Did not pass code...

[recycled sixtie]

The lower deck is 2 feet high so apparently you don't need handrails or guards on those stairs. I know that if it is icy in winter then I wish I would have put handrails/ guardrails on. However I will post pics later so u monday morning quarterbacks can have your say.....again. Thanks for your input and humor!

[A930Rocket]

3 risers or 30" calls for handrails. If the distance from the top of the deck to the patio is 24', you should be able to make three 8" risers work (with handrails).

[johnsjmc]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I do not have an issue with the OP being upset with the quality of work he PAID for, but I truly despise that govt has anything to say about how someone chooses to build something on their own property. As far as getting hurt by tripping over something..... well I still place blame on the person who tripped and not the homeowner. I hate the fact that homeowners can be held accountable for having ice on their sidewalks in the middle of winter or for kids drowning in their pools or getting hurt jumping on a trampoline in the back yard. When I was growing up if I hurt myself at a friends house, I simply went to the ER and our health insurance covered it.... Now, typically the homeowner would get sued due to my error.

Everything now gets blamed on someone else. Spill hot coffee, sue the restaurant. Wreck your car, sue the automaker. Dive into water that is too deep, sue the homeowner. Ski out of bounds and get hurt, sue the ski resort.

The concept of taking personal responsibilty for ones actions is lost in todays society.

Rant over

BUT when should code exist? If you are connected to the electric grid I expect you to meet minimum standards so you don,t do something stupid which affects someone else. (Something like connect a generator during a power failure and electrocute a lineman because you didn,t have permission or appropriate disconnects).
Ever seen wiring in Mexico? They live in concrete houses for a reason.

Don,t connect to the public water system without meeting minimum code to stop you from affecting the safety of others. Things like a vacuum breaker to prevent back flow into the system from your pool or ?
Don,t connect to the sewer system either.
Leave things like the unsafe stairs and keep everyone off your property.
Don,t expect reasonable insurance rates either .You want to opt out so self insure.
Some states require tradespeople to be licensed as well as having a permit for any changes to the structure.this might seem onerous and interferring but it is Not usually a problem meeting minimum code.
Too many people watch a TV show and pick up a hammer and think thats it.

What about resale Leave your defects behind because they were good enough for you??

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

Code here would require that all step heights were the same and less than 7".

I'll have to check IRC 2009 on the 7" part, doing my first IBC job right now. General good practice says exterior steps have less riser height and longer thread depth than interior stairs.

Originally Posted by VINMAN

3 steps or more require a handrail.

True that.

The top step of less than 4" and not matching the other rises is very dangerous.

[gr8fl4porsche]

Code or no code. That is not the question.

Properly built stairs are safe and feel natural when walking on them. Handrails make sense as children, the elderly and intoxicated folks need all the help they can get.

You should be able to walk across the deck holding a large platter of brats, wings and ribs in one hand, your cocktail in the other, without the fear of stumbling down the stairs and having to spend the next half hour picking dirt and grass clippings out of your delicious, well prepared meal.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

The lower deck is 2 feet high so apparently you don't need handrails or guards on those stairs. I know that if it is icy in winter then I wish I would have put handrails/ guardrails on. However I will post pics later so u monday morning quarterbacks can have your say.....again. Thanks for your input and humor!

So, many Mondays have passed for us quarterbacks! Any updates before it is under the snow or will you at least tell us the actual code violation? You only told us it wasn't the lack of a hand rail.

G

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by aigel

So, many Mondays have passed for us quarterbacks! Any updates before it is under the snow or will you at least tell us the actual code violation? You only told us it wasn't the lack of a hand rail.

G

Okay you monday morning quarterbacks and stepbrothers. There is more to life than steps but I am almost done. I did them myself. I have until the end of August to complete them. What I have done is tilted the middle one to get the height right between each step. Allowable deviation is .25 inches.
The other two I have cut two inches off each stringer and drilled new holes and made the height between the steps the same. I have added two vertical rails to the handrails so some idiot kid cannot stick his head in there. There are no pics.
I am putting a 3 foot platform under the steps where the height of the deck is over 2 feet.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

But its funny how the ony way to meet the code is by using Simpson hardware. (who just so happens to be on the IRC council.....)

That is self-dealing b.s and a patent monopoly, but the Simpson hardware does work. Wood ends should rest on something and tow-nailing only shreds the ends which bear the weight and rot first.

The Japanese used to build with cedar without nails using mortise and tenon.

Originally Posted by dad911

No open risers.

This keeps people from slipping on ice, falling forward, and snapping both legs in two. A good code, IMO.

[HardDrive]

Can you get away with not having a proper footing?