Hey guys I am new here but I wanted to ask and get an opinion on this as we aren’t very handy ourselves.
My fiancée and I are finishing a lofted apartment area above a garage. We hired a family friend’s husband as our contractor and so far we haven’t made it far into the process.
He has torn down the old deck and put up a new extended one, which looks okay from what I can tell. However there are a few points on the stairs, especially the bottom step, that have splits in the wood. I am concerned that this may lead to loose boards or repairs needed later on.
Based on my one wood shop class in high school, I didn’t think this looked good, but like I said I am not very handy so I want a second opinion. Is this something I should have them fix or is this to be expected?
Is that tongue-and-groove shiplap boards for the treads? If so, those are interior boards; they're likely made of MDF and won't last long outdoors in the weather.
Why not just run the screws in from the top of the tread down into the stringer? The angle is what's causing the splitting; the screw is putting pressure perpendicular to the grain, pulling it apart.
Going into the side of the stringer like that, it's a good idea to drill out your screw holes but is looks like that wasn't done.
There's a big ass shim under the leftmost stringer. The rightmost stringer doesn't even look like it's touching the ground. Second from the left is only partially touching the ground and needs a shim. None of the stringers are attached to the ground. I would use joist hangers and tap cons going into the concrete.
The split stringers need to come out and be remade, which means the whole staircase needs to come apart. All of the stringers should touch the ground and be anchored to the ground.
Everything needs to be made of pressure treated, preferably ground contact rated, lumber. At minimum, the stringers should be rated for ground contact and the treads should be pressure treated.
Also, file your permits. If you get caught building unpermitted stairs, you'll be fined and have to tear them down. If they break and injure someone, your homeowners insurance won't cover it because you negligently built an unpermitted structure, which means you're personally on the hook for any judgements levied to grant their relief.
Our contractor claimed the boards were exterior composite decking boards that should hold up to weather. They aren’t real wood and are very fake looking, and we decided to go that route to avoid paint/stain.
Everything construction-wise you described were things I noticed but didn’t know enough about which is why I posted here. So thanks for your detailed post!
You are correct, none of the stringers are attached to the ground, just resting on it, or in the case of the right side, just floating. They are resting on concrete they poured, so I am not sure if that helps with the concerns about the lumber treatment or not.
We don’t need permits for residential construction under 4 units in our county so we are okay there, but my fiancées dad is still the county building inspector and will be examining it.
Thanks again for your help!
No its that outdoor manufactured to look like wood product. It will hold up outside just fine, but not for a step. Its basically a deckboard. You wouldnt use that for a step.