Stairs to... hmmm, good question.

Anyone who has been to my shop, or seen pics from my shop, knows there is a 2nd floor that has a "apartment" with bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, etc.

We really haven't done anything about that area since getting the hanger, because, well it was not the most convenient place to access.

What was there since we purchased the place was a metal set of stairs.

as a person, you can get up there, no issue. (down is a bit of a challenge, much better to take it like a ladder)

Hauling anything with you, adds some complication to getting there.  Also there was the issue of there was no railing along the walkway so it was a little disconcerting for some to walk around up there.

We knew that someday we would build a set of stairs to make it easier to get up there, and get around up there, but it really wasn't on the "have to do now" list.

Until we got Jake.

Everyone knows who Jake is right?

Yep, thats Jake.  (aint he purty!) Well, I take Jake with me pretty much every time I go out to the shop.  Jake likes it out there because he can run around and chase things, and he loves all the smells.  The problem is sometimes I do need to go upstairs, and he wants to follow me.  Not only am I not carrying a 60lb dog down the stairs  (ok, maybe more like 70)  I also don't want him up there with no railing.

so consequently the stairs got pushed all the way up the to do list.  (the things I do for a damn dog)

First steps, building the landing.

posts are 6x6 treated and the joists are made from 2x12's.  Posts are in the floor with post supports anchored into the concrete and everything is nailed and screwed together.  Joists are 12" on center for the landing and covered with 3/4" plywood.

Yes, it is built to hold WAY more weight than we will ever put on it.

Next step was adding the stringers for the stairs themselves

The Stringers are also 2x12's and on 12" centers.  They land on a 2x12 pressure treated piece of lumber and have a notch to in them to keep them locked on the flooring cleat (which is also anchored to the concrete)

Did I mention I like to over engineer things?

the stairs are 4 feet wide (with the railing on the outside to keep a clear 4 foot area)  The landing is 4 feet square, to also make sure that there is plenty of room up there.

Did I also mention that Jake comes with me to the hanger?

its hard work with all the banging and sawing and stuff going on.  (and he is also covered in sawdust because he kept laying down right under where I was cutting)

as you can imagine, there were many runs to the BORG or Blue Box to get the supplies needed for all of this.

have I mentioned how much I love my Big Tex trailer?  It has done me right more times than I can count!

Anyway, so the next step was treads for the stairs.

treads are pine, unfinished, with rounded front and side edge.  These will stay unfinished and un covered (at least that is the plan)

Then I started adding posts for the railing

and needless to say I had also made a pretty good mess with all the work I had done so far.

Once posts were up I started with the railing itself.

The top rail consists of a vertical 1x6 and a horizontal 1x6.  Posts along the stairs and landing are 4x4.  Posts along the top of the wall are 4x6 and are notched to sit on top of and on front of the wall.  All the posts are screwed into structure and all the railing is nailed on

Since the walkway upstairs is really narrow, I was able to put all the railing outside the walkway to make sure I kept as much room as possible and make it as easy as possible to get around up there.

Then as you can see in the above picture, I started on the balusters.  I looked at a few different options for balusters and these pre-cut sticks from the BORG were the cheapest option for the 100 something sticks I needed.  All I had to do was cut them to length and they were ready to go.

Once all that nailing and adjusting and etc was done, which was a lot, it looked like this.

I think it all turned out really well, I am very happy with how it looks, Its very sturdy all the way around, and finally the most important thing, Jake loves it and is very comfortable going up and down the stairs and walking along the upstairs walkway.  Consequently he can follow me (or my beloved) anywhere we go while out at the shop.  Which makes him very happy (and less whiny)

so now of course, my beloved wants to start getting rid of a bunch of the furniture up there, now that we can...  so as usual, one thing always leads to 10 more.

Cherry Pie
DD