![]() ![]() Install your stringers before you put the footings down.Here are some tips to consider when installing deck stair footings: However, calculating exactly where your stair footings will go in relation to the deck is trickier. Installing deck stair footings is similar to the process you used to install footings for your deck posts. A horizontal 2×6 should connect the posts under the stringers, and two 2×6 cross pieces for an x-frame beneath for lateral stability. Notching each post to fit underneath and beside the stringer is required by code. 4×4’ posts on footings should run vertically and attach to each stringer with #8 wood screws. When supporting a set of stairs, the same rules apply to footings. Stairs longer than 6’ in length should have intermediary support. Keep in mind this isn’t the length of the actual stringer, but the horizontal length from the start of the stairs to the beginning of the final riser. ![]() Footings for Extra-Long Deck StairsĪ set of stairs with solid stringers should not run more than 13’ in length. This will make it easier to create a level landing of blocks. You can sit patio blocks on top of the footings, and have the stringers terminate on the patio blocks. ![]() If you are installing patio blocks, be sure to prep the surface beneath them first. However, they should only be used on level ground. Similar to crushed stone, patio blocks placed around the last stair can also work. Adding crushed stone of any variety is one way to nicely cover up any evidence of the footings beneath your stairs while adding aesthetic value. If the ground where your stairs terminate is level, then a landing pad is not necessary. Wood landing pads should abide by the same rules as concrete, making them at least 3’x3’. The stringers will still rest on the footings you will just build your box around the last step. Using pressure-treated lumber, you can sit some deck boards on top of 2×4’s or larger planks, to create your landing space. Since your stair stringers will sit on the pad, and not the actual footings, you’ll want to subtract from the footing height to account for the thickness of the landing pad. If you are planning on installing a concrete landing pad, you’ll want to account for this when you pour your stair footings. However, it is also the most labor-intensive. It adds structural support to your steps and ensures the width of the steps are evenly spaced and level.Ī concrete landing pad is the sturdiest option. This block will rest on the footings or concrete pad. It requires you to cut a 2×4 profile at the end of each stringer so that your stairs are resting on that piece of wood. ![]() A bearing block is typically a 2×4 that connects your stringers. Your stair stringers will rest on your landing pad, but you should include a base plate. You’ll want a landing that you can step on, and then take at least one more step before you move to a different surface. The length of the landing should be similar, for both practical and aesthetic purposes. Stairs that are 36” wide will require a landing at least that wide, and preferably a few inches more on either side. Now that you know you need footings, what are your stairs going to sit on? Several options include: Footings with Different Deck Stair Landing Option s If you take the time to properly protect your deck from frost heave with footings at an appropriate depth, wouldn’t it make sense to do the same with your steps? Building codes are now requiring deck stair footings to minimize stair movement over time. Just as decks are susceptible to frost heave, so are stairs. If the lowest point of a footing is below the frost line, it will not be susceptible to the shifting of water freezing and thawing in the soil. On your deck, they support wooden posts that hold up beams.įootings are necessary because they negate the effects of frost heave. These tubes go beneath load bearing points in your structure. Generally, footings are concrete and poured into long cardboard tubes. If your backyard is extremely flat, the code will allow you to forgo a landing pad.įootings go beneath the landing pad. Typically, most North American building codes require all deck steps to terminate on a minimum 3×3 foot landing pad. Let’s be clear – footings and a landing pad or wooden box are not the same thing. When are Deck Stair Footings Not Necessary?.Footings with Different Deck Stair Landing Options. ![]()
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