On 02/08/2020 10:07, Jeff Layman wrote:
We have three steps up to our front door. These are 8" high (vertical
brick) and can be awkward for those who are less mobile. I have been
thinking of putting in a handrail like that at
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrought-Iron-Plain-Handrail-Posts/dp/B072SWRPY9/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1.

If the less mobile includes the residents why not do a proper job and
scrap the 3x 8" steep step in favour of more user friendly 4x 6" steps.

That is what I did when faced with a single 10" step. Which was actually
an original 8" step plus the additional height of a uPVC door frame.
I added a split the difference platform at the mid level. That changed
the entry and exit route from mountaineering into really quite easy/

However, as can be seen at the photo at https://ibb.co/Yt4q3Pz, the
fixing for the base of the handrail top post will be close to the
edge of the brick. The door opening is more-or-less along where the
brick and tile meet (where the weather deflector shows), so I would
not want the handrail inside that. I am concerned that even if it
survives drilling, trying to use a plug or rawlplug could result in
the top edge of the brick splitting away when the screw is tightened.
Maybe some sort of resin fixing such as
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-r-kem11-175-kit-styrene-free-polyester-resin-175ml/4100r
would be less likely to damage the brick. I do not want to drill
into the tile as if it cracks I have no replacement. The door
surround is metal-framed PVC, and I doubt it has reliable strength to
take a wall fixing for a handrail.

Any comments?

I'd be wary of going closer to the edge than an inch. It is most likely
to fail when a full adult weight sideways dynamic load is applied - IOW
when someone trips and then tries to use the rail to support themselves.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown