steps

ok have put my deck /verandah on the back of the house had the old steel framed steps ( runners ?) cut down from 4 steps to 2 and reattached but from the ground up to the 1st step is about 12 inches ( step hieght is about 9 inches ) was going to just do a cement slab so top of cement slab is 9 inches below the steel steps but then that means that there is a 4 inch step to the ground which i would hate to have some one trip over



any sugestions for alternative way of doing this should i slope the edges up or is the 4 inch step a better idea ,leads into garden which slopes away uphill from steps so one end could be made level with the back yard but most people will acess from side as is carport



anyway hope that i have explained this ok thks

A riser height of 9"(224mm) is way too high, the riser should be about 6" (150mm)high, all the steps should have the same riser hight otherwise there is a danger of someone tripping on them.

The standards say the risers can vary between 120mm and 180mm but all risers must be the same hight in the flight of stairs.

From memory the treads can be from 250mm to 350mm, I may be wrong on that.

Al :)

I would cut the steps off the stringers (the correct name for the runners)and re-weld the the steps back on at the correct spacings with an extra step to compensate for the difference in heights.

The person who built my deck here, didn't know what they where doing and did the same thing that you're proposing to do, cement step of about 3" here and everyone continuously trips on it including me.

If you calculate using the formula of 2r + 1G = >585mm and <625mm you will have a comfortable flight. r being "riser" dimension and g being "going or tread" dimension.

Sounds like your'e using the Vietnamese code for stairs, which states that each rise should be equal (or somewhat near equal) , except for the first, last, or any intermediate rise, which must be between 10 and 500 mm :doh:

Try this calculator to work out the dimensions to space them all evenly.
http://www.blocklayer.com/stairs
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Originally Posted by Fossil

If you calculate using the formula of 2r + 1G = >585mm and <625mm you will have a comfortable flight. r being "riser" dimension and g being "going or tread" dimension.

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Ok then, I've got a total rise of about 1690 for my entrance steps (outside obviously) and I get to choose the going. My question is, using this formula can anyone give me an idea of which is preferable, a rise of 169mm, going 262mm, OR riser 153mm, going 294mm. first one is 9 treads, second for 10 treads

The current ones are anywhere between 170 and 210 risers with 240 - 300 goings! (thank god they still dont build em like theey did in the old day!).

All opinions greatfully received and considered.

Within the limits I would always go for a higher riser and less treads. I find lower rises feel odd to walk up for some reason. Like you expect the tread to be higher than it is.

Quote:

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Ok then, I've got a total rise of about 1690 for my entrance steps (outside obviously) and I get to choose the going. My question is, using this formula can anyone give me an idea of which is preferable, a rise of 169mm, going 262mm, OR riser 153mm, going 294mm. first one is 9 treads, second for 10 treads

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If it were me, I would go with your first option.
You also need to lay back your riser from vertical to get the whole set working comfortably. ie: from the nosing of the tread, lay back the riser about 20mm into the flight. Um...... I know what I am talking about, but I doub't my description is clear to the lay person. I'll try to draw it up and post when I get a chance, unless someone else can get the words out better than me. Haven't had coffee or smokes yet. :-

Here you go. I hope this makes it clearer.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...1&d=1180656776

Just quickly.
Riser heights must be uniform.
Tread depths must be uniform.
Riser - min 115 max 190
Tread - min 240 max 355.