Its deck season, the frost is out of the ground in WI. I built a deck and was about to attach the stringers when I got stumped.
How do you attach 3 stringers when you only dug 2 holes for the outside posts? The building inspector said no to a conc. pad at the base of the stairs. So I dug down over 48″ and poured concrete in sonotubes. i can attach the outside stringers easy enough but what about the center stringer? (Inspector is of no help.)
I plan to use some of the leftover 4×4 cutoffs to make a horizontal plate between the posts and ledgerlok the posts to it. I can then notch the bottom of the stringer to sit on and behind it.
What ideas do you guys have? WHY isn’t there more info on attaching stringers in the code book and available to everyone? Drawings would help.
Thanx in advance!
D—
Replies
stringer support/anchor
Not that this is any better than your idea, but you could pour a small concret landing anchored to the piers with a little space under it. Then set/anchor the stringerss to the slab.
I wonder why you can't have a pad. You may want the plate under all three so you don't loose strength with notch that big. (But I don't know how much you're removing so...)
You can't have a pad because there may be 6 inches of frost heave.
Your right of course....
I should have guessed that. We have the 4" frost heave occasionally here to, but i can't recall problems associated with deck stairs. At one apartment complex we landed 120 sets on pads. I'm just illustrating regional differences. I can't even claim to know what the code book says on that one. Only what we've done prior. I have a friend who builds in MI who says the soil is so sandy the don't get frost heave. Apparently, even footers don't go deep. I told him the wise man builds his house upon the rock.
If you hadn't already poured the concrete the thing to do would be to set the posts 2-3 feet from the end and run a beam across, then cantilever the stringers over the beam.
But you shouldn't need 3 stringers if you use solid risers.
funny isn't it...
It's common around here to have the same deck boards used on the steps, so 1 1/16" thick by 5 1/2" tread material, so we need a third stringer.
Isn't it funny how for something so common, no one has a drawing or an answer...
This should be covered in the next issue!!!
i have never talked to an inspector who is not more than happy to give their take on a solution. if the inspector turned down any idea you had as to "meeting" his idea of proper code interpretation then he would be the one i would be buggin to come up with a proper plan. (if nothing else to get a check mark so you can move on)
Stringer attachment
Your first riser can be made to carry the load from the middle stringer, could be a 4x between the posts/outer stringers, depending on your configuration. You did not mention the width of the stairs? The middle stringer bottom tread would be shorter by the width of the first riser. Here is a file with good info, not sure it is addressed specifically.
Good Luck!