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Attic Stairways: Guide to Stair, Railing, Landing Construction & Safety Inspection
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
Attic stair & pull-down or folding stairway construction, installation, inspection, hazards & repairs: this article explains how to inspect the condition and safety of attic stairs, folding or pull-down attic stairs and ladders, and attic stairway railings, landings, & treads, and related conditions for safety and proper
construction. Weinclude references to key documents on building codes and stair and railing safety. Our page top photo shows a remarkable attic access method encountered by the author.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Attic Stair Inspection & Safety Concerns
We've had several reports of severe injury involving collapsing attic stairs, including involving home inspectors as well as occupants. Attic & Basement stair defects can be grouped by the stair type:
Conventional or home-made attic stairways - hazards and defects
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 Watch for attic stairs that do not meet recommended standards for
- Attic Stair Step riser height - often limited space led attic stair builders to construct very steep stairs with very shallow treads, and as in our photo at left, no handrails since the railings were in the way of carrying stuff in and out of the attic.
- Step tread depth
- Missing railings
- Stair top landing guardrails missing - often omitted around the top of an attic stair that emerges into the attic floor - easy for someone to step backwards and fall right into the stairwell.
- Worn, damaged stair treads
- Basement walkout stair cover rotted or loose - a serious child hazard such as shown in our photo at the top of this page.
- Debris, toys, or stored items stored on steps - a serious trip and fall hazard (Photo at left).
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Defective & Unsafe Attic Folding Stairs or Pull-Down Attic Stairs
Watch for these common folding attic stair or ladder defects:
- Attic pull down stair spring and hinge bent, loose, broken - risk breaking spring or hinge parts striking users pulling down the stairs (See photo at left). Check the pull down stair arm and hinge parts for
- Bent stair arm parts
- Loose rivets securing the hinged pull-down attic stair ladder to the hinge point on the stair frame (photo at left)
- Spring popping off of top of the spring carrier (photo at left)
- Spring arm loose, not remaining parallel to its hinge mount (photo at above right)
- Attic pull down stair that does not close property - air leaks, heat loss, and risk of mechanical damage may leave a stair like this unsafe. (Photo at left).
- Loose or missing bolts or hardware securing the attic folding stair hinges
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- Loose or missing bolts securing the stair or ladder treads to the attic stair stringers or sides
The hardware used on most attic folding stair kits is not redundant. If a nut or bolt falls out of a hinge because it was not kept tight there is serious risk of stair collapse. |
- Attic pull-down or folding stairs cut too short, perhaps not reaching the floor, leading to an unsafe and ridiculous "hanging" attic stair (Photo at left)
- Attic folding stairs cut too long, causing a pressure point at the folding hinge, leading to split or broken attic folding stair stringers or sides (See photo at the top of this page)
- Attic folding stairs installed over an existing building stairway such as to a lower floor, attic folding stairs folding down onto or into the lower stairwell (unsafe to enter or exit)
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- Attic stair frame not properly secured to the ceiling rough opening
As you can see in our photo, this attic pull down stair frame has been tacked in place using a pair of roofing nails set through a cedar shingle shim.
An ASHI home inspector was seriously hurt when descending a set of attic stairs like these when the stair set came away from the rough opening and fell to the floor below. |
Warning labels attached by attic pull-down folding stair manufacturers list the requirements for safe attic folding stair maintenance:
This label is from a stair produced by American Stairways, Inc. and it indicates, among other things:
- The stair is for residential use only
- Use 16d nails or 1/4" x 3" lag screws (at specified locations) to secure the stair frame to the rough opening (not roofing nails as we showed above, and not drywall screws as we often encounter)
- Properly trim the bottom segment of the stairs to meet the floor (details are provided)
- The coil springs are under extreme pressure ... inspect for loose parts ... lubricate (details are provided)
- Face the stairs when going up or down; use the hand rail for balance only (it is not load bearing)
- Do not use the stair if it is damaged in any way
- Other warnings and details are provided by the manufacturer on this label and in the installation instructions
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Examples of Other Bad Attic Access Stairs & Railings
More eccenctric attic accesses: an attic pull down stair ladder that is too short (below left) and a near-vertical "stairs" with a turn, (below right).
Cluttered, steep attic stair is an access hazard and possibly a fire egress hazard.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Questions & answers or comments about attic stairs and railings & attic folding stairs or pull down stair hazards
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
 Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
- The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
- American Stairways, Inc, Memphis TN, 901-795-9200
- "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
- Access Ramp building codes:
- UBC 1003.3.4.3
- BOCA 1016.3
- ADA 4.8.2
- IBC 1010.2
- Access Ramp Standards:
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
- ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
- ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standard
- The Circular Staircase, Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer
- Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438
"Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. "
- Mobile Home Inspections common defects unique to factory built housing, inspection methods
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST (nee National Bureau of Standards NBS) is a US government agency - see www.nist.gov
- "A Parametric Study of Wall Moisture Contents Using a Revised Variable Indoor Relative Humidity Version of the "Moist" Transient Heat and Moisture Transfer Model [copy on file as/interiors/MOIST_Model_NIST_b95074.pdf ] - ", George Tsongas, Doug Burch, Carolyn Roos, Malcom Cunningham; this paper describes software and the prediction of wall moisture contents. - PDF Document from NIS
- 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. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
- How to Clean Moldy Wood Framing & Sheathing How to clean/seal mold from/on exposed lumber or plywood subfloor or roof sheathing indoors - some suggestions based on our field and laboratory research
- Mold-Resistant Building Practices, advice from an expert on how to prevent mold after a building flood and how to prevent mold growth in buildings by selection of building materials and by anti-mold construction details.
- Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
- 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)
- Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- The Staircase, Ann Rinaldi
- Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson
- The Art of Staircases, Pilar Chueca
- Building Stairs, by pros for pros, Andy Engel
- A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding, George R. Christina
- Basic Stairbuilding, Scott Schuttner
- The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992
- The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
- Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- "The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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