Carpentry question (steps)

[Pars]

I figured some of you do enough of this that it might be worth asking here. I need to rebuild the steps going into our house from the garage and would like to do some similar to the ones a friend has in his house. These appear to be box steps? Any ideas as to where I could find some plans for something similar to these?

Thanks,

Chris

[swt61]

Not sure about plans, but the good news is they're very simple to build.

Ideally you'd like the rise of each step to be 7", and the tread to be 11". You can adjust those measurements to work with the total height you need, but stay close to them.

Basically you're going to use 2 x 8 lumber to build your boxes. One box per step of coarse, and each box will be 22" narrower and 11" less deep than the one below it. You'll just construct a basic 4 sided box from the 2 x 8s, and use joist in between to strengthen the structure.

Let's say you're going to build a two step box as in the pic you posted. Your top box will want to be the width of the door or wider. You can decide on the depth, but if you want a landing on top as pictured keep it relatively square in shape.

Let's say for the sake of our conversation that the top landing is 3' x 3'. You'll want to cut two pieces of 2 x 8 to 3' length, and 3 pieces of 2 x 8 to 2' 9" in length. Then attach the three shorter pieces to the 3' pieces as shown...

Making sure to attach the shorter outside pieces inside the longer 3' pieces. This will result in a 3' x 3' square box.

Simply repeat this procedure for the step below, but make the next step 22" wider and 11" deeper. In this case that would be 58" wide x 47" deep. this will give you a tread width of 11" all the way around the three sides of the step.

I'd add one more joist for a total of four on this box as well for added sturdiness.

Once you have all the boxes built simply cut 3/4" plywood to the top dimension of each box and nail or screw the plywood on top of each box, making sure to mark your inside joist, so that you can see where to nail to these as well.

The boxes can be joined with nails from underneath. Simply nail from the bottom of the plywood top into the joist of the smaller box on top.

If you want them to be decorative like the steps in your pic you can add a layer of 1 x 8 Oak boards around the perimeter of each box. Mitered corners will look best here. Then use carpet or vinyl flooring to cover the plywood.

[KenW]

swt is spot on although I prefer an 8" rise. I also add a horizontal support to the picture above....then again, I tend to go overboard with most projects.

[n_maher]

swt is spot on although I prefer an 8" rise. I also add a horizontal support to the picture above....then again, I tend to go overboard with most projects.

Technically speaking, an 8" step is illegal. At least all residential codes that I'm aware of cap steps at 7-3/4", there's also a minimum I think but I can't recall what it is off the top of my head. I know, nit picking, but it'd be a pisser to have someone (code official) stop by the house and check and make you rebuild them.

And just a quick add to Steve's excellent instructions, a 2x8 is actually 1.5" x 7.25" so if you use a 2x8 + 3/4" plywood you'll end up with an 8" step. If it were me I'd rip all of the 2x8's to be exactly 7" deep since you're likely to find that they vary between boards by an 1/8" or more which is easy to lose in a floor but harder in a small platform like that.

Edited August 30, 2008 by n_maher

[KenW]

Code or no code, I still prefer 8" rise. My house my choice. Call me a rebel.

n_maher...the comment about hygienist....are you in dentistry?

[grawk]

no he's a structural engineer I'm sure that's some angry girlfriend

[swt61]

Technically speaking, an 8" step is illegal. At least all residential codes that I'm aware of cap steps at 7-3/4", there's also a minimum I think but I can't recall what it is off the top of my head. I know, nit picking, but it'd be a pisser to have someone (code official) stop by the house and check and make you rebuild them.

And just a quick add to Steve's excellent instructions, a 2x8 is actually 1.5" x 7.25" so if you use a 2x8 + 3/4" plywood you'll end up with an 8" step. If it were me I'd rip all of the 2x8's to be exactly 7" deep since you're likely to find that they vary between boards by an 1/8" or more which is easy to lose in a floor but harder in a small platform like that.

Yes good points Nate. That's exactly what I do as well, as you stated 2 x 8s aren't uniform even if they were the right size to start with.

[Pars]

Thanks all. Unfortunately, I don't have a table saw, so ripping the 2 x 8s to 7" might be fun. All I have is a radial arm saw and a circular saw. Will Home Depot / Lowes, etc. do this for you?

The door width to the edge of the brickmould is about 36". I don't really want the top step to be 3' deep... 2' would be more than deep enough. Also, if I wanted the left side to be a straight drop instead of a step, I assume I would make the boxes 11" x 11" delta between each step? The door height from the garage floor is about 21 3/4". so I guess 2 steps should do it?

Thanks again,

Chris

[grawk]

radial arm saws are particularly good for ripping.

You'll want to make each box 7 1/4" tall. Since it's your house, you can definitely make your box steps any size you want, but you'll want to have enough tread for each, so let that determine how deep you make the boxes.

[n_maher]

Code or no code, I still prefer 8" rise. My house my choice. Call me a rebel.

Your house, yes, still not your choice. At least not in my neck of the woods.

n_maher...the comment about hygienist....are you in dentistry?

Ha! Favorite quote from my favorite book, The Stand. As Dan correctly said, I'm a structural engineer and spend my days making buildings stand up.

[grawk]

You can do anything you want. If you don't do it to code, you may not be able to sell it later.

[Dusty Chalk]

No, some neighborhoods have covenants with which you must abide. Chances are, if that's the only one you break, your neighbors and whatnot will turn a blind eye (especially on the backside of the house), but if you break enough of them, they tend to itemize everything you've ever done wrong. (I actually know someone on the receiving end of a law suit right now.)

[grawk]

Inside his garage...

[swt61]

Best to stick to code at any rate. And I too prefer a slightly taller step, but you have to take into account that many people will be using the steps, so I find that the 7" average works well as a goal. Codes are slightly different everywhere, but I'm positive that a 7" rise will meet all codes across the country.

As far as ripping the boards Pars, if you have a fence that attaches to your circular saw (most come with one), then it's quite easy. They usually look similar to this one...

Your house, yes, still not your choice. At least not in my neck of the woods.

QFT!

[ronnielee54]

Rotate your radial arm saw 90 degrees and you can rip with it.