches and with 30 inches protruding. Select a nice rock and drill two holes in it and set it on the sonotube pier and mortar. Chip a neat hole in the rock to accept a custom column base. None of this work is very easy. I will see if I can post a few more photos of the connection.Mike Callahan, Lake Tahoe, Ca.
That would sure be appreciated Mike. So there is a metal base at the connection point .. lookin foreward to the pics!
Nice looking place Mike.
I dont know why more people arnt building something along those lines as opposed to barns.
Doug
In many cases if not all the four inch ball space pertains to risers as well. Many of my stairs are oped risers, if the tread is not thick enough to close the gap I fill it in with a trim piece.if you look closely at the picture where the riser would be you can get the idea. http://www.northernsunwoodworks.com/custgal2a.htm
Can you post some pics of what you've got? Existing conditions are the most fun of all<G>
I'll take a picture tonight and get it on the site.
Here are some photos of the temps. I plan on closing the back side of the tread with 4" riser to meet code and catch dirt. This will also stiffen up the tread across its width. I still can't settle on a nice looking finished stringer. Can I wrap an LVL (plywood or solid) and mortise the treads after the wrap?
I've built any number of open tread stairs using 2X12 doug fir. It just takes some time to select flawless KD material. DF finishes beautifully, particularly with analine dye stains.
Doug fir is easy to mortise, even using a skill saw and a big chisel. Drill three holes per tread for screws, starting with a 1/2" spade bit to a depth of about 1/2". That allows for wood dowel plugs. Glue all joints.