I was having lunch with Derek Best of Best Custom Homes back in August of 2017. We had run into each other previously at a Christmas party years earlier and then an architect I was speaking with told me I should contact him. I was just there to introduce our company and see if we could help him with any timber framing he had coming up. He asked me if I could do white oak stair treads for him. He said everyone he talked to told him that they could laminate up some white oak to make the treads but he wanted solid timbers. I have built trusses out of white oak in the past.
Click here to see that project
Project Information:
- Location: Evergreen CO
- Builder: Best Custom Homes
- Architect: Center Sky Architecture, Ltd.
- Installer: Hasting Brothers
So we came up with a plan. We (Ted and I) decided since we needed 8 treads we would order 11 timbers for the treads. That way if a few went “South” we had some back-ups. Also, we ordered them oversized. The finished treads would be 3-1/2″ by 12-3/4″. We ordered 5-1/2″ by 15″ rough sawn. Our hope was that if there was any twisting or cupping we could cut it out of the oversized timbers. We also asked for free of heart center (FOHC) timbers but the mill told us they couldn’t guarantee it. FOHC is less apt to check, twist and warp. I like to say that FOHC is to a timber framer what quarter sawn is to a cabinet maker.
Comparison of boxed heart timber and free of heart timber
The timbers arrived on a pallet. I unbundled them and restacked them with blocks to allow air to circulate all around. I also sealed the ends with end grain sealer.
Now we wait. In a perfect world, we would wait I would guess 6-9 months maybe longer. 9-11% is about the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for our area. Check out this link for more info on EMC. I never even took a measurement of the moisture content because it didn’t really matter. We only had about 6 weeks before Derek needed the treads on-site. We weren’t going to get to EMC in that time period. As long as we kept the timber ends sealed and slowed down the drying process we should be OK. It turns out that (3) of the timbers had pretty good checks in them. It was a good thing we ordered (11).
Here are the final shop drawings. You can see we had to modify one tread at the top.
In the end, it all worked out great. After letting them dry we sawed them to size and planed them on the 4 sided planer. They were cut to length, the end details were cut, and Derek picked them up.
Here are a few photos of them installed.
Can you share where you got the rough white oak?
Rick,
I would be happy to. We got the oak for both jobs from Hochstetler Milling. The stair treads and the timbers for the trusses I reference in the article.
https://www.hochstetlerloghomes.com/
Let them know you heard about them from us.
Thanks
Eric,
Love the detailing on the stairs. Just because the house is contemporary doesn’t mean it has to be devoid of craftsmanship and good details. Great work.
Brian Hanlen
Thanks, it does seem that contemporary design is starting to see more “organic” materials. I am personally a fan.
Stair Mastery, so amazing!
Thanks for the enthusiastic praise. 🙂
Very cool treads and details. I’m interested if the stair is bouncy given how much of the Steel stringer is notched out to accept the tread.
To be honest I haven’t walked up the stairs as we only fabricated the treads and shipped them off. I will ask the builder. My guess is the C-channel is so oversized that they are still pretty stiff. They are only notched on one stringer.
Julian,
Here is Derek Best’s reply: “The stairs are absolutely solid. We welded a clip on the tread to help support the tenon and I think that added to the rigidity also.”