Adding a staircase to a deck provides easy access to one’s property and also adds value to the home at the same time. There are a number of steps to building a quality staircase off your deck. They are as follows:
- Determine the rise and run
In order to determine the rise and run of the steps, you will need to measure the distance from the ground to the floor of the deck and divide that result by 7.5. That calculated value will equal the number of steps required by the staircase – round the number up.
In calculating the rise height, take the height in inches by the number of stairs calculated in the previous step.
To calculate the distance the staircase will extend into the yard, multiply the depth of the steps by the number of steps. Stair treads are often used with a standard depth of 10”.
In selecting a desired width of the staircase, you can assume a standard width of 36”, but 48” may be used as well. When you identify the location where the stairs touch the ground, mark the location where the concrete footer will be installed.
- Prepare the concrete footer
- Cut the stringers
- Attach the stringers to the footer and deck
- Cut and attach the treads
- Construct and attach the railings
The above steps are a general guide to building a staircase off a deck. There are many intermediary and details steps that must be completed under each of these major steps to achieve the finished staircase deck design.
