Winding or Turned Stairways: Guide to Stair Winders: Construction & Inspection InspectAPedia® -
Stair winder specifications & codes for stairs that turn - angled stair treads
Stair & railing inspection form
Stair & railing safety hazards, photos of defects
Sketches of stair design requirements
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.
This document provides building code specifications, construction specs, and inspection details for winder stairs: stairs that make a turn without a landing: sketches, photographs, and examples of defects used in inspecting indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings, treads. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop.
Stairway winders or turns involve triangular treads to complete the turn as you can see in our photo at right (note the handrail which is not grasp-able and not child safe).
As the sketch above left shows, courtesy Carson Dunlop, in a staircase that actually makes a 90 deg. turn (as opposed to the curved stair at right) only one set of winders should be allowed in a staircase, and the dimensions shown address tripping hazards.
Of course more turns may be involved in a stairway, such as a circular stair.
The stairs shown at page top are not "winders" but also involve irregularly-shaped stair treads. At left our photo shows angled stair treads squeezing a stairway onto a New York City sidewalk.
This Carson Dunlop sketch shows the minimum tread width and radius for curving stair treads such as the stairs in our photograph above.
Angled or Curved stair treads are a particular trip hazard, especially because of the lack of uniformity and because the tread width at the inside of the curve can be too small for safe walking.
Our stair photo at above left shows tricky angled stairs that were squeezed onto a sidewalk in New York City. A passerby agreed to model the risk of falling. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop.
My daughter fell down curved stairs at a shopping mall where the triangular tread hazard was combined with a beautiful, architect-designed handrail that was about 8" in diameter - she was unable to grasp it as she was falling.
The photo shows her sister grasping n added handrail that was welded on to correct this unsafe condition.
The original "fat" hand railing that no one could grasp when falling is along the diagonal-right side of the photo.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
"The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
"Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or
ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2,
available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code.
The following stair books and other books on stair history, design, and architecture can be purchased at our Amazon-Supported InspectAPedia Bookstore
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992.
"The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
...
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.
The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.