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To do this, measure the height from
the finished soil grade to the top of the deck and divide by 7.5 or 8 inches,
depending upon your preference on step height and local building codes. Round
this number up to the next highest whole number. This calculation will determine
the required number of steps necessary for the deck stairs.
To determine the actual riser height
divide the height from the ground to the deck surface by the total number of
deck steps required.
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To determine the length of the
staircase, multiply the depth of the steps by the number of steps. Again
depending upon your preferences and local building codes the step depth can
vary. This said a stair depth of 10” is a fairly common minimum requirement.
Also determine the width of your
deck stairs. Again minimum stair width requirements will vary with local
building codes, however a 36” deck stair width is a common minimum
requirement. |
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Install Concrete Footing Pad for
Deck Stair Case
After determining the width and
length of the stair case, and how far it will penetrate out into the yard, mark the soil area to install a concrete footing pad. The footing pad should
be at least 6 inches thick, and even thicker if you live in northern climates.
Make sure to remove the necessary soil so that the footing pad sits flush with
the nearby soil grade.
After installing the footing pad you
can then move on to the next stage in building deck stairs, fabricating the stair stringers. |
| Again, if you can work with prefabricated stair stringers
you will save yourself a lot of work and hassle. Possibly by building a
slightly elevated footing pad you may be able to use prefabricated stair
stringers.
Building Deck Stair Stringers
Stair stringers are fabricated
out of 2x12s, and depending upon your local building codes they should be
spaced on either 16” or 24” centers. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
To trace out the stair stringers onto
the 2x12s you will need a framing square and a pencil. Starting at the top
corner of one of the 2x12s, position the framing square so that one leg of it is
at the actual calculated riser height (approximately 7.5”) and the other leg is
at the stair tread depth of 10”. Use your pencil to trace along the inside edge
of the framing square. These marks will become your cut lines for the first
tread.
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Next, shift your framing square
down to the point where the last pencil mark line exits off the 2x12 board,
to make your next set of pencil marks. Repeat this process along the entire
length of the 2x12.
Since the top step is fastened to
the deck you do not need a riser. Consequently use your pencil and framing
square to create a return line, by drawing a straight line along the mark
you created from the corner edge of the board. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
On the last deck stair step, create a
similar return line. This line will serve as the base of the stair stringer and
will rest on the footing pad.
Once you have the stair stringer
traced out, use a skill saw and a hand saw to cut out the triangular sections.
Confirm that the stringer fits well up against the deck side wall and the
concrete footing pad. Assuming it worked out well, use this stair stringer as a
template for tracing and cutting out the other ones.
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Once you have cut out all of the
deck stair stringers, you can now begin the actual installation process of
building deck stairs. Start by attaching the deck stair stringers to the deck using 16 penny galvanized nails.
Typically I nail the deck stringers from the back of the deck rim plate and then
attach a ledger board to the deck wall, just underneath the deck stringers for
additional support.
Building Deck Stair Treads
Once the stringers are up you can
then cut the stair treads. Cut the stair treads to the proper width and to a
depth that does not exceed greater than 1” beyond the edge of the stair riser.
If you need to use multiple boards for each stair tread, install the outer
boards first, and the inner boards last. This way you can trim the depths of the
inner boards leaving the outer boards as full width boards.
After building deck stairs, you can then move on to building the deck stair
railings.
For help on building a new Deck, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Deck Installation Bid Sheet.
The
Deck Installation Bid Sheet
will teach your how to hire the right deck contractor, and help to ensure that your
deck project is completed on time and budget.
How to Finance your Deck Building Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Additional Deck Building and Maintenance Information
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