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U-Shaped Stairs in a Timber Frame

Started by jb9, June 18, 2017, 08:56:13 PM

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timberwrestler

jb9,

There are some guidelines for throat (although I've never heard that term), but I don't think there are requirements.  If you need to make it a bit thinner there are a few tricks.  You can always sister an extra piece on the side that hasn't been cut-like a 2x4.  Or you can use engineered wood like LVL or LSL for the stringers.

For more traditional staircases, we often do housed stringers, where the whole stair assembly is wedged and glued together and then set as a unit.  Andy Engel's stair book is really the best modern resource.  I also help teach a class in doing those stairs at the Heartwood School.

Another style that is pretty easy, and that often fits in with timber framing is to use a timber as a stringer, with thick treads sitting on brackets (or fully housed).  These stairs are just 4" pine treads sitting on angle iron.  http://www.uncarvedblockinc.com/architects-additions.  Most of the stringers were just pine timbers, a few were curved waney pieces.
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jb9

Thanks Timberwrestler.  From what I understand, throat is the wood that exists at the bottom of the stringer.  I do think that housed treads or angle-iron treads will work.  I redrew the stringers with 1 3/4" of reveal above the stairs.  Here's what it looks like.  The height gained is very noticeable.  I will have to use 5/4 treads and I may have to increase the size of the bay by 1" or 2".  Not sure yet.  I just want to make sure the bay will work even if I have to sub out the stairs to a master stair builder.

Here is a rendering:
   

 

Don P

Have you checked height from landing platform framing to basement stairs? that looks like the pinch point.

I've lost the pics... well they're here somewhere on floppies but that was 2 computers ago, for heavy timber stringers you can cut out an L in plywood to make a jig that a router base fits inside of and rout out the housings for a set of timber stairs pretty quickly.

jwilly3879

I have made fake housed stairs by cutting the stringer out of 2x12 and then attaching a full 2x12 to the outside of the stringer.

jb9

Thanks Don P and jwilly3879.  I doublechecked my height clearance on the landing and it's looking pretty good ~6' 10 3/4".  My basement stairs will probably be 7 3/4" rise and my main house stairs will be 7 9/16" rise which is an acceptable delta within IRC Code from what I understand.  This will also help with the height clearance.  I will probably do a traditional stringer in the basement and use the housed stringer for the main level.  I will post a rendering later this evening.  I may have to use 1 3/4" LVL stock but that's fine.  Regarding the housed stringers, I found some great videos posted by master stair builder Keith Mathewson.  His layout instruction and craftsmanship are excellent.

jb9

As promised, here's a new rendering.  This is the triple header (plus angle iron) on the last flight into the basement.  Having offset (or uneven numbers) of stairs in a U-shaped stair case does seem to present difficulties in stair opening headers, but I think because my house is so small, I would rather make what I have work than continue to expand the footprint of the structure.  Does this look reasonable for a stair opening header?  3 sets of 2x joists sistered together?

Thanks in advance.



 

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