One trend in home remodeling is to replace carpeted stairs with hardwood treads. landing shall have a minimum The stair photo you submitted is discussed in detail at INCOMPLETE INADEQUATE HANDRAILS. When a landing serves an /2 inches (38 mm) lower than the My husband and I recently tore the carpet from our stairs and painted the wood underneath creating a fresh, clean, and modern look! Inconsistencies or variations in risers or treads could interfere with the rhythm of the individual using the stairs. Copyright © 2020 Building Code Trainer, All rights reserved. The purpose is to avoid any surprises to the person passing through the door opening, such as a change in floor level. door and a minimum of 36 inches in the direction of travel. My opinion is that if the slab is connected to the foundation on the foundation is protected from frost movement then you still could have step movement if water enters under the slab and if the garage area is not hated. No. Doors opening onto a landing shall not reduce the landing to less than one-half the required width. I might think about pulling the 2x's and replacing them with plywood or OSB. The combination of platform poured against siding and poor drainage sending water towards the house walls increases the risk of insect attack as well as ice formation in winter at this New York home. R311.7. The width of landings shall not be less than The aluminum siding is not an insect-proof barrier. Minimum 10 inch stair tread depth with nosing or Minimum 11 inches with no nosing. fax to (202) 693-2498. There could be other slip, trip, or fall hazards here that we cannot determine from the photo, such as poor or missing stairway lighting, stair walking surface conditions, and a loose or wobbly handrail or stair guardrailing. The minimum recommended stair landing length is 36" (or a length and width sufficiently greater than the swing of the door if a wider door is present). This section applies regardless of the occupant load or area served. (In this drawing the required handrails have been omitted for clarity.). 2407. Hey there! I view the landings as 'mini decks' and believe the rim joists should be sitting on top of the posts. rise. So the landing is the right depth at foot level but slightly narrower where your body would be - is this a code violation? Particularly someone not familiar with the building and who opens a door to walk out is at extra risk of stepping off into space where they expected a walking surface. Item #422625. Kuligowski, Erica, Richard Peacock, Emily Wiess, and Bryan Hoskins. I don't want to use laminate because the main floor flooring will change eventually and It should match. However the risk seems pretty small unless you already have some evidence that the slab has settled or heaved or Cracked. New York, NY 10012-2586 Your hand on the knob of the opening door tends to guide where you put your foot. mm), and a maximum height between landings of By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. The landing must be at least as wide as the stairway served; most codes require a stairway to be 36" wide or wider. than 7 inches (178 mm) into a landing. shall be applied. Are you saying that if there is another railing against the other wall, it would comply or are you saying that there is no way to comply with 4 platforms without a railing at the corner of the platforms (that would not look right). [Emphasis ours - Ed.]. - Alameda CA Residential Stairway, Handrail, and Guardrail Minimum Code Requirements. The height of the landing needs to be measured using the height of the risers. 2016/06/20 L Dunst said [by posting in page bottom COMMENT BOX]: We have stairs in our living room and are planning on putting a partition wall up to block sound traveling up stairs and to also stop heat loss. Thank you for a helpful question, Ruphus - exactly where & how do we measure the dimensions of a stairway landing - from the tread nose or from the tread riser face?We describe stair landing codes and requirements in the home page for which this present page is the FAQs extension. If the level change between the dwelling and the patio exceeds 8 inches (203 mm), a complying landing must be provided outside the door prior to making any additional changes in elevation. If anyone knows of Code references that apply t. o this situation, I'd certainly appreciate the help! - Anonymous by private email 2019/06/19. done in nighttime lighting conditions, inclement weather and while holding onto anything the person may be using. a landing less than 36 inches (914 mm) measured in the Every landing shall have a dimension of not less than 36 height of 18 to 181⁄2 inches (458 to 470 dropped from a single height, designated Our photograph at left illustrates an antique stairway at el Jaral de Berrio Hacienda in central Mexico. Glazing adjacent to stairways within 60 inches [37], Stair Landings are required at top and bottom (with exceptions at top of interior stairs or in garage if door swings in, away from the stairs), Examples of Stair Platform or Landing Defects. width of landings shall not be less than A continuous run of rectangular treads or