by s thorp » Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:27 pm
Long time, senior and you thought that burr under your saddle was gone!
I do not feel the handrail has to be continuous for the full length of winder stairs and feel that the exemption you quote is specifically geared toward winders.
My understanding on a winding stair (since MN 2003), which is basically always turning, that the handrail can terminate anywhere a newel post is placed. If installed to code, a set of winder stairs really don't have a specific turn, but a continuous turn as all of the treads would be the same within a 3/8" at the 12" walk line. Therefore, if I had newel posts on each tread...
My question to you: In your understanding is a flight of stairs broken by a landing? A continuous run of treads (a flight?) is stopped/started by a floor or a landing? Can I have 5 treads with 4" risers, a landing, then 5 treads with 7" risers, a landing, then 5 treads with 6" risers and so on up to the next floor or are all the treads part of the flight of stairs? So, if a landing is not part of a flight of stairs but creates a flight, winder stairs have a turn.