Misjudged a stair stringer cut in Portland last Wednesday

Honestly, I was rushing on a basement stair replacement here in Portland and cut my first stringer about 3/8 inch too short on the bottom. The whole rise ended up off by nearly a full inch after I checked it with my framing square. I had to scrap that one and redo it with a fresh 2x12, which cost me an extra hour and about 12 bucks in lumber. Has anyone else had a goof like that throw off their whole layout?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_owens25d ago

A short stringer just means you can shim the bottom and call it a learning experience, right?

-1

green.jessica25d ago

Shim the bottom and call it a learning experience" lol I love that. Honestly I used to think short stringers were just a lazy fix for a bad layout, but after seeing a few jobs where it actually worked out fine I totally changed my mind. It's all about how you handle the bottom edge and what you're working with underneath. @harper_owens you kinda opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes it's just practical instead of a cut corner. Plus if you're careful with the adhesive it can look clean even with a short piece.