Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 6/21/2011

Question
I am in the planning stages of building stairs from our sliding door to lead into our backyard.  We will ultimately be building a stone patio but for the time being we wish to build only the stairs.  The building material for the stairs are still being researched but the goal is to have them made out of stone to match the patio.  Our problem is that the builder of the home built an egress window directly under the sliding door which poses some problems.  In order to build over or on top of the egress window, would you recommend that we purchase an egress well cap or actually fill the well with gravel.  A major concern with capping the well and building the stairs on top of it is the amount of weight the well cap could bear.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Lawrence, I don't see a problem depending on you design criteria..your window below doesn't need to have anything to do with the stairs that I can see.. Your stair stringer will not interfere with window unless you plan it that way..It is simple enough to do a structural staircase that will span over the window below and actually create a nice architectural look. Check out this website they have several stair designs that demonstrate what I am talking about  http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/stone-stairs.html
Feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com