winders or combination thereof from one landing … superimposed with those of Section 1607.7.1 or As you can see in our photo at left, a door is opening out over a stairwell and no landing is provided. Where the glazing provided does not meet the strength and attachment requirements of Section 1607.7, complying guards shall also be located along glazed sides of open-sided walking surfaces. I had 13 stairs and a landing. Doors shall not open immediately onto a stair without a /4 unit vertical in I'm trying to build something similar but want to comply to code. The final step was finishing the laminate wood flooring on the landing. Note: These stairs will rest on a bare concrete floor -- but untreated lumber will absorb moisture and rot from bare concrete. I'm building a stairway with a landing halfway up, then the stairs reverse 180 degrees and continue to the second floor. - [Click to enlarge any image]. (36" not required? Guards shall be located along open-sided walking surfaces, including mezzanines, equipment platforms, stairs, ramps and landings that are located more than 30 inches (762 mm) measured vertically to the floor or grade below at any point within 36 inches (914 mm) horizontally to the edge ofthe open side. This load need not be assumed to 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, N-3101 Full Face Here are two example building code citations requiring safety glazing in stairway windows: The following shall be considered specific hazardous I had to buy risers for the 13 stairs and 3 pieces of red oak boards to finish out the landing. See more ideas about stairs, painted stairs, house design. stairway. A contractor has constructed the first two sets of stairs, with the landings being supported by four 4 x 4 posts embedded in concrete. Your argument that stair top design justifies stair bottom design: in my OPINION, arguing that the presence of a top landing that fails to comply with building code and safety guidelines as a basis for building a second non-compliant and unsafe landing or door at a stair bottom is a poor one. more than 7 inches (178 mm). Quoting:`Rectangular treads.' pounds (0.89 kN), applied in any direction at any point  along the top, and to transfer this load through the supports Attractive does not mean safe. the plane of the adjacent walking surface. Most codes want the stair guard to also be 42-inches in heigh but will allow that to drop to 34-inches if the top of the stair guard is also to serve as a handrail. It's not that it's a "stair" but a door that swings OUT over a step down is a trip and fall hazard and may be a local code violation;You can install a door that swings INTO The bedroom OR you can install a sliding or pocket door to reduce that hazard since then when someone is opening the door its handle won't swing out over open space to lead to a trip. We also provide a MASTER INDEX to this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Note that when looking for commercial stair standards, one must look at the International Building Code (IBC). Stair Landing Dimensions are summarized by this sketch. The minimum recommended stair landing length is 36" (or a length and width sufficiently greater than the swing of the door if a wider door is present). 2. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. Also, in such locations it is permissible when screen doors or other doors are installed, especially on the same jamb as the exit door, to swing them over stairs, steps or landings. Our photo (left) illustrates several problems with this building entry platform including: Question: If you have a very large steel reservoir (100ft vertical) and you want to put stairs to the stop with a landing that includes guardrails; at what height would you put the top stair rail. The height limit established by code is intended to provide a reasonable interval for the user so that they may rest on a level surface and to alleviate the negative effects of long uninterrupted flights. the width of stairways they serve. - Florida Building Code 1008.1.4 2007. Many codes and code inspectors want a platform at the eit side of the doorway that's the same level as the walking surface inside - with minimal dimensions = the width of the door and at least 36" in the direction of travel.4. direction of travel. shall be not more than 73 a stairway in any direction when the exposed This document provides building code specifications, sketches, photographs, and examples of defects used in inspecting the platforms or landings used with indoor or outdoor stairs for building entrances, decks, porches, or interior building stairs. ramp in accordance with Section, Comments from the IRC / CBC Handbook, cited at iccsafe.org forum in REFERENCES. General Industry Safety Orders, travel equal to the width of the stairway. within 2 inches (5 centimeters) of its egress door are not at grade, they shall be provided with Stairways that will not be a permanent part of the structure on which construction work is being performed shall have landings of not less Furthermore, you won't find a code official who's going to come into court later and say "yeah we should have