stairs Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Charles Buell Consulting LLC

February 19, 2012 by Charles Buell

Basement Stairwell Lighting

Stairs to basements in older homes are often steep and built to less than satisfactory standards. It is almost as if they were constructed as an after thought, and were fitted in any way they could. They often have sharp winding turns, insufficient or missing handrails, low clearances to bang your head on, and insufficient or missing side barriers. Often these stairs were never meant to be used on a daily basis but merely provided access to the furnace etc.

While these stairs might have been somewhat satisfactory when the only thing down there was the furnace and the water heater, as these basements took on more everyday uses such as laundry rooms, family rooms, and additional bedrooms, these stairs represent an increased safety risk.

Improving these stairs so that they are not so steep and are safe by current standards can be very costly and might even require relocation of the stairs and/or changes in the floor structure. This is usually not done.

One requirement that becomes necessary as the basement is developed into “living space” is for there to be a light switch at the top and the bottom of the stairs. This is especially important as a safety “upgrade” if the stairs are themselves to remain dangerous—-and least you will be able to see where you are falling and others will be able to locate you to pick up the pieces.

In older homes, a switch only at the top was quite common. A home I inspected some time ago used to have a switch located at the top of the stairs but it was abandoned in favor of one located half way down the stairs—-sort of “ideally” wrong for whether you were going up or down the stairs.

Light switch location for basement light — Light switch location for the basement light

Stairs are a complicated component of a home and making them as safe as possible is important. Having adequate side guards, handrails, headroom and lighting are critical to safe use of the stairs. Some safety features can be improved on even older stairs that cannot be completely brought up to current standards.

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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February 4, 2012 by Charles Buell

Stair Handrails and the minimum standards of the building codes.

I have done posts in the past about stairs, and how as a component of the home, they are perhaps one of the most difficult things to get right.

There is tread width, riser height, riser/tread ratios, consistency of riser height, nosings, stair width, slope of treads and many other factors.

Side barriers and hand railings are more things to take into account.

On a recent new townhouse I found a hand rail that was not parallel to the run of stairs. As in this next picture “A” and “B” should be equal. Due to “perspective” they may actually even look parallel.

Stair handrails — Stair handrail that is not parallel to the run of the stairs

In this case the handrail at the top of the stairs, from a point at the stair nosing vertical to the handrail, measured over 41.”

At the bottom the height was 37.”

This meant that “A” and “B” could not be equal.

Current regulations require the handrail to be between 34” and 38” from the nosing vertical to the handrail. Because the highest point of the handrail is more than 38,” it will need to be corrected, but the fact that it is not parallel would not, in itself, require repairs. As long as one end is above 34″ and the other end is below 38,” the handrail would “technically meet current regulations.

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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January 23, 2012 by Charles Buell

Planters for Head Plants—don’t need no stinking barriers!

With the exception of a missing handrail for the stairs, this installation meets “code” requirements.

Missing stair barrier railings — Missing stair barrier/railings

The platform outside of the door is 29-3/4” above the patio surface. If it was over 30” a guard rail would be required to prevent falls from the platform.

This is one example of how the building codes should be considered “minimum standards.” Some times, for safety, we must go beyond the codes.

To me this installation represents a serious safety hazard and improvements are warranted. Besides the fact that most people would not want to walk off this platform in the dark and fall head-long into one of the planters, imagine trying to negotiate the stairs and wrestle the door open at the same time—-with no hand railing or barrier railing. Of course closing the door represents the same difficulty.

Another thing to consider is wind.

Imagine opening the door from the inside and having it be caught by the wind. Would you let go of the door and allow it to slam against the outside wall of the house? Envisioning the expense of broken glass, some would attempt to hang onto the door, and be dragged screaming into one of the waiting planters?

At the very least lets move the planters. 🙂

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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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