How about footing under basement stairs?
If I’m replacing the basement stairs and the floor is 3-4″ thick, do i need to have a footing under the last stair? Can I skip the footing If the carriages are supported by a wall?
I’d like to avoid cutting and digging the concrete floor that’s there. I was thinking if i need a footing, maybe the last stair is a concrete landing/footing on top of the floor, but will that whole thing eventually go through the floor? What do you think?
This is my first stairbuilding and I’ve read a couple articles from the magazine, but don’t remember seeing anything about needing extra support under that last step. I imagine it’d be ok if the carriages are well supported on their way down from the 1st floor.
Thanks, Dave
Replies
Except in extremely unusual circumstances, you don't need a footing under a slab to support stairs. I've never seen it done. You should indeed support the stringers on the way down, unless they're designed to carry the entire load of the stair without intermediate support.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
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Thanks Andy!
The foot of a stair sitting on 4" of concrete is actually a lot less load then say the load of an entertainment center with a TV in it.
Typically, basement stairs do not rest on a footing, just the 4" of concrete.
Runnerguy