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party_music50

Need help/ideas for porch & stair railings

party_music50
13 years ago

Hi!

My house is an Arts & Crafts style (or more properly called Bungalow?)... built in the late 1930s ('38, I was told). I had another thread here showing good photos of the 'before' and 'current' porch. :)

I need to decide how to complete the porch and new stair railings, and can really use some help on achieving the correct 'look' for the style and fitting with the architect's vision!!! I have the original blueprints and they show that the porch has very simple 6x6 post railings: three 6x6 posts with a 6x6 top rail on each side. The original blueprints also show NO STAIR RAILINGS! but the stairs themselves are closed on the sides, and the closure has a large triangle cutout. The front porch deck (short distances from columns to stair edge) show another simple set of two 6x6 posts with a 6x6 top rail.

I'm told that I have to have stair railings, and that the original 6x6 posts won't be "to code"? (i.e., I guess they're not "safe enough". ugh!)

I'd love suggestions, preferably with pics or sketches, showing me what to do about the porch and stair railings! I'm thinking of simple 4x4 railings on the sides of the porch deck, using four 4x4 posts with a 4x4 top rail. I think that will satisfy "codes". I would then want to also use 4x4 posts and toprails for the stairs, but everyone is telling me that's too large. Why? Can anyone help?

Thank you!

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