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  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

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How to Build New Front Stairs and Railings

August 27, 2013

Replacing the driveway at our old house/rental house was a weight off my shoulders. When we were allowed to drive on it, we did the honors in a vehicle filled to the brim with pressure-treated wood.

As it would seem, the work never ends. We were left with the pleasure of replacing the stairs that led to the front door.

It should have been really easy to replace the stairs. Right? Just get some new joist hangers and nail them into place. But since many layers of old cement and asphalt were removed with the excavation, the driveway lowered 6-8″. The best plan was to rebuild the stairs from scratch. It was a little blessing in disguise, actually, as we were able to upgrade the handrails.

It’s not that the DIY railings and front stairs built a few years ago were of terrible quality. (They did pass inspection.) But, they had loosened up a lot over the last year. Tenants are rough. We knew we could make them sturdier with a few simple design upgrades.

This post isn’t intended so much to be a tutorial. We used online resources to adapt what we already knew. We cut the stringers ourselves and used simple store-bought balusters. Thank you, Internet.

We didn’t need to alter the number of risers–three would still do–but we did have to calculate a new rise and run.

Two 2×12 boards formed our custom stringers, which cost approximately $32 as opposed to the precut variety sold at our local big box for $8.50/each for a 3-step unit ($25). Customization was necessary in this case. Plus, cutting stringers just seems like one of those things that we should know how to do. Read this tutorial to learn how. Be sure to clamp the square to a scrap board for consistency from step to step.

Make custom stringers for your staircase.

It was the first time I used power tools since learning I was pregnant. We missed each other, clearly. And as they say, the baby’s hearing stuff in there and already getting accustomed to noises in the outside world, so getting it used to power tools should work in our favor.

Cutting boards for the new stairs using the chop saw.

Getting back into the woodworking projects felt really good. There was much that I could do to help keep the project moving while Pete still performed the heavy-duty lifting that came with the project. I measured boards, helped with drilling using the lighter, cordless machinery, prepped tools, and cleared scraps.

We did a few things differently this time around. Since we used 2×12″ boards, we used extra 2×12″ lumber as a ledger on which to attach the stairs to the structure.

New header for the stairs to attach to.

We used 5/4 deck boards doubled up to make 11″ steps. They’re deeper than what we had used on the previous design. Bonus: they match the top landing.

stairs_new_runners_1

We also reinforced the 4×4 posts. Instead of using galvanized cups, we wrapped each post over the joist by notching it with the chop saw and a wood chisel. Bolted securely, they will not move. Big difference.

Notching the porch railing for reinforcement.

We strayed from the previously horizontal baluster design and opted for traditional 2×2 balusters. I was always opposed to this design, but it does actually look great, and less like we’re forcing modernism on a traditional home.

New stairs, finished!

The completed unit fits the bill. We’re letting the pressure-treated wood dry out before we weatherproof it this fall. Eventually–hopefully sooner than later–the stairs and rails should weather nicely to match the darker brown landing.

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Buying and Renting and Selling  / Curb Appeal  / DIY

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. I've been a freelancer writer for 10+ years and you can find my work on popular home and garden sites, like HGTV.com. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note.

9 Comments


Mark Winters
August 27, 2013 at 10:38 am
Reply

Looks good!



Sharon Dela-Hamaide
August 28, 2013 at 8:15 am
Reply

Nice job! This is perfect timing, because we just got a new door to an area that USED to have a deck in a location that was far too sunny. Now we will just have a small patio and stairs like this will be perfect. Thanks for all that you share with us. We really enjoy it.



    Emily
    August 28, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Glad that you enjoyed it – hopefully the references in the post will help you in building your own!

jb @BuildingMoxie
September 5, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Reply

Been so long since I checked in, and have really been behind on my reading — just now getting to this one. well done. great starting point for a simple set of exterior stairs. Thanks and hope you guys are doing great.



    Emily
    September 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    Thanks jb! We’re great, hope you are as well!

John
July 28, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Reply

Hi.

For connecting your balusters, I was wondering what your top and bottom rails’ material dimensions are? Did you split a larger piece of lumber to create the rails? Thx.



Donna Smythe
September 18, 2018 at 10:25 pm
Reply

My post are loose on my front steps at the bottom. Built about 8 yrs. ago. Not attached like yours which is lovely, tho my neighbor who had hers done this summer, hers is done like yours. Mine are attached without the cutout in the step and attached to the bottom step. Need to know how to stop the post from wobbling when walking down the stairs.Any help will be appreciated. P.S. My post are 3-4 inches wide, very thick.



    Emily
    September 19, 2018 at 7:56 am

    How are they attached to the step, Donna? Can you reach beneath or add extra hardware to the side, into the structural part of the staircase? Or does the entire post have to be replaced?

Orlando handrails
June 16, 2023 at 7:38 am
Reply

Thank you for sharing your journey and providing inspiration for others looking to improve their rental homes on a budget. Your creativity and determination serve as a reminder that even small changes can have a big impact. Well done!



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  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

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