Well, it may not work for you, but it worked for us. Current Portland Building Code requires that stairs must be a minimum of 9 inches deep (run) and a maximum of 8 inches high (rise). Remodels like ours must also conform to this standard, unless they include an “Existing stairway that leads to existing finished living space that was created with a building permit (Verify prior permits at the Development Services Center).”
That last part is key. Because while our attic space was definitely liveable before we pulled down the vintage paneling, its stairs are more definitely non-conforming. Our run is anywhere from 8.25 to 8.5 inches, with an 8 inch rise, and a barely-noticeable nosing. This may not seem like much of a difference, but our estimates to bring the stairs into conformance started at a cool 10K, with structural changes that might have required re-designing the kitchen, attic stairs … you’ll pardon the pun if I call it a slippery slope.
But, we lucked out big time when we went down to the building office for the first time. You see, there was an existing building permit on file. A plumbing permit, anyway. (From 1927, even though we’d been told our house was built in 1928!). And if I may draw your attention to the line reading “Stories and Class of building,” you’ll see the magic words:
“new, fr. 1 1/2 sty dwg.”
Apparently, that’s old school builder-speak for “new one and a half story dwelling.” The second floor was intended as-built for living space, and its stairs for daily use. Hence, we are grandfathered in, by a probably now great-grandfather of a plumber working for Standard Plumbing and Heating Company in 1927. They’re still in business today, and now, so are we.
Bill Lynch Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 9:10 amVisit Bill Lynch
We recently moved to a new house and had the same issue in the stairs in our basement. They were pitched too steep so we had to get creative on how to redo it. Fortunately we worked with an architect and they noticed we could push the side of our house out to accommodate for the new slope. Fortunately, the part we pushed out is under part of the house that extends out anyway so it looks fine.
Gabe Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 11:19 amVisit Gabe
Dave, Brandy here saying hi..looks like you guys are busy as are we. Gabe is tearing apart our sunroom this week for a complete remodel so we’ll have to take some pictures of the progress. It feels so good to discover these “hidden treasures” our older homes sometimes reveal. On another note, another BIG Lueders boy on the way! Pretty soon we’ll have our hands more than full.
Stairs Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:18 amVisit Stairs
I have had bad experiences with stairs that are pitched too steep. If you move into an older house with stairs like this, my first recommendation is to either replace them or add some sort of non-skip guard to them to prevent tripping down them. Trust me, they can be a hazard, I know from experience!