Deck Stair Widths
For code requirements the minimum staircase width is the horizontal dimension between the sidewalls of a staircase measured above the handrail s.
Deck stair widths. A stair rise is the vertical distance from the top of one tread to the top of the next tread. By mike wauksha wi i am building a deck that s 27 6 wide with stairs that will be in the middle leading into the back yard. Headroom is the vertical dimension from the stair treads to the ceiling directly above. So this basically sums up the basic code requirements for residential stairs and their dimensions.
Maximum 4 1 2 inch handrail projection into stairway width on either side. The total rise is a stairway s overall change in height from the landing pad to the top of the deck s decking. Tack the skirts to the rim with 3 in. After talking to many deck builders over the years we have found that stair construction is considered the most difficult part of building a deck.
Wood decking and railings. The total run is the overall horizontal distance traveled by the stringer. These 17 articles will also cover how to build stair landings and ada ramps. I am debating how wide to make the stairs.
Like deck stair guards deck stair handrails share the same requirements as for interior stairs including requirements for a graspable shape and termination in a post or a return. The stairs should be at least 36 inches wide. When attaching stair stringers use a level to draw two plumb lines to mark the left and right positions for the skirts and horizontal lines to mark the top tread location. 5 6 or even bigger.
Building deck stairs are often the most challenging part of a diy deck project. Width refers to the length of risers and treads from side to side. Therefore let us recap on the residential stair code requirements. Summary of code requirements for residential stairs.
Learn the details in how to build a deck. They have risers also called toe kicks treads and railings. A stair tread is the width or depth of a single stair run. This means that very few deck handrails comply with code or best practices including those with typical 2x4 and 5 4 rail caps.
Then screw through the back of the deck rim into the skirts with three more deck screws. It is measured. We will teach you how to cut stair stringers to meet code for rise and run step limits. Editor s comments a deck that is 27 6 wide is quite large.
In order to lay out the stairs you need to measure the exact height of the deck from the top of the decking to the location where the stairs are going to land on the ground.