On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:42:52 GMT, Wayne Whitney
wrote:

Hello,

I'm rebuilding my wooden porch stairs, which aren't covered, so I'm
thinking about the details for proper shedding of rain water. A
couple questions:

Is there any problem with sloping the stair treads 1% downward from
back to front? I'm wondering if that would be a safety issue, as far
as people slipping off the stairs. Sloping side to side doesn't work
for me, as stairs are captive between a knee wall and the house.

Second, what's the best way to handle the tread/riser intersection to
avoid trapping water? I've been thinking of running each riser behind
the tread in front of it, and then leaving an 1/8" horizontal gap
between the tread and the riser. Not sure if this is a good idea.

Here's a couple more details, in case they are important. Beneath the
porch and stairs is a ventilated crawl space interconnected with the
house crawl space. The porch is surrounded by knee walls and the house
on three sides, so the porch deck is sloped 1% towards the stairs for
drainage.

Thanks,
Wayne

Any slope of less than 1:50 (which is 2%) is considered level.
a 1% outward tilt should be fine.