Help with Stairs

[George Bokros]

I need to replace some stair from the house to the ground. The builder put steps are in bad shape now. Those stairs are only three risers but seem pretty steep for what I calculate as a 35" rise ground to house floor.

I think I need to plan for 5 steps and plan to use these stringers from Lowes

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Top-Choice-...inger/50279733

Am I on the correct track? I am guessing that the run would be somewhere around 55 inches.

Thanks for your help.

[Mark Wooden]

35 inches divided by 5 risers is 7 " per step, if you use a 9-1/2 " run you'll have a total run of 38 + 1-1/4" for nosing, going with a 10" run will be easier tho, total with nosing will be 41-1/4"

I wouldn't use those pre-cut stringers though- Get a nice 2x12 and the galvanized steel brackets they make for making stairs for a full housed stair. With good screws you'll make a very solid stair that will last a good long time

[Richard Wolf]

Cut your own stringers. 35 divided by 5 risers are 7". Depends what you want to use for treads. Two 2x6 will yield an 11" tread so with a 1" overhang you will have a 10" run. Using those pre cut stringers is always a homeowner job and never fit like they should. The top tread should be 7" below the top landing, not even with it. There are plenty of videos on youtube showing how to cut the stringers, make sure the one you follow is some one that knows what they are doing, not a hack looking to make a video.

[Evan Stewart]

35 inches divided by 5 risers is 7 " per step, if you use a 9-1/2 " run you'll have a total run of 38 + 1-1/4" for nosing, going with a 10" run will be easier tho, total with nosing will be 41-1/4"

I wouldn't use those pre-cut stringers though- Get a nice 2x12 and the galvanized steel brackets they make for making stairs for a full housed stair. With good screws you'll make a very solid stair that will last a good long time

Definitely dont use those pre cut stringers. They are often made from sun par material and their dimensions are not consistent. You should be able to find a stair stringer calculator online https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...f9u1Vmbxb3ftHA


And if you are a little unsure about using a framing square for layout these can help
https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...Qwg8IHg&adurl=

[Jim Dwight]

7 inch rise is good, 8 inches is about the max if I remember right. Stair gauges on a framing square will let you mark a 2x12 quickly. I don't do them often so I work it out on paper and even draw up the stringers before I start cutting. The basic process is to get your total rise, find a number of steps that gives you a 7-8 inch rise per step, then lay out the stringers and cut them. Install the stringers and then put on treads.

With a premade stringer, you are going to have at east one non-standard rise step. That is an obvious clue to those of us who make stairs how they were made. Worth a little extra effort to avoid IMHO.

[Peter Christensen]

Another calculator along with a number of other useful ones on the site.
https://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspx

We can get welded steel stair stringers here that make things easy if they fit the application. I couldn't find them in your Lowes.
https://www.lowes.ca/deck-stair-stri..._g1572708.html

[Walter Plummer]

The bottom of the stringers need to be cut off the thickness of your tread material so that the rise is the same as the others. So if you are going for a 7" rise minus 1 1/2" for 2x lumber = 5 1/2" rough cut on the stringer's bottom riser. As Mr. Wolf said above the top riser should be down from the porch or deck not flush with it. Check with your county. Some jurisdictions are now requiring outside stairs have to have a solid riser and if there are more than 3 risers you are supposed to have lights on them.

[keith micinski]

If you have never done stringers it's no where near as easy as everyone is making it out to be. Definitely watch some videos and be prepared to learn a few things along the way and maybe even have to remake one Before you get it right.