148 



The Country House 



Fig. 25. Showing the construction 

 of the upper run of a flight of stairs 



Owing to the tendency toward the returned staircase, it is best that the stairs 

 should be at least 3 feet wide. In the case of front stairs, 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet is 

 advisable, if the necessary room can be obtained. The landing 

 or turn may be even wider to advantage. &cond Floor 



Stairs are built on wooden stringers, generally made of 

 2-inch spruce (see Fig. 25). These stringers are 

 ordinarily three in number, are notched to receive 

 the raisers and treads, and are set on an incline from 

 one floor to another. Where the width of the stairs 

 exceeds 3 feet, four stringers should be 

 used. The framing of the risers into the 

 treads, as shown in the cut, is calcu- 

 lated to allow for the spring of the treads 

 between the stringpieces, as well as the 

 natural shrinkage of the risers. The 

 treads should be at least I inch thick; 

 \\ is stiffer and better. 



Where the length of the stringers exceeds one-half the story, carriages should 

 be affixed to them as reinforcements. These are simply pieces nailed to the 

 stringers in such a manner as to drop below them, thus making a stronger 

 stringpiece. Or, in other words, the carriage is a strip spliced to the stringer to 

 gain depth, and hence strength. The carriage is especially valuable when we 

 consider the weight of much of the furniture to be carted over the stairs. Stairs 

 ordinarily run along the side of the partition, and in such cases the wall stringer 

 is fastened to it, hence the carriages are only needed on the centre and outer 

 stringpieces. The precautions to be taken against fire have been previously con- 

 sidered. As far as the construction of the stairs are concerned, they are merely 

 supplementary. Briefly, they consist in stops of brick and mortar at intervals be- 

 tween the stringers, so as to stop any draught that might follow upward in this 

 space, and also the use of wire lathing. The stops thus used should be sup- 

 ported on strips of plank cut in between the stringers. All stairways should be 

 lathed and plastered on the under side of stringers, whether having a closet under 

 them or not. 



While the stairs are in process of construction it is well to keep a close watch 

 over them to see that both plan and construction are what they should be. It is far 

 easier to correct any mistake in the plan before the frame has been covered in, 

 and, with the rough and temporary treads and rough framing, one can readily tell 

 whether any change is necessary before this part of the work is carried further. 



