Walls & framing
Build interior or basement stairs
Stringers, treads, risers, skirt boards and a handrail for a straight run or one with a landing — laid out to the code’s rise, run and headroom.
0 of 11 answers are yours. The rest are typical defaults — check each one.
Total rise, floor to floor
default
From the finished floor below to the finished floor above, where the stairs go. Add the flooring’s thickness if it isn’t down yet.
L with a landing
Quarter turn
U with a landing
Half turn
7¾″
The steepest the code allows
Tread depth, nose to nose
default
Length of the floor opening above
default
The stairwell, measured level from the header the stairs hang on back over the stairs. 0 if there’s no opening yet.
Floor thickness at the opening
default
From the floor surface above to the ceiling below: 2×10 joists with subfloor, flooring and drywall ≈ 11¼″; 2×12s ≈ 13¼″.
Carpet
Plywood treads under carpet
New oak over old stairs
Keeps the old stringers
A closet or finished space under it?