How To Use Stair Stringers To Locate The Perfect Deck Footing - Advanced Carpentry Simplified

www.homebuildin... Click on this link for more information about stair building, house framing construction and home repairs. This video will provide you with a simple and effective method to locate the perfect spot for your new stairway deck footing. It's often difficult to use a variety of different measurements and math formulas to calculate the exact location for a concrete foundation or footing for the stair stringers to sit on or attached to, but by the time you're done watching this video you should have a pretty good idea how it's done.

[@stairbuilding]

Always check with your local building department or building authorities to verify whether or not any information, including mine can be used in your area.

[@stephenschiffli6970]

Thank you! That is the route I went. Worked perfectly for an amateur at least.

[@stairbuilding]

Awsome.

[@thatsnotabradidea]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Extremely useful. Thank you so much.

[@stairbuilding]

You're very welcome!

[@PatrickBoatner]

I'm not a contractor, so I can't confirm that your building technique is the best, but the way you make videos is phenomenal. You do a very fine job panning the camera around to show where different edges mate together.

[@stairbuilding]

Glad you enjoy the videos and always double check any information you don't understand, including my videos:)

[@timefeatherstorm]

finally someone gives me what i want. just flying through the drawings not trying to sell me screws or drills. thanks for this, now i get how to build my stairs

[@stairbuilding]

Yes, that does seem to be a problem, but the advertisements also allow someone like myself to spend more time researching and making better videos, so don't be too hard on.

[@donaldarneli1225]

RIGHT,

[@Rippped]

Was planning on building a larger than necessary pad (just to be sure), but not anymore! I will definitely use this advice and build it precisely to fit. Thank you!

[@stairbuilding]

Glad it was helpful!

[@yhprema]

Nice video! If ground contact rated pressure treated lumber stringers are used, can't they be placed directly on the poured footing slab? I realize the bolts give you a way to anchor the stairs but it seems that it can also be accomplished by notching the stringers in the front or back and running the board there so it is flat with the rest of the stringers and prevent raking and anchor that into slab. My biggest concern with your recommended construction is the channel created by the two boards that will trap water and will not allow it to drain to front or back. While we can pitch the slab a little to help with this in the front-to-back direction it is much harder to give the slab a pitch side to side for this drainage to happen.

[@guycleveland5946]

Great content once again Thanks for the great posts

[@stairbuilding]

My pleasure!

[@bobcole3852]

Good video! When you explained the 345 rule, your blue triangle wasn't quite "there", was it? Also, i was thinking of continuing the footing out another 9" or so to have a positive first/last step that aligns perfectly with the stairs

[@Chris_Burkhardt]

Shouldn’t the pressure treated wood have a metal bracket between the concrete like the posts? I’m planning a deck with wrap around stairs and am trying to use posts on top of concrete to hold the stringers. It’s a very wet area and I’m worried the you show method will rot the bottom boards.

[@mohitkanika1456]

Deck footings in my area go 4' deep in ground. Do I have to dig step footing that deep as well or a 6 inch slab will be sufficient as footing for steps? I have 3 steps, 6 feet wide and 12 inch tread.

[@stairbuilding]

I would check with your local building department of contractors. I would think a long footing would work or a few footing and some support beams.

[@WallyJ2K]

Why not leave part of the stringer in the middle to sit between the 2x4s on the landing?

[@jayakrishnant6013]

Awesome vidoe..what if I dont have a concrete pad? Is there any alternative option for external deck stair landing and stringer to be attached to?

[@stairbuilding]

I've seen them sit on top of wood and soil, but I've also seen these installations fail.

[@ronburn]

I need to add a pad to the bottom of my deck stairs because there was not a footer installed during construction. Now the stairs are listing to one side. What changes would you suggest if the stars are against the foundation of the house?

[@stairbuilding]

I guess I would structurally support stairs first then add footing under them. Here's a link to our website that might provide more information. www.homebuildingandrepairs.com/repairs/stair/index.html

[@yogibeer9319]

Another home run!

[@stairbuilding]

Glad you liked it.

[@yogibeer9319]

@@stairbuilding Here’s where my pea brain is getting stuck, after I determine the measurements of my stringer from top of finished deck to ground level and get ready to cut them do I have to subtract the thickness of the treads from each so I don’t end up with the steps higher than the top of deck? Or does the calculation in the video include the tread thickness? I bought your stair building book and should get it today!

[@dominicstaniscia706]

I am planning to relocate the existing stairs (3 steps) on the side of my existing deck away from the centre of the deck (where it is currently) and moving it closer to the house at the end of the deck by to the house. There is no concrete footing at the base of the existing stairs. The stairs are resting on asphalt (part of the driveway located on the side of the house). They were not fixed in any way to the ground. I am not an engineer but something tells me using asphalt as a footing is not to code or the safest idea. Would you agree that laying a concrete pad at the base of the relocated stairs would be a better alternative? Any suggestions on how to cut out, frame and lay a pad of cement from the asphalt. It would not be as easy as grass or dirt obviously and how do I then repair the asphalt around the pad once the cement has dried? Thanks for your informative videos.

[@stairbuilding]

Most asphalt can be removed with a saw for exact dimensions and a few tools to remove after cutting. I don't have an videos on fix pavement, but I'm sure there are more on KZbin.

[@donaldarneli1225]

Thank you ,

[@stairbuilding]

You are welcome!

[@eastbay40386]

I am dealing with an existing concrete floor, as footing, which is not flat with 1/2" difference. How do you do it? Thanks.

[@stairbuilding]

You should be able to add or subtract to the required amount of materials or the difference needed when laying out the stair stringers to make them level. If the stair stringers are already cut, then you might be able to use small pieces of wood or wedges to fill any areas that need to be raised.

[@eastbay40386]

@@stairbuilding Thanks for the information. I just did as what you said.

[@joebaker9861]

It takes some patience, but it is possible without shimming each riser. You start by measuring and building the first stringer based off the highest point of contact of where the stringer will set on the concrete. Then using a level, place the level on the concrete perpendicular to the stringer and shim until perfectly level. Next, figure out the difference of each individual stringer by measuring the gap where each stringer will make contact with the concrete and add the measurement of each gap to the bottom of each stringer. For example, if the concrete is high on the right side, and the bottom riser is 6 3/8", and the gap at the spot for the next stringer to the left is 1/4", your next stringer will have a rise of 6 5/8". And the far left stringer, having a gap of 1/2", will have a riser cut at 6 7/8". This will allow all your stringers to sit flush on the concrete, while maintaining a level tread. If the concrete is more than 3/4" (but less than 1") out of level, then it's best to figure out the middle height stringer first, then subtract the high measurement from the high stringer and add on the low stringer. That will help meet the maximum 3/4" allowable variance on a bottom run, and still maintain a level tread.

[@boydwolz9843]

What about frost line?

[@stairbuilding]

I probably need a few more details in your question, for example are you referring to where the frost line might be located?

[@woodspirit98]

@@stairbuilding my frost line is 4 ft deep

[@sloth9669]

How deep do you dig the pad?

[@stairbuilding]

It all depends on where you're located. For example some areas where it snows might require these footings to be more than 3 feet deep, where another area where it doesn't snow might only require about 4 inches.

[@Bentonrochester]

Looks nice but my cities code requires 36” of runway.

[@stairbuilding]

Yes and if it's at the bottom of the stairs then just measure from front of bottom stringer out 36 inches.

[@cheeseburger9232]

Greg??

[@stairbuilding]

Yes!!!