Hello,

We are seeking advice about riser height for a deck we are building.

The attached pictures show the two variations on the basic solution. In both cases, you descend one riser from in-swing kitchen door to a ~5-foot landing, then you descend 2 risers to the main deck. Then you descend either 3 or 4 risers to reach the ground.

The kitchen floor is ~45 inches above the ground. We are considering two options:
- 6 risers of 7.5
- 7 risers of ~6.4

Tread width is not really a constraint because it can be varied as needed. Currently planning ~12".

If I use six 7.5" inch risers then...
o stair pattern is 1-2-3. 1 from kitchen to landing, 2 from landing to deck, 3 from deck to ground
o wraparound stairs have 2 treads and 3 risers
- each step is pretty tall and may be uncomfortable (though that may matter less for these short sets of stairs)

If we use seven 6.4" risers then...
o stair pattern is 1-2-4. 1 from kitchen to landing, 2 from landing to deck, 4 from deck to ground
o wraparound stairs have 3 treads and 4 risers
+ main deck moves slightly closer to the kitchen (25.6 inches high vs 22.5 inches high)
+ all steps will feel more relaxed
- wrap-around skirt may look more imposing even though it's only ~3 inches higher
- may need to add an extra handrail (need to check with building inspector)
- would lose another tread's width from the yard

We are currently leaning toward the 7.5 riser 1-2-3 solution, but we have a nagging fear that the 7.5" tall steps will be too tall to feel comfortable.

Sooo....any advice on comfort of 6.4 vs 7.5 risers versus the impact on the wraparound stairs?

Thanks,

TheDinos

PS To answer a few common questions
- there will be cloth in the channels of the trellis
- images are from older version of 3D Home Architect