Doing home renovations yourself is fun and pocket-friendly, but building stairs can seem daunting. However, once you've learned the basics of making calculations, planning a new staircase isn't that hard. With some tools and instructions, you can learn how to measure for ladder construction while clearing the confusion. That way, when the time to build comes, the opportunity to make mistakes can be minimized.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Measuring Inclines and Number of Stairs
Step 1. Measure the height, or "incline," of the space where you want to build a ladder
Using a tape measure, measure the overall height of the space you want to make the stairs from from bottom to top. This is referred to as the “incline” on the measurement and will determine how high the ladder will be built.
Make sure to record every measurement made to avoid errors while planning and building stairs
Step 2. Subtract 1.8-2.1 m from the total incline to leave room for the head
Headroom refers to the height between the top of the stairs and the ceiling. Add a headroom measurement of at least 1.8-2.1 m to prevent injury.
- Headroom height is generally not regulated by a building code (a set of rules regarding the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings according to regional characteristics), but your local building code may have recommendations regarding headroom on stairs, so be sure to check them out.
- For example, if the total height is 290 cm, subtract 1.8 m, or equal to 180 cm to give headroom. This calculation will result in an incline as high as 110 cm.
Step 3. Divide the height by 15 or 18 cm to find the number of steps
For larger stairs, divide by 15, and for smaller stairs by 18. The number you get is the number of steps you will have so you can plan accordingly.
- For example, if the height value is 110 cm (after deducting 1.8-2.1 m for headroom) and you want a larger staircase, divide 110 by 15. You will have 7 steps.
- If dividing the incline from the ground to the second floor by the desired incline height does not result in a whole number, round up if the decimal number is greater than 0.5 or round down if the decimal number is less than 0.4.
Step 4. Divide the incline by the number of steps to find the incline of each rung
The incline of the rungs refers to how high each rung is. To determine the incline of each rung, divide the overall stair climb height by the planned number of steps.
If the total incline is 110 cm and, for example, there are 6 steps, each incline is 18 cm.
Part 2 of 2: Determining Tread Size, Width, and Distance
Step 1. Plan the “tread size” of each step of about 23-25 cm
Tread size, or steps, refers to the length of each tread of each rung. In general, the tread should be at least 23-25 cm to allow enough room to step on, but you can make it longer if you want.
Step 2. Find the total length of the stairs by multiplying the number and size of the treads of each rung
The total length refers to how long the ladder is overall. To determine the overall length, multiply the tread size by the number of steps planned.
For example, if there are 6 steps with a tread size of 25 cm each, The total length of the ladder is 150 cm.
Step 3. Plan the width of each step of 90 cm
The width of the steps refers to how wide the top of each rung is, and this area is perpendicular to the incline of each rung. The average minimum width for each rung is 91 cm, but you can make it wider if you want.
- This also applies to the total width of the stairs.
- Regarding specific minimum widths, contact your local government regarding the building code for stairs.
Step 4. Calculate the distance of the ladder stringer
The stringers run diagonally along each rung to prevent them from collapsing. To determine the stringer distance, square the tread size and the rise of the rungs, then add the results together. From these calculations, find the square root of the resulting stringer distance.
For example, if the stair has a tread of 25 cm, square 25 to get 625. If the step has an incline of 18 cm, square 18 to get 324. Add 625 and 324 to get 949. Then, find the square root of 949, ie 30, 8; This means that the stringer distance owned by the stairs is 30.8 cm
Tips
- Make a staircase design using graph paper while marking the incline, tread size, number of steps, width, and distance. Scale the graph paper box to a specific size so you can refer to the design while planning and building the stairs. For example, you can specify if each square measures 2.5 x 2.5 cm.
- Make a double stair count and double check the results before cutting any building materials. This step can help you avoid losses.
- If you have difficulty performing more complex calculations, use a calculator to determine the result.