called that out" - even if it was an obvious error. Such floor or landing shall be at the same elevation on each If someone is hurt the injury and dispute about it will be notwithstanding. Do you have a staircase that could use some help? Handrails and guards shall be able to resist a single concentrated load of 200 ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA), ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standard, [22] The Circular Staircase, Mary Roberts Rinehart, [23] Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer. When it comes to handrails the code is very specific on this. The platform or walking surface can be wider, of course, such as occurs when stairs end at a balcony, deck, or walkway. TonyWhile it's your local building code inspector who is the final authority on what's legal where you live, it seems to me that because there is no step down from that small platform area at the bottom of the steps to the rest of the basement floor past the doorway, you should be able to place a door opening out - it ought not be considered a trip hazard -as long as there is 36" of travel in the direction of walking when descending the bottom step you ought to be ok;There is, however a practical concern if the space at the bottom step is uncomfortably crowded when the door is shut. Warning: "planning on putting in a door into garage" ? The revision in the 1988 UBC, which limited the door to opening on an interior stair and excluded exterior stairways, was an important change that is often overlooked. Exception: A top landing is not required where a stairway of not more than two risers is located on the exterior side of the door, provided that the door does not In most countries and jursdictions what you describe is also a code violation - the door is opening onto a stair (in this case a single step down) without a landing - where a landing would be on the same level as the walking surface up to the door. It makes more sense to match the stair treads. ramps within 36 inches (914 mm) horizontally of Nosing that is beveled should not exceed ½ inch or the radius of curvature not more than 9/16 inch. U.S. Department of Labor Therefore, it is necessary that a floor or landing be provided on each side of the doorway. The primary reason for this change was due to a person needing to stand on a narrow step while attempting to open the door. On 2020-05-22 by RuphusJ - measuring stair landings in Florida. - Florida Building Code, 1009.4 Stairway Landings. Not less than width of stair or ramp landing. My question is; If I place a staircase inside a garage on the concrete slab to acess the second floor will the staircase also need frost protected footing? handrail assemblies and guardsshall also comply with Section R311.3.2 Floor elevations for other exterior doors. - Florida Building Code, 1009.4 Stairway Landings. (June 28, 2015) John said:Thanks for the response. serve more than 20 people shall be permitted to In fact, while in some circumstances the model codes permit omission of a landing (if the door swings in, away from the steps down) but that's a really bad design. Guards shall be adequate in strength and attachment in accordance with Section 1607.7. (e)(1)(iii) of this section, this impact Today the hacienda Jaral de Berrio continues to produce a superb mezcal. But note that not all model building codes explicitly require the 36" dimension and instead commonly state that in the direction of travel the landing dimension shall be no less than the width of the stairway. (plf) (0.73 kN/m) applied in any direction at the top and to Finally, just an important side note. Reactions due to this loading are not required to be "To Code" is a determination legally made by the local building code enforcement official. This assumes that the hanger board is not mounted flush in the wall. dimension measured in the direction of We often find older one and two family homes at which a door opens directly onto a stairway without a top landing platform. Such dimension need 120. That's why windows should either be at a sufficient height above the walking surface or should be protected by window guards of adequate strength to prevent an adult or child from falling against and breaking through a window such that they may fall from the building. 1 unit vertical in 50 units’ horizontal (2-percent slope). Handrails and guards a minimum dimension measured in the direction of travel an equal number of specimens shall be Again, you want to get back, as closely as possible, to … Your landing has to be at least 400 mm in dimension in the direction of travel at the foot of the stairway; the swing of your door, if it opens towards the landing, has to not intrude into that space. See Figures 1003-11 and 1003-12. over the landing or floor. Minimum 36 inch clear width for stairway. occupant load of 50 or more, doors in any position shall not We are in the process of replacing exterior wood stairs to 2nd story units that are 35 years old. It should provide proper graspability which the code recognizes a Type I and Type II handrail to have.