Hello all,
Total klutz here, fixing my deck stairs.
There is a landing, and then 3 steps up to the main deck. I’m replacing the last bit, from landing to deck.
The top step is down, not level with the main deck. So there are three sets of treads but four rises. Total rise is 29 ¼” from tread-surface of landing to that of the deck. Total run is about 30”. The stairs are about 4’ wide.
The existing construction is flimsy. Everything is pressure treated, and the stringers were made out of 2 x 12, which is good. But the deck uses 2x6 joists; the rim joist is not doubled. The stringers do not reach the rim joist at all; their tops are about ¼ inch below the bottom of it. The guy nailed up three two-foot vertical 1 x 3’s to the inside of the rim joist (the side toward the deck, not the stairs) so they project down a foot or so, and then attached the stringers to those. Is this as laughable as it looks to me?
So what to do? Should I put in a hanger board? I imagine using 2 x 12, across the width of the stairs. This would project down about 4” below the rim joist, which is enough for the stringers to attach to. I would put the hanger board on the inside of the rim joist, where the silly sticks are now. Does that sound solid?
How do I attach the hanger board to the joist? How do I attach the stringers to the hangar board? (I assume I just nail/screw through the hanger board from the backside into the end of the stringer? What should I use for nails/screws?)
If there are relevant existing threads, point me to ‘em. The ones I found about how to attach stringers seemed to assume indoor use.
Thanks in advance,
Jim G.