Creating a Masonry Staircase

QUESTION

I need to draw a masonry staircase for a porch or patio. Is there an easy way to do this?

ANSWER

Creating a masonry staircase can be accomplished in Home Designer by utilizing the Stair tools and making modifications to the style and materials.

To create a masonry staircase

1. From the menu, select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing and draw out the area that will serve as the porch or patio.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. With the room created, select it using the Select Objects tool, click on the Open Object button, change the Room Type to Porch or Patio, then click OK.
   
   
   
   in this example, we have chosen the Patio room type.
   
   
   Note: Both the Porch and Patio room types will consist of a 4" concrete slab for the floor platform, however, the Patio room type will also generate concrete footings. 
   
   
3. Next, select Build> Stairs> Draw Stairs from the menu and click just outside of the room to place stairs down to the terrain.
   
   
   
   

   If you do not already have a terrain perimeter in this plan, you can create one selecting Terrain> Create Terrain Perimeter from the menu.

   
   
4. Using the Select Objects tool, select the stairs and click the Open Object edit button.
   
   
   
5. On the Style panel of the Exterior Staircase Specification dialog that displays, uncheck Open Underneath and Open Risers. You can also set your desired Tread Overhang and Tread Thickness values here.
   
   
   
   
   
6. On the Materials panel of the same dialog, change the Riser, Support Wall, Wall Trim, and Tread materials to the masonry material of your choosing.
   
   
   
7. Click OK to confirm the changes and take a Perspective Full Overview to see the results.