Prescott Daily Courier Columns

Courier column, June 13, 2008

I received an e-mail last week from 'Jack' in Prescott. Jack said he saves my columns when they have good information. I wanted to ask him, "What do you mean 'when' they have good information - they all have good information!"

Jack said his mother moved from Prescott to Wisconsin last year to be closer to most of her family. He said Mom's getting old, and she's kind of cranky and is no longer the "brightest light in the harbor." He said she always read my columns when she lived here because they made her laugh, so now he sends some of my columns to her. I took this as a compliment.

Anyway, Jack just sold Mom's old home in Prescott, and that danged home inspector wrote up some major problems with the stairs. He said the interior stairs did not have proper headroom and were too 'steep'. He said both the interior and exterior stairs had different risers (heights) and no handrails. He made the stairs sound downright dangerous and recommended a contractor "improve them as needed." Jack said a contractor came out and said he could install handrails, but it would be very expensive to improve the headroom and uneven risers.

So Jack went back through my columns and couldn't find the one on steps. I was tempted to tell him that column must not have had 'good information', but actually I have never written about steps, so here we go.

There are two important facts that all home inspectors are aware of. The first is that a lot of the accidents and falls that occur in a home are on stairways. The second is that there are a whole bunch of attorneys in the yellow pages. Given these two facts home inspectors take a very good look at stairways.

The risers, or height of each step, are not supposed to vary by more than 3/8 of an inch from the lowest to the highest step. Although this does not sound like much, a larger difference could actually pose a trip hazard once someone gets in the 'rhythm' of a stairway. Other interesting facts (after all, I have to put some 'good information' in here): typically the treads should be at least 10 inches wide and the risers should be no more than 8 inches high. If there are more than three risers/steps, a handrail is required. In newer homes, the handrails are required to 90 degree into the wall at the top and bottom of the steps. There are other requirements for the height and the shape/size of the handrails, basically requiring the handrail to be easy to grab onto. And steps should have at least 6 feet, 8 inches of headroom at all areas.

From Jack's e-mail it appears the interior steps in Mom's house didn't make any of these requirements, and any home inspector would have commented on them. In an older home I comment that making all the improvements is not always practical or cost-effective due to the architecture of the home. I do get cute sometimes. Recently I inspected an old home that had very low headroom at the landing - less than six feet. I hit my head on the wall at the landing even though I ducked. My report said something about if you invite the Suns up for a weekend party you should duct tape a pillow on the wall at the landing. Not everyone appreciates my humor. I'm glad to know there's at least one person in Wisconsin that does.

I will always note these conditions in my report and warn my clients of the possible fall hazards. I inspected a home several months ago that was only a few years old. The interior steps were all about 8 inches high except the very top one, which was over 10 inches high. I didn't get cute in that report. When a home is 50 years old you expect to find some unusual conditions, but not in a three-year-old home.

Another item I find in older homes is a door at the top of the steps that opens into the stairway. It doesn't take the brightest light in the harbor to know this is an unsafe condition. I also find screen or storm doors that open over an exterior stairway. If you have to back off the landing onto the steps to open a door I will certainly make a comment about it.

While I'm talking about steps, I'm not a fan of those pull-down attic steps. Even if they're installed properly, I put a warning in my reports that these steps are only intended for occasional use and have a reputation for being hazardous.

I know home inspectors that won't use these; they put their ladder over the pull-down steps.

And more times than not, pull-down steps are not installed properly. There should be installation instructions on a label on these steps, assuming it hasn't fallen off or been painted. The bottom of the steps need to be cut so they lay flat on the floor when the steps are fully extended; there should not be any gaps by the hinges/sections of the steps. Usually there are small holes in the metal brackets by the springs (on the side and at one end). A long nail or screw should be installed in all these holes.

And finally, we have landscaping steps out in the yard. These can be blocks, timbers, or more creative materials such as dismantled picnic tables or miscellaneous car parts. These never have handrails. I just make a comment about being careful on these steps, unless there's something really unsafe such as long nails sticking out of the tables or sharp edges on the Buick bumpers.

User Rating: / 4
PoorBest