Any construction folks out there?

[crocky]

Going to be building some steps up to a balcony outside by my pool and had a few questions.

 

[Solid Snake]

What type of materials are you planning on using? Concrete? Wood?

 

[crocky]

I will be using wood. Here is the info. The existing balcony is 7 foot from the ground to the top of the concrete pad and to the top of the handrails it is 10 feet. I want to build steps from the balcony to the ground. I will put a landing about half way. So probably5 steps to the balcony and 5 steps to the ground with a landing in between. I suck with math and was trying to figure out how far from the balcony and how high does the landing need to be to accommodate the top stringers of 5 steps and the bottom.
Or is it better to do different numbers. I was going to do 7 at too and 3 at the bottom but our local lowes does not carry the 7 step stringer and I really don't want to make them.
Here is a pic but please excuse my sorry excuse for a drawing .

 

[Solid Snake]

If you want 5 steps per, thats ten steps.

To figure out how far apart you need one step from another:

7x12=84 (84" being the vertical space you have to work with)

Then, 84"/10=8.4" (8.4" being the the height of each step, if 10 steps are what you want)

If you want the steps 1' apart, then you would have 7 steps, as there is 7' of vertical space to work with.

 

[Solid Snake]

Oh, and to find out how far away you need the landing, will depend on how wide you want the steps.

If you have 7 leading up to the landing, and three leading from there to the balcony, at 1' width, then the landing would need to be 3' from the balcony.

If you have 5 steps per, at a one foot width, then it would need to be five feet away...

 

[crocky]

I guess what I am wondering is if I use five step stringers at the top what is the angle or rather how high should the landing be and how far from the balcony should it be to accommodate the 5 steps at the top so they are not too steep. Maybe I am just making it more confusing or maybe you explained that and I did not follow.

I just recently built our full deck around our pool and that was my first huge project, but came out pretty good for a gal, if I say so myself

Anyway I can build something when I have a visual I am just terrible with numbers. Being they go together it takes me a little longer to figure it out.

 

[Solid Snake]

Well, you can cut your own stringers, and have it however you like.

If you dont want to do that, wed need to know the dimensions of the pre-cut ones to answer the question mathematically...

 

[crocky]

Ok, I did not see the measurements on the lowes website for the 5 step stringers. I will post the link and maybe it tells you in there in a way I am not following, like riser height etc...

 

[crocky]

Here is the link to it

http://www.lowes.com/pd_4654-432-5STEPT140N_0__?Ntt=4654&UserSearch=4654&productId=3185195&rpp=48

 

[Solid Snake]

Those have a 6 and 1/2" rise, so to get to 7', you would:

7x12=84

84/6.5=12.92307692307692

So lets say 13 steps to get to 7'

They have a 10" tread, so 13x10=130" - 130"/12=10.8333333ect...

So 10.83' of steps, horizontally speaking.
Then you just divide that in between the two sets of steps, however youd like them to fit.

Does that help?

 

[crocky]

Gosh I feel really stupid when it comes to figuring this stuff out.
So I think what I gather is each set of steps will be about 5feet in length?

So I could do the landing at 42 inches...I think that would be half. Now to figure out the distance of the landing for the slope for the 5 feet to fit and not be too steep.
So am I thinking right today the landing should be 42 high and 42 inches from the balcony. Lt me get a picture with the measurements and see if I am on the right track. Thanks so much for your help.

Wow I need to go back to school, I probably did not make any sense.

 

[crocky]

Those have a 6 and 1/2" rise, so to get to 7', you would:

7x12=84

84/6.5=12.92307692307692

So lets say 13 steps to get to 7'

They have a 10" tread, so 13x10=130" - 130"/12=10.8333333ect...

So 10.83' of steps, horizontally speaking.
Then you just divide that in between the two sets of steps, however youd like them to fit.

Does that help?

See they don't have any thing more than a 5 step stringer so that is where I am getting confused. So assuming by the info they would be 50" each and that does not sound like enough based on your info below. To have one landing and two set of steps... Hmmmm. I really did not want to have to make my own.

Thanks so much for all your insight

 

[crocky]

I promise I won't keep beating a dead horse if this is not right but does this look like I am on the right track

 

[Solid Snake]

You can do it with two runs of the pre-made stringers, but youll have a gap to fill.

If you do that, Id leave the gap at the bottom, and fabricate your own steps to fill that gap, that would likely be easiest.

It would look soething like this, maybe make something to come off the deck to connect, and fill that gap?

 

[crocky]

Hmmm, I have not really thought about doing it without the landing, or just one run of steps. I might need to look into that. Not for sure I would have the room going down.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Solid Snake]

What about a landing right off the balcony, and a straight run to the deck?

You could make the landing a bit lower than the balcony, creating a step, to help account for any gaps.

 

[crocky]

Thanks for all your help. I ended up going with 4 steps from the balcony to the landing and 8 from the landing to the ground

Work in progress. The last 4 post will support the landing. I will also incorporate the stringers onto the middle 4x4 and sit the last step on too of the landing.

I was cutting it close with space

 

[crocky]

Thought I would update this to say thanks again for the help and I think it came out pretty good. I actually finished a while ago but still need to finish off the post etc. got me thinking about it with the warmer weather and opening up the pool not perfect but hey neither am I

 

[edward82]

i would go with exposed aggrigate..in enlish concrete with a lot of shiny rocks after sealed with sealer...would look alot better...ive been doin concrete work for over ten years..the only thing is the concrete is over a humdred dollers a yard and then of corse labor to do it would proly be around five hundred

 

[Solid Snake]

Hey! It looks great!

Glad I was able to help.

I like that you kept it below the window, great job