"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
EXT wrote:

You will need to ensure that the existing footings of the house, or
change the footings of the house so that they are below the frost line in
your area, you will find that this also applies horizontally so that when
frost enters the stairway wall it will freeze the ground in all
directions, left, right and down. For example if you have a 4 foot frost
level you will need the house and any permanent stair walls to have
footings 4 feet below the bottom landing and for 4 feet on each side of
the stairway opening, as well as below the angled portion of the
decending stairs of they run beside the house foundation wall.

So how do they install all the precast outside basement stairwells I see
sitting at the concrete plant on the way to work every morning? Or do they
consider those a window well, since they aren't really attached to the
house?

Interesting. I hadn't thought or heard about precast basement stairs. I
just did a Google search and found these links:

http://video.bobvila.com/m/21320387/...a-bulkhead.htm



http://www.careyprecast.com/permentry.htm



http://en.allexperts.com/q/Home-Impr...lar-egress.htm



Although all of these show typical "Bilco"-style basement entrance steps,
and not the kind of stairways that I want that run parallel to the wall, I
didn't see anything on any of them calling for footings, frost line issues,
etc.