Exterior stairs: how can I lock top and bottom of a run so they end in the air above terrain

[GeneDavis]

Outside stairs to an above-garage apartment have me going in circles.  I'd like to have the Chief model match the one I did as a joinery workout in Sketchup, so con docs can represent this the way the CAD details will show all the construction details.

 

The structure attaches to the building, to four 6x6 posts that are "through" and are the newels of the landing and stair railings.  The lower run of the staircase ends atop a thick concrete pad that doubles as the bearing for the stair carriages and the bottom newels, and the lowest step of the whole affair.

 

It took me a lot of fussing with Chief, to get this arrangement where it is.  I want the inside-newels dimension and newel-face-to-wall face held as one traverses this staircase, and it is pretty much matching my Sketchup workout, but I am unable to do what I want at the bottom, while generating the two newels at the base.  Set away from its position in the Chief model, is the bottom-tread slab.

 

Is there a way to lock and specify both top and bottom elevations of a stair run?  I cannot find it.  

 

 

[VHampton]

Gene... The answer is that one or the other gets locked.  

 

I would start with the bottom landing. Lock it up, and see how a 7.5" rise works.

Then adjust the riser height until it meets up with the top landing (deck) accordingly. 

 

On the other hand... why not build (3) landings? That's the way the model is reading in the Sketch up. 

3 landings with (2) independent stair section. The landings provide the deck structure & footings which is quite handy. 

 

(Landing 1 looks like a section of stone or something. Not sure). Either way... 

 

There may be more control that way even if calculating the landings (mini decks) involves some work.  

 

 

[mtldesigns]

1 hour ago, VHampton said:

On the other hand... why not build (3) landings?

This is exactly what I do in these situations, but make the landings by creating a "deck" room.  This way you get the wooden frame that looks like a deck and not a one that looks internal.  Then follow up with individual stairs.  You already know the math, so creating the deck rooms would line up with your riser spacing.  

[VHampton]

Yep... that's what I meant with the miniature decks. 

 

The framing and sono-tubes are the added bonus rather than going after this with the stair tools alone.  

 

Nice job by the way Michael.  CA has come really far over the years.

 

"There may be more control that way even if calculating the landings (mini decks) involves some work."

 

 

[GeneDavis]

I failed when I tried doing the ground level step/slab as a landing.

 

Then I went down the rabbit hole of drawing a separate simple square building adjacent, no roof no ceiling so I could see it with an overhead camera, did a landing at the right height to generate a 7 tread stair run, matched all the specs for newels etc., then made a symbol of the stair run.  You can place a symbol anywhere you want.

 

In doing so, I could not figure out how to match the stair run in every spec aspect, so thought, why not raise the terrain (it is what determines step bottom when springing off grade, right?), raise the grade/terrain one 7-7/16" riser amount and take a tread off the 8 tread run to get what I needed, then make a symbol of that.

 

In fooling around with the stairs and the grade, I realized you can control the rise with your own input when locking the top, so I did that instead, and ended up successful.  The bottom of the 7 tread run sits exactly one riser height off the terrain, and the slab (not a landing) is correctly placed for height and position to make the bottom step and double as bearing for the stringer set and the newels.

 

This little exterior staircase exercise has taught me some stuff I didn't know about Chief stairs.  You CAN float a stair section in mid-air if you want.  Once you turn off automatic heights, you gain control of the rise and vertical position of the run.

 

I need to play around some more with the stair tools as regards positioning of the railings and newels, to see how various types of deck railings can be done.

 

Thanks to both of you for contributing.

 

 

[mtldesigns]

8 hours ago, VHampton said:

Nice job by the way Michael.

Thanks V

 

7 hours ago, GeneDavis said:

Thanks to both of you for contributing.

Your welcome Gene