The stairs are gone . . .

[Smart Red]

The drywall is up, gooped, dried, sanded, and painted! Today I came home to find the first stringer is up! It shouldn't be more than two weeks (sigh) before I am traipsing up and down the beautiful new stairway. (She says elated as she hears the whinning of the skill saw.)

I'd better cook up a little something to feed my workers . . . gots ta keep 'em happy!

 

[Carol Dee]

YEAH

 

[897tgigvib]

Stair stringers are complicated, but doable, but man! Make sure your fingernails are clipped way back before starting stair stringers! Found out the hard way it's easy to scratch your head to terrible sores tryna figure them out!!!

 

[Smart Red]

Stair stringers are complicated, but doable, but man! Make sure your fingernails are clipped way back before starting stair stringers! Found out the hard way it's easy to scratch your head to terrible sores tryna figure them out!!!

Not in today's world, marshallsmyth. A few years ago DH was musing that youngsters no longer learn how to make stairs from scratch like he did. Today I went to http://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspx and input my information then printed a detailed pattern. Easy peasy! A different program even gave me a shopping list for the project.

The day of scabby head wounds from figuring out stairs has gone the way of the VHS, the carburetor, and the daily grind.

 

[MontyJ]

Stringers are easy. All you need is a framing square.

 

[Smart Red]

Stringers are easy. All you need is a framing square.

Yup! If you know how to lay out stairs, a skill saw, a pencil, a ruler, and a framing square are all that is needed. But it takes a bit of knowledge to know how to lay out stairs. How tall the risers? How many steps? How do you get that first angle you use to cut everything else. Yup, DH thinks stairs are no big deal. DS hasn't done stairs before so he searched and found the site I listed.

Now they both have a good visual and the second stringer is cut and up. Tomorrow THEY say they will get the oak for treads and sides from a nearby sawmill I found and plane it themselves. About $200 cheaper the the nearest Home Improvement Center.

 

[lesa]

How exciting! They will be done in no time! Are you growing the seeds upstairs while you wait?

 

[MontyJ]

Sorry Red. I didn't mean to minimalize it like that. I've done so many, it's like second nature to me. You don't need to know riser height. You need to know total height and length of run. From there it's simple math. If run is unlimited, 7-1/4" riser height is common. Of course that depends on the thickness of the treads. Again, sorry. Didn't mean to offend.

 

[digitS']

What about just starting out with lots of boards cut in triangles?

digitS'

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[thistlebloom]

That is definitely a right step - left step kind of staircase Steve.

I have twice made outside steps up a slope using Montys formula, and fortunately for me it was simple math, but it would be far beyond my primitive skills to attempt anything like an actual staircase.

Just think Red, in just two weeks you'll have your basement back and you can put the darn grappling hook away

oops, I mean left step - right step. I've already fallen down!