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		DO your own demolition work if you can. DON’T tear down your entire house! Pay attention to what you are demolishing. What is connected to that area? In Brigitte’s case it was her roof. Thankfully, handyman Anthony came along and just happened to have shoring jacks in his truck. Brigitte was able to support the roof and continue her path of destruction. DON’T rip everything apart until you’ve taken all your measurements. DO hammer in any protruding nails from your trashed wood. You don’t want anyone to get hurt. DO wear steel toe shoes so you don’t demolish your toes!

She’s Re-Building a Stairway to Heaven

1. Cut your lumber to the correct height for your posts. You can put it in place and secure it to the roof and base with screws. Once your post is secure and you’re sure the roof won’t collapse on your head, remove the shoring jacks.
   
2. Hang the joist hangers. For the first joist where the stair attaches, you’ll need two joists nailed together for added strength. Using a piece of the joist, you can mark a line where you need to put the hangers. Place a side of the hanger on either side of the line.
   
3. Screw in one side of the hanger. Place your joist sample in the middle of the hanger and squeeze in the other side you haven’t attached. This will ensure a snug fit for the joists. Secure the loose side and your joist should fit correctly.
   
4. Secure your joists by screwing them into the post. Treat the cut ends of the wood with cut-end preservative by painting it onto the boards. Finish boxing in your landing by adding the last boards.
   
5. Mark a spot for the rest of the joists by measuring out every 16 inches along the side. Hang the remaining joist hangers in the same way you did the first ones.
   
6. Cut the number of boards you need for the deck/landing and drill them into the joists. Leave space between the boards by placing the screws between them. This is very important if you live in a climate with snow or heavy rain. The moisture needs to be able to drain from the surface. Put the boards too tight together, and the water will pool. Leave a space that’s too big between the boards, and you could loose a heel on those fantastic new Kenneth Coles!!
   
7. To begin attaching the stairs, start with a stringer. You could do a lot of math and try and cut one yourself or you could go to your local building centre and purchase a pre-cut stringer like Brigitte did! Remember to bring the measurement for the height of your landing from the ground. Attach your first risers to the stringer and attach that to your landing.
   
8. Cut your risers and treads (the actual stairs). Place all of the boards for your risers on the stringer. Using a combination square, measure the distance from the edge of your deck/landing to the edge of your stringer. This is where you’ll want to screw in your risers. Use the same method to place and screw in the treads.
   
9. Place your second post at the bottom of the stairs in between the lowest treads and screw it into the stringer
   
10. For your railing, standard rail height is 36 inches, so the post going against the house should be that height. Brigitte was covering an existing hole left behind by the old stairs, so your project and post needs will probably be different.
11. Create frames for your railing: an outer frame for support between the posts and an inner frame for the pickets. The outer frame is screwed into the posts on the landing. The top of this outer frame is your railing.
12. On your inner frame, mark the spacing for your pickets taking into account their width and the amount of space you want between pickets. Once you have measured to your liking, hammer in each picket.
13. Slide the inner frame into the outer frame and secure it into place with short nails.
    

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