I own a house that was built back in 1960. I've heard that for stairs to be considered up to current code they need to be at least 36 inches wide. However, the basement stairs in my house only measure 33 inches. One side has concrete and the other has drywall, which makes it difficult to widen the stairs. Given that they've been this way for decades, am I safe to assume the house is grandfathered in? Also, if I add drywall on the concrete side, it would make the stairs even narrower. What's the minimum width that would be considered acceptable? Just to clarify, the basement is only used for storage; no one lives there.
1 Answer
Your stairs were likely up to code when your house was built, so you shouldn't need to worry about modern codes as they apply to existing structures. Usually, you don't have to upgrade unless you’re doing major renovations that require permits. So as long as you don’t plan on making significant changes, I think you’re in the clear!
That’s what I thought too. Thanks for confirming!