Stairs That Flair Out As They Go Down

by Steve
(Pataskala, Ohio)

I am trying to figure out how to build some deck stairs that grow wider as they go down. Some call them wrap around stairs or cascading stairs.

They will have three stringers, one in the middle perpendicular to the deck and one on either side of it that would be at 45 degree angles.

I was trying to keep the steps parallel to the deck. The only way I can think to do this is to cut the riser part of the stringer at an angle that matches how the surface boards pass over them. The problem I see with this is that the stringer would be weakened too much on the inside edge and would probably fail.

Any suggestions?

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May 02, 2011
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Not easy to build for a beginner
by: Editor-Rich Bergman

Building wrap-around deck stairs or cascading stairs as they are also called is not recommended for a beginner. It involves multiple compound angles and stair treads that have wider diagonal spans at each corner and this can make the average head spin.

I have written a couple things on building deck stairs that get wider as they go down and they may be helpful as a starting point for you. Although they may also not be exactly on point for your situation. Its tough to say unless you upload some pictures to really show the details.

So please check out these pages and their comments:

Hexagon Wrap Around Deck Stairs

Wrap Around Stairs

And of course it would be great if some of the many talented and experienced deck builders in the crowd would also chime in with their suggestions. Let's get the wisdom of the crowd going to help this fellow out!

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