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Jared
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# Posted: 3 Dec 2011 22:32
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Ok, so I got LaMar Alexander's Ebook and I'm liking the 14x14. But I don't know how to figure stairs. The math is killing me and I have no clue how many inches it is from a finished floor to a finished loft floor. Figuring 1/2" hardwood flooring (the 3/4 subfloor doesn't count because the walls rest on it, right?). The loft floor would rest on 2x6's and have a 3/4" floor. Can anybody please help me with the math? All I need to know is everything. How long the total height is would give me a good start since I can use a stair calculator I found online.
Jared
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 4 Dec 2011 00:27 - Edited by: MtnDon
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Make a drawing; that's what always helps me figure things out.
Start at the subfloor. Add the wall bottom plate height. Draw in a stud of whatever length. Add top plates. Is the loft floor going to sit on the top plate? If so draw it in. If not, draw where it will be and how it will be supported. Dimension everything. Add the loft floor including whatever finish layer there might be. Then total up the total height. That's the rise.
I don't know what online calc you have, but a nice one can be found at blocklayer.com There's a metric version as well.
Stair code is in IRC section R311.7
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adakseabee
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# Posted: 4 Dec 2011 18:43
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Jared, I agree with MtnDon's suggestions. However, if you follow the IRC stair code, you may find that the stairs will occupy a significant footprint (both in length and width) of a 14x14. The greater the height from lower finish floor to upper finish floor (loft), the more horizontal distance will be required on the lower finish floor for the stairs. I would not recommend ignoring the IRC stair code; using a rise that is too great or a run that is too small will result in stairs that will feel awkward to use (think safety). Unless you need stairs, you may want to consider building a ladder to access the upper floor. Somewhere in this forum on cabin building is a thread about ladders. If you decide to go the ladder route, I could send photos of the one I built with dimensions and construction details, just let me know.
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Borrego
Member
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# Posted: 5 Dec 2011 18:49
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Yeah, stairs can be a b***h, even if you do them a lot. Just make sure you're going from finished to finished, and cut very precisely! Nothing worse than watching a carpenter get close to the top and realize his last riser is gonna be half the height of the rest! And remember when you set your stair gauges on your square that to get a 7"x11" you don't set the gauges on 7 and 11, set them to allow that when cut....
Sometimes it helps to lay them out on a sheet of ply and cut, just so you don't waste 2x12's :-)
And you could use an 'L' or 'U' design to save space, but still in a 14x14, you'll lose a LOT of room, lay the whole structure out on the floor first...
Good Luck!
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