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'buildingcodetrainer_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',110,'0','0'])); Type I handrails layout the parameters for handrails having a perimeter dimension not greater than 6 ¼ inches while Type II handrails address handrail perimeters greater than 6 ¼ inches. /4 inches (see more in the ARTICLE INDEX)we have this specification on measuring stair tread depth:The stair tread depth shall be measured horizontally between the vertical planes of the foremost projection of adjacent treads and at right angle to the tread's leading edge. 1. ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, 1607.7.1. My apartment bedroom is slightly raised (about 4 inches) floor compared to the adjacent living room. Since I can't use stain on the landing, I'll have to paint the landing and treads (both will be black). I considered that it might go away once the glue set, but rather than take the chance I used a long 2×4 to press the underside of the OSB up against the subfloor and tightened all the screws. 1607.7.1.1. of Docs., US Govt. Landings are required to be level, except exterior landings may have a slope of not more than 1/4 inch per foot (6.4 mm per m) for drainage. Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, - Winkel. This is our stairs before. The result can be a fall and injury. To combat this, install the treated 2" x 4" directly against the floor. I'd have put a handrailing down the steps exactly where the architect would omit it - in the area marked by yellow at the right angle between the two stair treads on the two sides of the platform rectangle. Using the 2003 IRC as a stair landing code example, we obtain the requirement for landings at the top and bottom of the stairway and a maximum stair rise of 12 feet before an intermediate landing is required. The Ontario Building Code | Treads and Risers 3.4.6.8. Can it be argued that the top of the pyramid is considered a step and not a landing? Exception: Exterior balconies less than 60 square feet (5.6 Under $100 Carpeted Stair To Wooden Tread Makeover DIY. equal to the width of the stairway. egress door in accordance with Section R311.2 shall be by a A single step is not permitted. Stair Rails and Handrails, web search 8/1/12, original source: http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3214.html, [36] California Department of Industrial Relations - CA/OSHA: California Stair & Railing Code details: Subchapter 4. ), including openings and space between rails. Are horizontal pipes a substitute for vertical balusters? 2. top of the threshold provided the door does not swing the width of the door. not symmetric from surface to surface, 6. Matthew: apologies I posted an answer yesterday but somehow it was lost.Your question, with the admission that I don't fully understand it, seems to me to be wonderfully packed with trip and fall hazards.1. Connect the support walls to the landing frame with nails or screws. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. This floor or landing shall not be more than 1 inch (25 mm) lower than the threshold of the doorway. shall be designed to resist a load of 50 pounds per linear foot 1. Original source: osha.gov/Publications/ladders/osha3124.html. Stairways must have a landing, top and bottom, equal to the width of stairs. Perhaps one of the most common areas where this provision is overlooked is on the sliding glass door, which often leads from a residence out to a patio slab. [4] Illustrated theatre production guide, John Holloway, Focal Press, 2002, ISBN 0240804937, 9780240804934, [6] OSHA Publication 3124 - Stairways and Ladder, web search 12/21/11, OSHA Publications Office - Florida Building Code 2406.3 Hazardous Locations. x 95.9375 in. WRONG. Some opine that if the door swings into a room, away from that top step, the hazard is reduced and a landing is not required. Or the landing at the out-swinging door must have a length and width sufficiently greater than the swing of the door if a wider door is present - this is to permit passing the door and opening or closing it. This design doesn't fit neatly into the codes. OSB is a sheet material made by compressing and gluing together smaller pieces and flakes of wood. OPINION: Will safety glazing passing these impact tests prevent a person from falling through a window? This design doesn't fit neatly into the codes. This space should not be intruded upon by the swing of a door at the stair bottom. Hopefully reducing it to 3 platforms isn't my only option. Specimens for Category Maximum 4-1/2 inch handrail projection into stairway width, on either side. Am I required to have 36” from the bottom riser to the door? The code establishes a maximum vertical height of 147 inches (12 feet 3 inches) between landings or floor levels for a flight of stairs. As I knew I was adding another 1/2” Riser, I cut the 1/2” OSB 1/8” short of the measured Tread to assure I could make the front flush with the MDF riser that I added in step 9. Guidelines for stair safety. - Anon 10/9/2012. Illustration adapted from Approved Document K p. 19 cited below, © Crown Copyright 2011 reproduced for private research and study 2016/06/20 - Ed. inches (914 mm) measured in the direction of travel. Mar 10, 2018 - Explore Jennifer Woolley's board "Stairs" on Pinterest. Group E occupancies. When we open a door that swings out over a step down, our hand on the doorknob guides where we step out and how far. If you go from 3/4 hanger board to 2x hanger board you would adjust by cutting an additional 3/4 of the plumb cut so you don't have the entire staircase move 3/4" out. II shall be impacted one time from slope at exterior landings shall not exceed 1 The same is true for a door or opening at a landing, when the landing is not more than 8 inches (203 mm) lower than the floor level at the doorway. These type of conditions create a dangerous situation for the users. See Section 1027 for door swing in Daniel finished it up and we bought a special stair nose piece from lumber liquidators (we just matched it to the flooring) We glued the stair nosing on with wood glue but hard as nails would have worked. Watch out: Steven Winkel, writing for AIA East Bay in 2014, notes: The basic intent is to provide fall protection when there is a change in elevation. The minimum width for stairways shall not be less than 36 inches clear. Where glass is used to provide a guard or Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. If not, can I make the drop from the main floor down 2" - and the make up the two risers down tto the existing stairway ? It is used when there is not enough room for a continuous stair run (see Fig. The carpet was old and dirty giving the entry a very dark and dated feel. I would not assume that it's a "safe" solution to reduce the number of risers from four to three; your stair riser height needs to be both comfortable and safe for users and the number of treads needs to be sufficient to ascend the total rise involved without making steps too tall or steep. contributed by Cleverly Inspired. In straight-run stair or ramp, or landing turning through less than 30° Width of stair or clear width of ramp. 3). Only for non-occupued occupied spaces such as a utility or storage area. To learn about the code requirements for Residential Guardrails and what purpose they serve, be sure to check out this POST. Now when handrails are introduced they shall not project more than 4 ½ inches on either side. The Toeboards are not required on oiling platforms. The side of the door. The most common sub flooring materials being used to in homes today are OSB, Oriented strand board and plywood. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -, [12] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011, [15] Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson, [16] Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438, [17] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011, [18] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. T and G Common: 23/32 in. (900mm is just a bit under 36") - what's a "gap" in your lexicon? each stairway. if you have a primary flight of stairs that meet code can you have another that does not meet code. Honestly, the best solution for us was carpet. Guardrail or handrail not secured or wrong height; Stair platform missing where required (total rise between floors > 12' for example), Landing is pitched, sloped, or damaged (trip hazard), The window sill is just about one foot above the walking surface. ), John I took a look at the photo you cited: we have a stack of "platforms" forming four steps up from an interior floor and extending around both the entry and side of a stairway. surface of the glass is less than 60 inches (1524 So even OSB stairs can get some special treatment. How to Remove Particle Board Stair Treads. Are you saying that if there is another railing against the other wall, it would comply or are you saying that there is no way to comply with 4 platforms without a railing at the corner of the platforms (that would not look right). Or you can have the door swing "out" away from the stair. Greetings! How much headroom is required from bottom step to top of door jamb coming from a upstairs bonus room? except the handrail), balusters and panel fillers shall be act concurrently with the loads specified in Section This often must be For each stair, cut 10" treads from 2" x 10" lumber and 7" risers from OSB sheets. Creative Stair Parts 11.5-in x 36-in Unfinished Red Oak Stair Tread. PLATFORMS & LANDINGS, ENTRY & STAIR at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. /4 inches (196 mm) below the It’s strong, resilient, and not in the least bit aesthetically pleasing. doors shall be permitted to swing over exterior stairs and Every landing shall have I am accessing an existing basement stairway from the above floor. drop height of 48 to 481⁄2 inches (1.22 to Guidelines for Undergraduate Theatrical Productions and Special Events, CUE40303 Certificate IV in Live Production, Theatre and Events (Technical Operations), How to Build Theater Stairs, an Illustrated Guide, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURESES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES, Stair landing minimum size in direction of travel greater than or equal to three feet (>= 36").