| By Greg Vanden Berge
As a general rule of thumb in stair building the
sum of the tread and riser should equal around 17 1/2 inches. This is a
general rule of thumb for a comfortable, easy to walk up and down set of
stairs.
For example if your stair tread is 10 inches and
the stair riser is 7 1/2 inches you have a comfortable stairway.
Walking up and down a stairway using this formula creates a comfortable
set of stairs. The next time you walk down any uncomfortable set of
stairs measure the stair tread and riser. You will be amazed at what
you'll find.
For public stairs or heavily used stairs this
method will become one of your best friends. On public stairs you have
liability issues and of course lawyer issues if you are the owner of the
building. If you are not building a safe set of stairs that meets your
local building codes standards you could be in for a whopping financial
nightmare.
Building safe stairs as a contractor is your
obligation to society. I don't know how many times I come across a
loose stair tread or a broken hand rail. One of the biggest problems I
find is in the poorer neighborhoods you come across some major
construction problems and safety hazards. I never have been able to
figure out why a building owner would not want to protect himself
financially and the people that occupy and use his buildings safety.
Here's something you need to avoid when using the
stair building general rule of thumb. This rule of thumb does not apply
to good to an 8 inch tread with a 9 1/2 inch stair rise. You don't want
to be building a latter you want to be building a safe set up stairs.
The maximum stair rise you can use for most
building codes is 8 inches. You will not find the stairway to
comfortable with a 9 1/2 inch stair tread and an 8 inch riser. If you
have no choice and are cramped for space and you can't redesign this
stairway to fit in the house or building then at least make sure you
have a nice sturdy grip able stair hand rail.
This formula works great when you are working with
exterior landscaping and you have a long run of stairs with a small
rise. For example: if you have a 14 inch stair tread and you use a 4
inch riser this will lead to a comfortable step.
Look for stairs in your neighborhood or around some
apartment complexes that don't follow these rules and have 16 inch stair
treads with 7 inch risers. You will find yourself taking two steps on
the stair tread on every other step and it is not a real comfortable
stairway.
Happy stair building and keep this formula in mind
for a nice comfortable set of stairs in your building future.
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