Drawing method for Dancing Stairs

[Tom M King]

I dug in my library and found this to put in another thread, but thought it might be a good idea to put it here for anyone searching in the future.

I built a set of steps using this method of drawing the design in 1980 to solve a problem of a too short run for a staircase in an old house. It worked like a charm, and the stairs are surprisingly normal and comfortable walking. That drawing was made 2" per 1' and dividers used to step off equal runs along the walking line before drawing the fronts of the treads in place.

Click on either picture to blow it up enough to be able to read clearly.

[Kevin Jenness]

That's a succinct description. Important to note (as you did) that the tread width at the walking line should be constant throughout and that building codes mandate a minimum width at the small end of the treads. Winders are usually a compromise to fit a stair into a constricted space and should be avoided if a landing can be made to fit instead.

[Tom M King]

I can't think of a good reason to use these unless they are to solve a problem with available space, which can include headroom over a landing. The old house I put them in had original basement steps that were way too steep with too tall risers. They didn't have codes when those were built, and were a poor execution even back then. I have never had any need to build another set, but they solved that particular problem nicely. There was not enough headroom to continue straight ahead, and not enough run the other way to put steps down from a landing.