Stair Code?
We would like to drop a staircase down from our parlour floor to the garden apartment (currently no access). Can someone point me to the relevant code? This is a two-family brownstone, currently triplex / simplex. Any advice or shared wisdom is also appreciated.
We would like to drop a staircase down from our parlour floor to the garden apartment (currently no access). Can someone point me to the relevant code? This is a two-family brownstone, currently triplex / simplex. Any advice or shared wisdom is also appreciated.
There’s no code section for “convenience stairs”, but you can look in the standard code section for egress to see what is generally considered the minimum comfortable standards: 30″ wide, 8 1/4″ max riser 9 tread w/ 1 1/4″ nosing. However to coordinate those in a much more comfortable manner, you’d use the formula 2xRiser + Tread = between 24″ & 25.5″, which is where the 7″ & 11″ works well. 2×7 + 11 = 25.
However, a 7″ & 11″ stair is an uncommonly low angle for a stair within a residence, especially within an old brownstone, and even more so for a space-saving convenience stair.
As for the construction materials, in a 3 family brownstone, assuming masonry walls and wood joists, you can most likely do it in wood. This is something you’d need to file, so you should be using an architect, who will be able to verify the construction method based upon the construction type, occupancy class, and size of the building.
I also have a similar situation, I’m converting to a 3 family. I have to cut in a staircase also from Parlour floor to Garden floor. What kind of material the stairs has to be. Wood or Metal?
For sizing rules of thumb use a 7″over 11″ rise/run which shakes out to about a 30 degree slope. And allow around 7′ clear headroom.
I have similar situation here, so where to look for code for convenience stair? also in egress section? thanks.
One and two family residences only actually need one egress per floor.
Oh that’s interesting, Jim. Both floors have front and back egress.
If it’s just a convenience stair, between two floors each of which has its own egress, then you can most likely do 30″ wide stair that’s pretty steep.
At this point, I’m just trying to sketch out the possibilities. CAN a staircase that meets cod fit where I would like to put it? TIA.
If you are doing this with a permit as would be requried, your architect will take care of meeting code. Note, you cannot just cut a hole thought he floor as it is structural and a beam will need to be installed. Do a search on the net for the 2008 NYC Building Code, look under egress.