Front steps, to vent or not to vent
Hey All,
I am rebuilding the front steps on a Craftsman house to match a photo from the 20’s. The steps are enclosed on either side by short walls that are sided with cedar siding to match the house and capped with a concrete cap. The short walls are configured like two giant steps at either end of the treads. This means the sides of the stairs are closed in so no drainage. The risers are closed and the the homeowner wants to use painted CVG fir treads to match the original. Since the side walls but up to the house and the risers are closed this leaves a dead space under the stairs. This is Seattle so it sometimes rains here. I am looking for ideas on how to flash the sides of the stairs and how to seal the joints where tread meets riser so that water stays out from under the steps and the dead space. Or should I concede that water is eventually going to get under the steps and instead focus on venting the area under steps so that it can dry out when it does get wet. The venting idea makes the most sense to me, but I just wanted to know if there are other ideas out there.
Thanks,
Brad
Replies
I've done similar jobs. The reason we are there is because the old construction led to problems. Water will get into any horizontal joint and the microbes and critters will find a home. The last set I did, I built the railings walls and kept the stairs independent. I ran a skirtboard on the walls and flashed that. The stringers, treads and risers were kept about 3/16" from the walls. The skirtboard allowed the parts to be cut square, instead of matching the angle of the siding. I ran solid risers, kept the two piece tread away from the riser and left a gap between the tread boards. Any part of the structure can be repaired or replaced independently. This allows water a place to go without trapping it and also lets the structure breathe. Of course, proximity to the ground and plant material will advance rotting problems in the future. Using treated materials and wrapping bituthane in problem areas is a good idea. Water will win the fight every time, stopping it doesn't work, so I just try to give it a place to go away.
I agree with what Hammer said--water is going to get in regardless what you do; just allow it ways to get out without doing damage. Venting would be good. Around here, skunks and other critters like to build homes under porches and in window wells, so whatever you do, you might want to cover the vents with hardware cloth (like a window screen with thicker wires further apart). Incidentally, I found something called Starter strip, which is bituthene (Ice Guard) in 12" width's instead of the 36" that it usually comes in. Handy for waterproofing around windows and such.