Skills By Observing

I've never built stairs. In theory, I knew how the risers are cut, but never had to cut any. For porches, I'd buy the pre-cuts and make them work. However, my wife doesn't care for the 7 1/2 inch step height, which I understand. The less you have to step up, the more comfortable is walking up the steps. I'd seen risers cut, so I decided to build them myself.

The problem with pre-cuts is the standard height of the steps. To take care of my wife, I decided on a 6 inch tread height for some steps I added on the side of the porch. With our new dog, she wanted a small yard for him to be safe if we can't watch him. So placing new steps, adding some fence, and placing a small gate at the front steps will give him and area for outside, without worrying if he decides to chase the UPS truck. 

I found a site on the web with a calculator for the steps. I knew the rise, and the run didn't matter, since that was a flexible distance. Placing my figures, seeing what was necessary, buying the materials and careful measuring with a framing square, soon yielded the risers. Placing two deck boards beside each other gave me the tread width I needed. The fence is started, and I hung the gate on the two 4 by 4's I concreted in the other day.  

So, the steps are in, without the handrails. That's tomorrows task, if it doesn't rain. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if it did. Not working like I once did revealed some muscles I forgot. A little Acetaminophen helps, but rest is probably best. I have some more post holes to dig for the fence, and that's not my favorite task.