I need to replace a set of steps that have a rise of 25" and a width of 53".
The stairs land on a sloped concrete carport and the slope across the
53" is 2 inches.How do I approach this?
The current stairs have 3 steps and then a small step to the porch. Totally unacceptable and dangerous.
Thanks for any advice.
You didn't mention the run, but it may not matter for the general concept.
Assuming that nothing can be done to level the floor, you will need to accept that the rise of the first step will not be even across the width.
53" could be done with 3 stringers ~18" OC. The first thing to determine is where will most people walk on the the steps. If the center will be used the most, use that overall rise in your stringer calculations. If there will be a handrail on the right (or left) and you think that most people will use the handrail, use that side as the rise in your calculations.Set the proper rise (consistent with the rise of the other steps) of the first step at the "most used" area and then add/subtract from the bottom of the other stringers (or base plate) to compensate for the 2 inch slope.
The goal is to set the rise of the most used area to be consistent over the entire run.
If after figuring that out, you find that either side of the first step is unacceptable as far as the rise goes, you should be able to find a number that you are comfortable with and spread the difference across all steps.
Since it's a carport, I suggest a PT plate at the base but be sure to factor that into your calculations.
This calculator looks fairly comprehensive.
swalker snipped-for-privacy@newsguy.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2020 15:13:34 -0600 typed in rec.woodworking the following:
Make any risers supports come out even. Better to have four "short" steps, or three "long" ones.
If the steps are not able to meet the concrete "square" (that is there is a slope left to right as you face the stairs), you might want to just put a landing on the concrete and work to that.
Either the first step will not have an even rise or the platform will not have an even rise.
What's the point of the platform?
The World Wide Web is your friend.
How to Build Stairs
Which one of them explained how to deal with the sloped floor?
I assume you would measure/cut the risers so that the bottom tread would give the right stair rise where the staircase meets the floor, and cut the bottom of the stringer to match the slope. If you're uncertain, cut a stringer pattern from the cheapest stiff material you can find. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. That, or hire a professional.
Just draw a damned picture. People try to get way too fancy with some of this stuff. Once the picture looks right, then make a template to double check. If you don't have something big enough and are too cheap/poor to buy a piece of foam at Home Depot, dig a TV box out of the dumpster behind Best Buy.
swalker said: "I need to replace a set of steps that have a rise of 25" and a width of 53". The stairs land on a sloped concrete carport and the slope across the 53" is 2 inches."
Cutting the bottom of the stringer to match the slope is a given. It's the *rise* of the first step that is the real issue here.
As my grandfather used to say "The feet remember." That's why, ideally, we want the rise of each step to be the same. In this situation the rise of the first step cannot be even across the 53" because the floor is sloped.
A typical set of stairs with a 25" rise and a 10" step run (tread depth) would use a step rise of 6.25". (That may result in too much run for the OP's situation, but that doesn't matter for the explanation of the general concept.)
53" is a wide staircase and we don't know where that 25" rise was measured.So using a rise of 6.25", we now need to account for the 2" slope of the floor.
If the 25" rise was measured at the center of the steps, then one end of the first step would need to use a 5.25" rise and the other would need to use
7.25". (Level step, unlevel floor)If the 25" rise was measured at either end of the 53", then the opposite end of the first step would need a rise of either 8.25" or 4.25".
Bottom line is that the bottom step needs to be level but since the floor is sloped, the rise can not be the same across the 53".
Now let's bring in the users. Where will those users walk on the steps most of the time? If they will usually use the middle of the steps, then the middle of the first step should use the 6.25" rise and let the ends be higher and lower. That way, the rise will *usually* be the same for the users for all steps.
If the users will usually walk up either the left or right of the stairs, then use the 6.25" rise on that side and let the other end be higher or lower depending on which direction the slope runs.
In this situation, where the slope of the floor forces an uneven rise across the first step, the next best thing is to set the rise to be consistent in the area where the stairs will be used the most.
...or level the floor at the bottom of the stairs and let the floor itself slope away from the stairs in gentle manner over a long-ish distance.
What he said.
There are two options: either the bottom riser is "off" and uneven at the sides, or you make a landing/platform which is level, and all the stairs are the same height going up. Yes, the later option means that you have a landing which varies from [thickness of landing boards] to 2" + [thickness of landing boards]. Your other option is to replace the carport slab with one which doesn't slope. Or just cut out the area at the bottom and make a flat and level space for the staircase.
If you insist on having steps of a rise of 6 inches, you will have a sneaker step which is too tall or too short. A tripping hazard. My suggestion is to make a landing at the bottom which is level on the top, with one side resting on the concrete and the other side is supported two inches above the concrete. Measure from the top of that landing to where the steps end. I.e,
25 - 1.25 (assuming 5/4 ply for the landing = 23.75" Divide that by 3,4,5,6, or however many steps you want to have. Now you have your rise (7.9166, 5.9375", 4.75", 3.9583" respectively), Layout your risers accordingly. I'd go for five steps, and do not forget to allow for the thickness of the top step.
to provide a flat, level landing on the sloped slab. It will be safer than having a "odd" riser. As the saying goes "the feet remember" - a step which is off is a tripping hazard.
You could replace the slab, or put in a concrete landing so that people will not be stepping down a different distance depending on which side of the stairs they come down.
+1
An tapered edge there instead of a square corner would also help as would a hazard indicator like a colored section to highlight the discontinuity.
Sounds as though the slab should have been poured initially with two grades; if were new construction I'd at least consider to go back to the builder for redress...
Trying to minimize the tread height difference from one side to another is better than nothing, certainly.
As far as I can tell, all you did was move the uneven rise to outboard edge of the platform, while at the same time extending the run of the overall structure. That might work, assuming that there is room for the extended run into the carport. If the platform is long enough, like 2 or 3 paces, then the uneven rise might not be an issue. The feet will have forgotten (to some extent) the rise of the actual steps. However, if the platform is too short, then it basically becomes an extra step with an uneven rise.
The available space for the run is what will ultimately determine the best method.
One of my earlier suggestions was to pour a level landing and then let the "pad" gradually slope away from the bottom step.
While that would extend the run in a certain manner, a poured slab could be driven/parked on, which a wooden platform would prevent.
It would really help if we knew if there was an issue with having available room for a longer run. For all we know, the reason that there is currently "3 steps and then a small step to the porch" could be because of limited space for the run of the stairs.
Pictures might help too.
But later than this one...
Not necessarily, no.
"The stairs land on a sloped concrete carport..."
The time stamp on my "let the floor itself slope away from the stairs in gentle manner" shows 9:59AM.
Not necessarily, true. As I've said multiple times, we don't know enough about the layout of the carport to know if that would work.
Yep...that's basically what all of these posts have been trying to address.
After reading all the options offered I think the one that would work best for me is to place the 1st step on the concrete at the high end, which is left when viewed from the bottom, level it and work up from there. Traffic on the steps goes up toward the right side where the hand rail is.
Thanks for all the advice and options.
Yeah, and this subthread began yestidday...
...
If you can put a slab there to drive on, I garontee I can do it with wood.
You've only got 2" to make up -- a tubax and half-inch ply makes the height and certainly can be driven on/over.
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