How to make a statement...
My good buddy and favorite builder friend recently took me on a tour of some of the houses that he is working on. My little tour reminded me of the importance of first impressions. Remember that old adage: “you only get one chance…” well… that holds true for houses to. Want to impress? A grand entrance is one way to grab a visitors attention and nothing says Grand like a big old staircase!
From a technical standpoint, there’s nothing particularly difficult about building stairs for a deck, porch or shed. Anyone with some basic carpentry skills can make the necessary cuts and assemble the parts (Hello Dad!). And yet according to many builders, stair building is arguably the most challenging task do-it-yourselfers will ever attempt.
Why the challenge??? Stairs must satisfy strict building codes meant to ensure safety and climbing comfort. We’re so used to uniform, professionally built staircases that the slightest discrepancy between steps creates a tripping hazard. Tall steps make climbing hard. Shallow steps are uncomfortable and dangerous. Since there’s so little room for error, building stairs requires careful layout and some potentially tricky calculations (difficult when you’re used to doing your work on teh back of a napkin). Start by consulting your building codes office for local guidelines. Then, my advice: hop onto any of the following sites for a blow-by-blow overview on stair making.
- Popular Mechanics: good pictures and the builder dude looks like he’s having fun (always a good sign)
- Ace Hardware: No cute builder dude but good information and detailed drawings
- Bob!: No list of do-it-yourself sites is complete without my good buddy Bob Vila
- Lee Wallender on whether or not stairs are a do-it-yourselfer task (a bit of a nailbiter: he comes out in favor)
What are the folks saying?