DEAR TIM: I need to build some simple outdoor steps to replace ones that fell apart and rotted (even though they were made with treated lumber). I’m fairly handy and have a decent grasp of the ...

Your exterior wood stair frame can contract and expand as ... Make sure you stay on code by checking The International ...

An important step in building deck step railing is to stiffen up posts at the bottom of outdoor stairs or deck railings by ...

Laura S., Locust Valley, N.Y. I can relate to your confusion. There are so many materials you can use to build outdoor stairs that it can be hard to make a final decision. I recommend that you ...

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 few l ...

Amateur carpenters who have laid out the cuts in a stair stringer (the zig-zag structural support for the steps) know the queasy feeling that bubbles up at the prospect of this job. There’s the ...