Stairs again

[DavidLeBlanc]

I know this question has been asked about 5,000 times or more here, and I did search, but did not find...

What is the footprint (w x d) of a "steep"  straight-run cottage staircase?

Just how steep are they?

I'm probably past the age of ladders and may be past the age of staircases too (although, I think ladders ("pueblo style") are kind of romantic and cute).

I've thought about/investigated spiral staircases too - are they any more/less steep? I even found dirt-cheap plans source on the net and posted that on the old forum, back when I discovered John's site (and couldn't find that in search either!)

[John Raabe]

I had access turned off to the old forum when I was working on the last forum problem.

It is back on now and you can do a search on "steep stairs" for more info.

Here is diagram that might help:
http://www.countryplans.com/bbs/messages/6367.html

[DavidLeBlanc]

What is that, about 4-5'?

[John Raabe]

That's about right, the more room you have the bigger the tread can be.

Search also on the Jefferson stair if you haven't considered that option.

[DavidLeBlanc]

I first learned about the Jefferson staircase here on the old forum! Remarkable idea considering how old it is (18th century!)

I passed it by based on some comments about safety and the fact that, 54 years later, I still can't even get out of bed on the same foot reliably! One slipup on a Jefferson could be my last step of any kind!  

[DavidLeBlanc]

Just noticed that Ross Chapin seems to like Jefferson stairs - there are 3-4 designs on his site that show them as "standard" stairs. At least 1-2 photos of finished interior stairs.



http://www.rosschapin.com/Plans/plans.html