Attaching Stairs To Cantilever Deck

Build a freestanding cantilevered deck supported by parallel beams.

Attaching stairs to cantilever deck.

The deck plans i recently submitted for a building permit were rejected by the building department s plan reviewer with a note explaining that according to the building code a deck ledger can t be attached to the rim joist of a house with a cantilevered floor. The joist cantilever over the beam by about 2 feet. Use positive connections to install stair stringers using stair stringer connectors to the front face of the rim to provide adequate support. The deck falls off the house or the guard rails fall off the deck that s a quote from ashi certified inspector john bouldin ph d in the may issue of the ashi reporter i ve already blogged about the importance of strong guardrails at decks and i ve blogged about the importance of properly attaching a deck to the house but i need to revisit.

See photo below with red lines indicate where stairs would end up on the left of the photo. Attaching stairs to a deck. Decks generally fail for one of two reasons. Or would i have to add more support under the end joist.

It is not always done the same way. Every set of stairs has to be connected to the deck somehow. I planned to hang some stringers off the far 16 side for a 4 wide set of stairs but i am now realizing i may have an issue since the deck is cantilevered. When done correctly this is a strong and code compliant method of building.

He provides a simple and stout detail for attaching the stairs to the deck using readily available metal framing hardware. Veteran carpenter mike guertin explains the loads and codes applying to deck stair connections. Deck joist cantilever rules and limits the distance your joists can safely cantilever or overhang a drop beam is determined by the size of the joists the wood type and grade of the lumber and the spacing between joists. If your first tread steps down from the deck you must extend the rim joist to create a solid surface below the deck rim to attach it to.

I ve mounted deck ledgers to many cantilevered floors in the past without a problem and i ve never heard of a. Most deck stairs are cobbled onto the deck as afterthoughts. Around alabama where eht is headquartered most decks are connected to the side of a house with a ledger board fastened to the rim joist of the house.