- 1). Prepare the ground under the new stairs. It needs to slope away from the house. Add fill dirt as necessary. Unless you plan to set the bottom of the stairs directly on the ground, position cement pavers or bricks at the bottom of the stairs for them to rest on.
- 2). Measure how many steps that you need to build. Measure from the bottom of the door's opening to the ground. Divide by 7 since that's the height of a typical step. Subtract one, because that's the bottom of the doorsill.
- 3). Measure the width of the steps. If your steps are wider than 36 inches, you need a stringer for every 16 inches of width in addition to the two outside stringers.
- 4). Cut the 2-by-4 inch anchor board the width of the opening minus 3 inches. Center it under the door opening. Attach it to the house. If the house has masonry siding, use appropriate anchor screws to secure the anchor board.
- 5). Hold one stringer level with one end of the anchor board. Attach it to outside end of the anchor board with corrosion resistant screws. Repeat the process on the other end of the anchor board. If you are putting additional support stringers in place, cut 1 1/2 inches off the top of them with a circular saw. Toenail them in position so that they are flush with the anchor board.
- 6). Cut a piece of 1-by-8 lumber to create the stringer face. Cut this vertical piece so that it's flush with the outside edges of the stringers. Screw it in position on both of the outside stringers and the support stringers.
- 7). Add 1 inch to each end of the bottom step. Center the step in place on the stringer. Attach it to the outside stringers as well as the support stringers.
- 8). Continue working your way up the wooden steps, alternating between the stringer face and the stair tread.
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