Is the rise and run of your staircase correct?

Staircase inspections are my specialty. I have built many staircases, and I see small ones and large ones all the time that are built or installed improperly. The rise and run (height and depth of tread) is of course the main thing you check for. Inconsistant rise and run can cause you to trip. When you make that first step upwards, your brain automatically calculates the height your leg lifts up to clear the second step. Its kind of an involuntary reaction if you are not consciously concentrating on climbing the staircase.

If you have more than 1/4 inch difference between the first and second step (or any steps for that matter), you can trip. The hardest part about building a staircase is not getting the steps to be all the same in height, but to calculate the correct overall height of the staircase so that when it is installed that the step from the bottom landing to the first step is the same as the last step to the top landing. If the house has plywood floors and hasn't been finished with wood planks, Pergo, or whatever is the final finished layer, the added thickness of the flooring material can throw off the calculation.

When you build a staircase and you don't calculate properly, your mistake is a big one financially, and can upset the timing of other contractors. You may be able to salvage some of the wood, but you trash a lot of the lumber. I never had a disaster with one of my staircases. I took my time calculating, and if need be, I would transport the staircase to the site for a test fit. I didn't specifically get paid for this 'fit' time but I calculated this into my quote so it did not give me a 'fit'.

Some staircase contractors make me have a real 'fit'! - Ray