In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to add stairway headroom in a few simple steps.
Steps for Adding Stairway Headroom
- Carefully pry old stair treads from staircase.
- Use a reciprocating saw to cut out the old stair stringers.
- Cut new notched stringers from 2x12s using a circular saw; finish cuts with handsaw.
- Attach metal hanger plates to top of each stringer.
- Nail metal timber hangers to bottom of each stringer.
- Set new stringers into stairway opening.
- Fasten top of stringers by nailing through hanger plates and into header.
- Secure the bottom end of stringers by nailing through the timber hangers.
- Nail new risers to stringers.
- Rip old treads down to fit new stringers.
- Nail the stair treads to the stringers.
