Brownstone - new front stairs

January 31, 2014
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With the added height to the bottom of the building to accommodate the garage door, a new front staircase needs to be constructed since the kit steps will be too short. I bought some stair molding from Manchester Woodworks so I could cut my own steps. The original stairs are 3/4" tall whereas the trim molding is 11/16" tall, but it's such a small difference that I will use the kit stairs and the trim molding stairs together to make the taller staircase.

The kit stairs are 4 1/2" wide, so I cut 8 new stairs from the molding using this measurement and glued them together as a set. I've left the bottom three kit steps separate for now but taped them in place to check the fit. I also propped the smaller top step from the kit in place.

Mike (mesp2k) has a wonderful drawing of the Golden Gate View that shows the construction better than the small kit box photo. One thing I don't like is there is no front porch to speak of; the recess in the doorway is essentially the porch. Not what I want at all and not very realistic.

I have two choices: add a modest front porch board that will push the steps forward or I can alter the front wall to push the entrance back into the building. I really don't want to add any more depth to the landscape board than necessary. This build will have next to no lawn, because I don't think its necessary for the style. Leaving 1-2 inches of ease around the building should be sufficient for transport and display. If I add a porch board to the front, I just make the footprint larger.

So, that leaves pushing the entrance back into the building. I do have some room to move the interior stairs back, so I think that's what I'll mock up next.