Plain-language explanations to read before you cut a single board.
The riser-to-tread ratio that separates an easy stair from a tiring one, and how to pick one for your own rise.
What the International Residential Code asks for on a residential stair, from riser and tread to handrails and guards, without the legal language.
From total rise to the finished cut: how many risers you need, how to lay out the notches, what to subtract for tread thickness, and how long a board to buy.
The one measurement every stair calculation starts from: how to take it, what to add or subtract for floor finishes, and the mistakes that throw off every step.
How deck stairs differ from indoor stairs: measuring to the landing, stringer size and span, how they attach, what they sit on, and the code points to check.
How stair width and tread material decide the number of stringers, a simple way to calculate it, and why the code does not give you a single number.
What the IRC asks for on a stair handrail: when you need one, how high, what shape you can grab, how it ends, and what the code does not require.
How big a stair landing has to be, where you need one, and the rules that apply when a door opens onto the stairs.