Exterior stair problems

[lizdion]

The house I'm doing is a few feet off grade and has several porches with stairs to the ground. I have tried defining exterior spaces with invisible walls and selecting "slab" for the room type. If I draw a stair up from the slab to a porch, it goes above the porch and tells me I need more treads to get to what amounts to the 2nd floor. If I draw the stair down (using shift) from the porch to the slab, it buries itself completly underground. I try moving it against the porch, where it stops, but it stays underground.

The only way I have had some success is making a landing on the ground. But then the landing has to be so that the stair just meets the edge and it's a nusance getting the stair adjusted just right between the porch or deck and the landing. Seems like it should be easier. Is this the best way?

Shouldn't stairs recognize slabs and not go through or under them?

v10.06a

Liz

[Chiefdoggydogg]

i use the invisable wall technique then lower the floor to grade and draw my stairs from the invisable room at grade level to the edge of my deck seems to work perfect.......now interior stairs ,thats a whole different universe and i still havent really figured it out

[zoome]

I do not subscribe to the invisable room theory for exterior stairs.

I first make sure my terrain is set correctly. Then I draw my stairs from the floor plan down to the terrain (holding the shift key so that it makes them go in the down direction rather than up).

That is it. Works every time.

Zoome

[Allen42acj]

On the videos it says to "deleete deck framing ,then rebuild it.
Never tryed it but ,it worked on there.
Allen Colburn

[lizdion]

I just watched the deck stair tutorial again to see if I missed something. Didn't see anything about rebuilding framing so you must mean a different video.

My porches are actually a slabs on a CMU retaining walls and the floor level is at -6". Maybe that is the problem. I've tried changing the room name to deck instead of porch or slab but that doesn't seem to matter. If I draw a stair up from a landing or "room", it wants to keep going and does not break the rail. The dbx tells me I need 20 risers to reach the next floor.

If I draw down to a landing or room (holding shift) it buries itself underground.

If I draw the stair down without a landing or room at the bottom, it starts the stair 6" above the porch (at elev =0).

I can work around by making a very narrow landing at the top set at -6. It's just more work.
Liz

[ChiefCanada.com]

Hi Liz: You are right about "it should be easier". Actually I use the invisible wall method all the time for and never have a problem. (and you don't even have to set them as slabs.) Stairs should always recognize a difference in elevation between floor hights. There is something going on in your plan or you have a bug. I would be glad to have a look at that plan. (mail@chiefcanada.com)

[Allen42acj]

It was the terrain video that I saw it on.Think it makes a cement platform but not sure.I still have not realy tryed terrains yet.Hope I'm spelling" terrain "correct
Good luck
Allen Colburn
Video 139 near the end off it

[Allen42acj]

Right video,but that's not the answer.I was mistaken(maybe even wrong) .I tryed.
Allen Colburn

[lizdion]

Thanks for trying to help, Allen.
Ron, I emailed the file to you.
Thanks,
Liz

[Allen42acj]

Your welcome
(shaking my head in shame)
Allen

[lizdion]

Allen, Just realized you are in RI. Born and raised there myself.
Liz

[Allen42acj]

Liz
Bet you dont miss the winters I'm in Pascoag(Burriville)or boondocks.lol.
Nice place to live,just nothing around here.
Allen

[ChiefCanada.com]

Hi Liz: Sorry this took so long.... I figured out your problem with the stairs (actually Dan Park did) The decks have "floor supplied by the foundation below". This means there is no floor on the main so the stairs cannot see a floor.
You can correct this by deselecting "floor supplied" (structure tab) and placing the floor on the main level. Set the floor type and thickness while you are there.
As you stated narrow landings would be an alternative. BTW the stair you did with the narrow landing needs more risers.

[lizdion]

Wow. Thanks a lot Rob and Dan. I never would have thought of that. Didn't know the floors worked that way.
Liz