Building Freestanding Deck Stairs

If the bottom or top step is noticeably different in height or length from the other stairs it will be a tripping hazard.

Building freestanding deck stairs.

I can t tell you the. They have risers also called toe kicks treads and railings. They rest on a solid foundation and are attached to the deck with hangers. Creating a set of free standing steps requires a few quick measurements and cuts.

You can build your own custom stringers or buy pre cut stringers at lowe s. Self standing staircase step 1. A 3x3 foot minimum concrete pad will be needed at the base of the deck stair for the landing. Learn the details in how to build a deck.

Wood decking and railings. Clamp the stair gauges to the carpenter s square. When done correctly this is a strong and code compliant method of building. However not everyone is good at maths.

Around alabama where eht is headquartered most decks are connected to the side of a house with a ledger board fastened to the rim joist of the house. Building stairs can take some maths and a basic understanding of some mathematical operations. How to build outdoor wooden steps free standing. These decks can be built freestanding using an additional beam and posts situated next to the house wall.

Alright so lets begin with the tools shall we. Now for the supplies. Some older houses may be built with uncertain wall construction that may not be strong enough to support a deck addition. Lay out the stairs by drawing on the outside of the square sliding the square along until it meets the last mark to learn how to build steps.

The stairs should be at least 36 inches wide. Use the narrow part of the square for clamping the riser gauge and the wider part for the 10 1 4 in. Build a freestanding cantilevered deck supported by parallel beams. Building deck stairs are often the most challenging part of a diy deck project.

Lay a 33 by 18 inch section of plywood on a flat surface horizontally displaying the 33 inch edges on the top and. You will be motivated to make some wooden steps after reading this. Set up and layout. This guide will make you understand all of that.

I cant exactly remember all of the math for stairs so i m sorry i cant just throw it on. Step 2 install the posts. A deck s stairway should be carefully planned so that all the stair rises the vertical height of the steps and all the tread depths the horizontal length of the step runs are equal. The base of each post is secured to a bracket which is anchored to the top of the footing.

The pad itself will need to have a thickness of four to six inches. We will teach you how to cut stair stringers to meet code for rise and run step limits. Lay out the stairs. Pour the pad over a four inch layer of compacted gravel.