Project Staircase

[fire402]

Hi everyone,

I finally had enough of the rickety old ladder and small access opening to the storage space above my garage. I decided it was time to use up some scrap lumber and build myself a staircase.

Here's what the the old ladder and opening looked like:

I decided to locate the new stairs on the back wall and made a new opening in the ceiling:

The next task was to make the stringers. I know it should have been done with 2x12's, but I'm on a tight budget and only had 2x6's. I used some nailplates to stack two 2x6's for each stringer. This left me no choice but to do a "housed" stringer. As this was the first staircase I've ever built, it proved to be more challenging than I thought to lay out the markings on each stringer:

I don't have a router, so I carefully used a circular saw and a chisel to notch out 1/2 inch out of each stringer for the treads and risers sit inside. I made the treads and risers from scrap 3/4" plywood that was once some hideous looking shelves the previous owner had built.

I assembled the entire staircase on the ground so I could screw each tread and riser to the stringers. Then I added two 2x4's under each stair for additional support (one at the front and one in the middle):

The only thing left was to lift/hoist it into place, which proved to be pretty difficult by myself. I ended up screwing straps to the top end, climbing into the storage space and hoisting it up into place:

Overall, it is just a hair steeper than what it should be, but a heck of a lot better than what I had before. Once the weather warms up a bit I will paint it along with the rest of the garage.

I'm happy with it considering it was free to build.

 

[milner351]

Now to figure out the best use of the newly created storage space under the stairs!

 

[bczygan]

I've never seen a stair that uses OSB for stair treads. Usually 2x material is used for treads and 1x for risers. Usually 3 stringers are used. Do yourself a favor and install a stringer in the middle to cut the span in half for the treads and install 3 posts at the midpoint of the stringers to cut the span of the stringers in half.

 

[Bones35]

looks like they are supported in the center! will be fine. I always do three and two by's but every old house ive ever remodeled had let in one by's on two stringers.

 

[bczygan]

looks like they are supported in the center! will be fine. I always do three and two by's but every old house ive ever remodeled had let in one by's on two stringers.

When I say support them in the center, I mean to split the span of the stringer and build a wall across the stair at that point.

I would also reinforce the outside stringer with some plywood screwed into the face of both 2x's to make them into one piece.

 

[wickedsled]

nice stairs,

 

[headcase]

Nice job .

 

[5lima30]

Very effective use of what you had! The space under the stairs would be a good place for a compressor it could even be enclosed for sound reduction.