As I mentioned in a previous post, now having the stairs in place the Cottage feels ever so much closer to completion.Not only is it a great milestone for a construction weary DIY builder it also makes lots of things go faster. Not only can we move from the main floor to the basement faster, we can move materials back and forth easier.
I now keep the majority of my tools in the workshop area in the basement, and many tools like the table saw is left setup, over night or between weekend. Less time setting up and breaking down translated in to more building time.
Illustrated here is a view of the stair well 1) first from the top of the stair well, and then 2) looking up from the bottom of the stair well.Stair Materials: The stair materials are simple:
- 12 pre-made particle board treads ( they come in 40-inch lengths)
- 14 pre-made particle board risers (they come 8" x 40" x 1/2"
- 10 pieces of 2"x10"x8' for the stringers - which I measured and cut the typical stair cut pattern in a 7-inch rise and 10-inch run pattern
- Three stringers were used for each run of stairs - for a total of 6 stringers
- Two support boards, made of the 2x12 stock, were used on the outsides of each stair run - for a total of 4
- The support boards were nailed to the wall studs, and the stringers were nailed to the support boards. BTW the support boards also act to trim the drywall along the stairs so that a saw-toothed partner does not need to be cut in the drywall.
- The risers where nailed using a 1 1/2-inch finishing nailer
- The treads were screwed in using 2.5-inch screws after being drilled and counter sinked.
- The two platforms were constructed using 2"x6" studs and covers with 3/4-inch plywood.
- The platforms were supported on three sided by nailing in to the wall studs, and in the center using a post constructed of two 2"x4" placed at 90-degrees.