Another milestone was also reached this weekend!...and that was being able to travel from the main floor to the basement without using stepladders or walking out the front door on the main level and walking around the cottage to the back patio doors to reach the basement.
This milestone was reached when the stairs from the main floor to the basement was completed.
The stairs in our case swing around in a U-shape using a landing about half way down. There are in total, including two landings that act as stairs, 14 steps. I used a close stair approach with a cut-out stair stringer and purchased treads (with a pre-finished rounds front) and risers. The steps are 11 inches in width and come in 40-inch lengths. The risers are 8 inches wide and again come 40 inches in length.
I already knew how to build stairs through previous experience building the 104 steps down the cottage lot to the lake but I purchased a stair building book just to make sure I wasn't missing something. I wasn't disappointed in the book when I discovered that it didn't tell me much more than I already knew.
I did learn a few useful tips:
- Use the framing bolts ( I can' remember what they are really called) on your carpenter's square to lock in the rise and run for your stairs. This way you get the same and exact measurement for the stairs
- A rise of 7 inches and a run of 10 inches works quite well.
- Always remember to include the height of any finishing materials for your floors and landings when calculating the rise of the beginning and ending steps at the top, each landing and the bottom of the stairs.
- Be sure to take in consideration how you intend to finish the walls in the building of the stairs. I added a second 'stringer' on the outside of each side of the stairs. With this spacer you will not have to cut a piece of drywall with a zig zag pattern...
Here is the book I purchased:
- Basic Stairbuilding by Scott Schuttner.