Stairs
Staircases
Stair Construction Requirements
Stair Stringer Layout
Cutting Stair Stringers
Deck Stair Stringers Spacing
Installing Stringers
Anchoring Deck Stairs
Planning to Land Stairs on a Future Patio
Support Long Stringers
Building a Cascading Staircase
Closed Stair Risers
Stair Tread Nosing
Stairway Lighting
Building an ADA Deck Ramp
Stair Safety Glazing Requirement
Stair Stringer Length
Box Steps and Stairs
EZ Stairs
Deck Builders
Watch the first of our deck design video series. Here are the three products in the video. Enjoy!
Gossen PVC Decking
BigFoot Systems
EBTY Hidden Fasteners

Deck Stair Lighting

Believe it or not IRC code requires that you provide lighting for your deck stairs.  It is rare that stair lighting is ever inspected because deck inspections take place during the day.  In most cases your exterior light beside your patio door will be sufficient but there are a number of easy solutions that can also add a unique design expression. 

 

Low voltage lights can be purchased that can attach to the riser boards on the stairs or can be installed to the rail posts to provide enough light to see the treads and prevent a fall.  They use low voltage cable and attach to a transformer that plugs into an outlet just like landscape lights.  You will need to make sure you have the proper size transformer to provide enough power to all the lights.  You may need to adjust the positions of the stair stringers to accommodate the light unit especially on cascading stairs.  A variety of styles are available.  Some light posts are powered by solar cells that do not require any external power source and eliminate the hassle of hiding the wires.