Re: Water proofing an exterior stair case.
All,
Thanks for your input and questions. First, yes I'm the SF Bay area. The steps are the entrance way to and old Craftsman, which lead up to (or down from) the front porch/veranda. The whole thing is a bit of a mess. as I was hired to just replace the hand rail and the Newell post, which is a built up box. When I took off the railing and ballusters, I discovered that the treads below were all rotted. I also discovered that the stairs had been encased under fiberglass. So, right now I'm building the treads, and when I'm ready, I'll go rip out the existing treads/risers and bad stringers. The stringer which is against the house, and the center seem to still be in good shape, so I'm hoping to be able and save them. As the span is 8ft, I'm planning on copying the stringers and add two more. The one stringer out from the house is rotted and will be replaced. As for the exact details of the connection to the house, I'm not sure as I've not taken this apart. I have been underneath and poked around and it all seems solid and tight, as I don't see evidence of water between the house and the stairs
Thanks again,