Today's stair "issue"

Just for you Dale.

This was today’s Zinsco - copper bus bars and a mess to boot!

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Holy mackeral…:twisted:

About the only way to double tap anything would be drill a hole through the dead fronts…if they had um!..:stuck_out_tongue:

Wow, no handrails and uneven step spacing. When you fall, you’ll have nothing to grab onto. Don’t see construction this bad in my area. (Maybe Keswick!

Jeff: do you use the irc in Ca, and if so doesn’t the handrail have to be continuous down the stairs, to the landing and below. I think it says any stairs with 3 treads or more have to have it.

So if I’m understanding this right, there cannot be a stair-stepped wall, it basically has to be a sloped wall?

I do see a handrail on that other wall away from the potted plant wall.

It can be stair stepped so long as the minimums are maintained.

But you could have the lower stair-stepped if one put up a guardrail and/or handrail? Potted plants don’t cut it?

CA uses the CBC which is based on the UBC.

Interpretation of the IRC would show the hand-rail to be acceptable, and not required on the lower steps.

The IRC states that “handrails shall be provided on at least one side of each continuous run of treads or flight with four or more risers”.

It goes on to define a “flight” to be that portion of treads and risers between landings. Which would negate the need for a guard or rail at the lower portion.

The CPC is a little different in its specification -

The CPC specifies “stairway.”

Which would mean (as I have interpreted it) that the lower portion is a continuation of the stairway and requires a rail and guard.

The “open” side (pictured with the tape-measure) is wrong according to both the UBC and IRC.

Ah-ha.

How about if one put huge, monster, gigantic, heavy potted plants there?

As long as that plant can resist a lateral force of 250 lbs. AND you cannot pass a 4" sphere through, or around, any point of the potted plant, measured up to 34" above the walking surface, sure, no problem.

Originally Posted by rray
How about if one put huge, monster, gigantic, heavy potted plants there?

:smiley:

Oh…It’s nice to laugh !..:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Hi Jeff, I’ve been called out on this and have had the building inspector make me install the continuous hand rail complete to the bottom of the staircase, landing included. In NH they always side on saftey.

Really?

Cool.

There are a lot of heavy clay pots at Canyon Pottery that would fit in that spot perfectly. They’re up to six feet tall and, filled with soil, would probably resist a lateral force of 500 lbs. And they’d look really cool with a heartleaf ivy or a devil’s ivy planted in them and hanging over the side of the pot.

But would they pass the 4" sphere test?

As long as one positioned them properly since they are column pots. They are used quite often in the high-end homes here, and I have my eye on a couple of them for use down at the driveway/street. So if one positioned them 4" apart, yes no problem.

That’s why I was questioning everything. Many of the homes out in 4S Ranch have stairways such as yours but they put big, huge, monster, gigantic, heavy columnar pots there, and because the pots come with the house, and were so big, huge, monster, gigantic, and heavy, I’ve never called it out as a problem.

Did they have shag carpeting?..:smiley:

No. In fact, those homes tend to look like mausoleums or museums, not conducive to Ms Margarita and Dr Cuervo’s lifestyles.

In fact, I have never seen new shag carpeting. Even all my apartments in college were old shag carpeting.

There was a house on This Old House once, where they made the guard rail/wall like a pocket door, so they could get their c/o and then they would just slide it back out of the way.
It may have been a architect.

3 entire pages of “can my clay pot(s) pass code”, you’ve gotta love it! :slight_smile:

:smiley: :smiley:

Hell…I’m going to start recommending them…:stuck_out_tongue: