Picture a stair slope in your mind to estimate about a 40-degree slope and guess at a landing point. Rest any straight piece of deck lumber on the deck and level it over to the landing point. Measure ...

DEAR TIM: I read your recent column about building stairs for a deck. I can handle that, but I’m worried about how to make all the complex cuts required for the deck stair railing. Can you give me a ...

We’ve got the frame, the boards, and the weatherproofing—now it’s time to finish strong! In Part 4 of Building an EPIC Deck, we tackle one of the most important (and satisfying) parts of the project: ...

Building a staircase is a job for a master carpenter, but an experienced do-it-yourselfer can usually construct a simple set of stairs for a back-yard deck. Cutting the pieces and assembling them are ...

Dear James: My old wood deck is deteriorating and the stairs could be hazardous. What is the easiest way to install new ones for an inexperienced DIY-er? — Shantell K. Dear Shantell: You are correct ...

To lay out a set of stair stringers from scratch requires a little math, but not much. Equally important is some quiet time to run the numbers and at the same time to think about the construction ...