Indy Total Construction

Staircases are often taken for granted yet they are complex pieces of carpentry which give many years of trouble-free use. They rarely need replacing: just as well, since they are often tailor-made to fit. Even so you can buy ready made versions, which cater for common storey heights and these can often be easily adapted to fit exactly.

A staircase comprises a number of steps fixed between two long boards which are fixed to the joists of the floors they connect. These boards are called strings, the horizontal surfaces of the steps are called treads and sometimes they have vertical boards between them known as risers.

Strings can be in two forms: closed and cut. With the former the ends of the treads and risers are housed in shallow slots cut in the face of the string and held there by wedges driven in from behind and below. The risers are fixed to the treads below with housing joints or screws, and to the treads above by triangular blocks glued and nailed in place. The top edge of a cut string is shaped to provide horizontal ledges to which the treads are fixed. Sometimes both foul’s of string will be used in the same staircase, the closed string being fixed against a wall with the cut string on the outside.

Further support for the steps can be provided by a beam that runs below the treads and risers parallel to the strings. This is known as a carriage.

There are two basic types of staircase: the closed tread and open tread. Of the two, the former is most common, having treads and risers in a boxed-in construction. The underside of the strings are usually clad with lath and plaster or gypsum board or there may be a closet below the stairs. The latter is preferable since it allows easy inspection and repair. The open tread staircase has no risers and is completely exposed.

In a closed tread staircase the treads are about lin thick and will overhang the risers by a similar amount, their leading edges or noses being rounded off. A decorative molding is often fitted below the nose. An open tread staircase will tend to have thicker treads because they are not supported by risers, although sometimes a batten will be set on edge immediately below them to stiffen the tread.

All staircases must have at least one handrail and if wide they must have one on each side, depending on the requirements of your local code. The handrail forms part of the balustrade, the other parts of which are the newel posts and balusters.

The newel posts fit at each end of the stairs with the handrail running between them. Not only do they support the handrail but often the strings as well which will be slotted into them and fixed with wooden dowels. Further support for the handrail is provided by the balusters which fit between it and the strings.

Though straight staircases are common, where space is limited it is often necessary for the stairs to change direction on the way up. A small quarter landing is used to provide a 90° change of direction and a half landing will turn the stairs back on themselves.

If there is not room for a half or quarter landing a turn can be put into the stairs by inserting triangular treads called winders. Winders are also used in spiral staircases which can be great space savers. Unfortunately they are not very practical since carrying furniture and other bulky items up them is difficult.

The positioning and installation of external doors is subject to the requirements of your local building code, so make the necessary applications to your local building department first.

Temporary support for the wall must be provided by Sin sq needles on top of adjustable metal props. To fit the needles, remove a whole brick from the outer layer and drill through the inner layer at the corners of the opening. Use the holes as a guide for cutting out the masonry from the inner layer. Insert the needles and tighten the props.

Draw the outline of the lintel on the inside wall and cut out the plaster and masonry from within. Drill the corners of the outer layer and remove the masonry. Fit the lintel on mortar bearings packed out with tiles or slates to set it level. Fill all round the inner portion of the lintel with mortar and rebuild any brickwork above it. Similarly rebuild the outer brickwork in the existing bond or stand the bricks on end to form a “sodier” arch.

When the mortar has set, remove the needles and brick up the holes. Then cut out the opening for the door frame — to fit the size of the frame.

Remove the bricks down to floor level, cutting through the protrud-bricks of the inner layer, on solid walls but removing whole bricks from the outer layer to give a toothed appearance. Square up the toothed outer layer by fitting cut bricks in place so that their “finished” ends are outermost.

Toe-nail the frame together before inserting it in the opening. Tack a length of flashing material to the underside of the sill, covering the nail heads with a bituminous sealant.

Fix the frame in the opening with screws and wallplugs, packing the sides to make them vertical. Fill gaps on the inside with mortar; apply caulking around the frame on the outside to keep out water.

The door sill should overhang the brickwork slightly and is best fitted with a metal weather bar, which is set in caulk. Once the frame is in place, hang the door and finish.

Building a birdhouse in your area for the wild birds helps replace part of the natural habitat lost due to the environmental problems caused by development around most industrial cities, where pollution has reached alarming proportions. People that love the companionship of birds will also find this activity fun and rewarding. While constructing a birdhouse can be as simple as four walls, a roof and a floor, there are many things you would need to consider.

These things come down to size, materials, holes and placement. Wood should be regarded as the best building material (pin, cedar and fir), with aluminum coming close. No other metals are a good option since they would become extremely hot when exposed to the sun. Birdhouses can be made from a mixture of concrete and wood called “woodcrete.” Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows prefer these woodcrete bird houses. Birds nesting in these houses have a shorter incubation period and higher rate of reproductive success, possibly because these synthetic nests were warmer than the wooden bird houses.

The size of the bird house and that of the entrance hole should be related to the types of birds you would want to attract. Entrance holes should be near the top of the box and according to the size of the bird which will use the house. The hole dimension is a critical part in birdhouse building, because if it’s too small the bird species you chose to build the house for will not be able to get inside it. If it’s too large it would allow bigger, more aggressive birds to nest in it. Bird houses should have the interior walls roughened or have ladders to help the young birds in climbing to the opening.

Make it easier to clean after the nesting season by leaving one side of the birdhouse open. The roof is best to be slanted with an overhang of five to six inches, keeping predators from getting inside the birdhouse. It also protects the birds from driving rain. A good option would be to place the birdhouses at locations inaccessible to natural predators. You can make some adjustments to the birdhouses called “predator guards,” which would make it more difficult for a predator to reach inside of the nest. One such adjustment would be a simple additional piece of wood at the entrance hole adding “depth,” and making it harder for a predator to reach inside.

Birdhouses should be placed within 1/4 an acre, because some birds insist on territorial rights, and you could end up with empty birdhouses if they are built too close. Another thing to keep in mind is to paint the birdhouses in natural colors to attract more birds. Especially avoid dark paint as it absorbs heat.

Building a birdhouse is rewarding when you can sit and watch, as birds fill their newly made homes. Just remember to keep the birds’ lives in perspective when building their homes.