Stair stringer design alternatives

[BassLakeBucki]

I need to build outside stairs at my cottage coming down 5 feet 7.5 inches from the road. I am looking at 9 steps with a 7.5 inch rise. I plan on using two 2 X 6's for the treads giving me an 11 inch run.

Does anybody have any alternative methods for building these without using notched 2  X 12's for the stringers? The ten foot treated 2 X 12's for the stringers are ridiculously expensive and I am hoping to find another design that won't cost as much, even if it takes more work.  I looked at steel brackets for making stairs but these are expensive too.

I have a bunch of salvaged 2 X 6's, 2 X 8's and a few 2 X 10's that I would love to use for this. Anybody have any good ideas?

Thanks for the help.

[John Raabe]

With an 11" tread you would likely have a more comfortable stair if the riser was 6" to 6-1/2" --- a shallower stair is better outside.

For long-term durability you need PT or decay resistant lumber for an outside stair. Nothing else will cost less. You can use Trex for the treads but not the carriage.

You might see if some natural decay resistant lumber is used in your area. Redwood, cypress and others can be found in some areas. Unless it is old growth, however, the tannins or resins may not be sufficient to add much life to farmed lumber.

[glenn kangiser]

I think Uncle Dave - dmlsr - made his own brackets from  1/8" 1 1/2" angle iron.  Safety glasses and and abrasive metal cutting blade in a skill saw could make pretty short work of the cutting.  Lay out and drilling of holes could take a bit of time.  Steel should be fairly reasonable at a structural steel supply.

Depends on how much time you have - or if you could get used steel etc. to make this worthwhile.

Another idea would be to bolt the supports on with through bolts and washers using 2x material instead of angle iron.  As PEG has mentioned - this probably will not meet codes due to support requirements - spacing of horses etc., so use at your own risk if you think it would work for you.  

[BassLakeBucki]

I am not worried about code but do want them to be safe. 98% of the foot traffic walks around the other way where there are no stairs. This is a courtesy for the few who come down off of the road. I will adjust the rise to 6" to 6.5". All of the salvaged 2X's are treated from a deck I tore down for someone else. I got enough material from tearing down this deck to build my own 12X16 deck at the cottage, with lots left over ....... and I got paid for tearing down and hauling it away! (I did have to pull a 5 gallon buckets worth of nails though).

I like the angle iron bracket idea. I have been buying angle iron from a scrap yard for the trailers I have built. There is always an abundence of short pieces of angle (12" or so) unused. I have a chop saw and drill press. I also have a relative in the fastener business, so bolts are a deal too. I can paint the brackets for longevity.

Thanks!

I found the scrap yard after I started building my first trailer. I went and bought some new steel from a supplier and realized it would cost me more to build it than to buy one.  It looks like this scrap yard receives regular dumps from a fabricator, a lot of unused steel every week or so, just shorter pieces .... so you have to be creative for longer runs.

Thanks for the ideas!

[TheWire]

I have had good luck cutting wedges out of 2x wood and gluing and screwing them to uncut 2x8 stringers to create supports for the treads and risers. For outside applications I then attach 2x treads to the wedges.  For inside applications I use 3/4 plywood for the treads and the risers.  I screw and glue the plywood joints between the stringers also.  This creates a box beam effect which provides strong and squeak free stairs that only require a pair of 2x8 stringers that do not get cut.  This method allows stronger more squeak free stairs to be built with less material.  (From John R: I'll post the 2 pics below.)

[BassLakeBucki]

Thanks for the ideas! I built the steps a few weeks ago using treated 2 X 4 stock bolted to treated 2 X 8 stringers as you show in your pictures. The strairs came out great. I will get a picture on my next trip up. Using mostly scavenged treated lumber, they cost me less than $50. I had to buy 4 X 4's and some landscape timbers. I took John's advice and adjusted the rise adding an additional step.

Next up, the bathroom addition. The rise of a new era ...  indoor plumbing!  

[JRR]

Here's a similar variation of step design.  The concrete bottom step mates with the wooden steps fairly well ... all steps approx. 11 1/2" run, 6 1/2" rise ... pretty easy for most to negotiate.  The concrete keeps the pt wood several inches away from earth and makes the transition to the sloping ground.  The "backbone" was added underneath to reduce step-to-step springiness.
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