Week 8

1. Week 8 Stairs and Fireplaces

2. Objectives • This chapter discusses stairs and fireplaces: types, sizes, code requirements, design considerations, and how to draw them • Residential applications are the primary focus of this chapter

3. Stairs • Form of vertical access • Stairs may be open, partially enclosed or contained in a well • May be residential, commercial, indoor, outdoor, built on site, or prefabricated • May be constructed of wood, concrete or metal • All stairs share some common features and must meet local code and accessibility requirements

4. Stair Features • Balustrade: assembly containing the balusters, newel posts and handrail • Wall rail: handrail that is mounted on a wall and supported by wall-mounted brackets instead of newels • Headroom: clear vertical distance between the tread and the ceiling, measured linearly along a sloped plane • Pitch: angle of the staircase; the rise divided by the run

5. Stair Features (cont’d.) Figure 11.6 Residential staircase clearances and dimensions.

6. Stair Features (cont’d.) Rise: vertical distance Run: horizontal distance Stairs, stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight: a series of steps or flights of steps used for passing from one floor or landing to another Landing: level rest area on a staircase Stringer: diagonal structural support for the steps

7. Stair Features (cont’d.) • Step: consists of riser and tread • Riser: vertical board at the front of the step • Tread: horizontal board at the top of the step • Well opening: hole made in an upper floor for stairway placement • Handrails and guards: help people steady themselves and usually consist of a single rail installed at a specified height

8. Stair Features (cont’d.) Figure 11.11 Step construction detail.

9. Non-Residential vs. Residential Code Compliance • Handrails on residence landings must be between 34" –38" high, measured from tread top to handrail top • Handrails on commercial building landings must be a maximum of 42" high. • Stairs must be at least 36" wide in residences and 44" wide in commercial buildings with occupancy over 50

10. Stair Types • Straight run stairs: have no turns but may have a landing • L-shaped stairs: have a landing and a turn • Used when there is not enough space for a straight-run • Winder stair: L stair where the L-shaped turn is made with trapezoidal treads due to lack of space for a landing • U-shaped or scissors stair: consists of two parallel flights

11. Stair Types (cont’d.) Figure 11.18 Winder stairs.

12. Stair Types (cont’d.) • Spiral stair: rises in a circle above a center point; used where there is little horizontal space available • Circular stair: requires a lot of horizontal space • Steps are trapezoidal and rise along an irregular curve or arc

13. Exterior Stairs • Designed with smaller riser heights and wider treads than interior stairs • There should be a landing every 16 risers on continuous stairs • Usually the same material used on the deck or porch is used for treads, and a non-skid material can be used to cover them

14. Exterior Stairs (cont’d.) Figure 11.31 Concrete, wood, and open-riser exterior stairs. Basement and exterior wood steps rarely require risers.

15. Stair Design • Consider the staircase’s potential use when deciding how wide to make it • Minimum code requirements result in steep, narrow stairs • Use several short landings • Avoid single steps to sunken rooms • Select handrails that complement the staircase • A well-designed staircase follows given formulae

16. Calculating How Many Stairs Are Needed • Formulae • Two risers plus 1 tread = 24"–25" • Riser tread = 72"–77" • Riser tread = 17"–18" • Angle should be 30°–37° • Know the total rise • Calculate the height and number of risers • Calculate the width and number of treads

17. Creating a Grid to Draw the Stairs • Draw a rectangle, making the length the total run available and the height the total rise • Divide one of the vertical lines into the number of risers needed • Mark off all 19 increments and project these increments horizontally to the vertical lines

18. Creating a Grid to Draw the Stairs (cont’d.) • Now divide one of the horizontal lines into the number of treads needed • Mark off all 18 increments and project these increments vertically to the horizontal lines • Darken the risers and treads

19. Creating a Grid to Draw the Stairs (cont’d.) Figure 11.38 Drawing a stairs grid: step 6.

20. Ramps • Sloped surface whose purpose is to make a building accessible • Landings are required at the top and bottom, and their length must take into account any adjacent doors • An entry platform should extend 18" beyond the handle side of the door to facilitate wheelchair use • Any ramp that exceeds a 1:12 ratio must have at least one handrail

21. Fireplaces and Stoves • Framed opening in a chimney that holds an open fire • A stove is a free-standing external fireplace in a metal container • All fireplaces share some common features and must adhere to building codes for proper build and installation

22. Fireplaces and Stoves (cont’d.) Figure 11.50 Different fireplace styles.

23. Features • Chimney: vertical structure that carries smoke and gas out of the room • Header: horizontal component over the fireplace opening • Firebox: combustion chamber where the fire is contained • Firebrick: heat-tempered brick • Surround: immediate border of the face around the firebox opening or a non-combustible/masonry decorative frame

24. Features (cont’d.) • Opening: rectangular recess in the surround • Hearth: floor of the fireplace. • Mantel: whole frame surrounding a fireplace • Vent: opening that draws air into the fire and allows combustion byproducts to escape

25. Fireplace Styles • Site-built: built on a masonry foundation and is usually rectangular with one, two, or three open faces • Prefabricated: has a metal shell and a brick-lined firebox and is insulated • Insert: heating unit that fits inside existing fireplace to convert it into an efficient zone heater

26. Fireplace Styles (cont’d.) Figure 11.58 Two-face opposite masonry fireplace.

27. Design Considerations • Purpose: to provide an aesthetic focal point, a zone heater, or both • Placement: fireplace can occupy an interior wall, an exterior wall, or a corner • Firebox opening size: important for appearance and operation • Available fuel options: cordwood, wood pellets, fire logs, natural gas, propane, oil, coal, and electricity

28. Summary • Stairs and fireplaces are important building components • Many styles and materials for each are available • When choosing and placing them, you must consider technical considerations and building codes along with aesthetic, functional, and design criteria