Need Help building stairs and stairwell

[KarenC63]

Hey there. I am new to this program and have been enjoying the learning process immensely. However, I have not been able to make the stairs and stairwell that my design requires.  It is a split staircase - 8 stairs up, then a landing, then 8 stairs up. I have been able to build the lower set, but then the whole thing fails as I do my landing and then the upper steps. I have read and re-read the instructions over and over, then I watched the Video but I never saw the elusive move that I need to learn.  Can anyone help me with simple instructions? 

[DerekPedersen]

_{Hello Karen,}

 

_{Thank you for the message.  The link below will bring you to a Youtube video of our Quick Start webinar.  If you forward the video to 29 minutes and 41 seconds and begin watching at this point you will see how to draw a "U" shaped stair.}

 

_{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_LqMrd6os&index=3&list=PL7J4ch5cuz98ZvCydx8NNmfHBHSZReG_M}

 

_{I hope this helps.}

 

_{Kind regards,}

 

_Derek

_{Chief Architect Sales}

[Kbird1]

Nice Trick Derek , 1st time I have seen that trick....I have always drawn the 1st stair then the landing then the second staircase and end up having to break the landing edge and sometimes set the bottom and top heights manually for the second staircase.

 

M.

 

Karen if you see this I noticed in your image that Angle Snaps are OFF , that box following the cursor , see it its a warning that you should turn them back on

[KarenC63]

Thanks . . . I turned on the Angle Snaps.  Stairs are still not happening.  When I build the first half, then the second half of the U Stairs and then click in the landing section just as shown on the YouTube video . . .another stair is built.  So I am thinking my setup must be off somewhere else. Very frustrating.  Any other suggestions?

[KarenC63]

Really frustrated now . . . I have read and re-read the Reference Manual, the User's Guide, the YouTube video. . . none of these are working for me.  Every time I attempt to add the landing it fails. When I add the first half of the U Stair and then the Landing and try to move the second half into place, and then use the Break, it fails . . . clicking isn't working, adding the landing last isn't working . . . well it just isn't working. 

[solver]

Just tried it and it works for me. I'm new to doing stairs and still learning.

 

Open a new plan. Using the straight stairs tool, drag out your 8 steps. Using the cross-hairs to align the next flight, drag out the next 8 steps. Position the cursor close to the steps where the landing should be and click.

 

Landing should create. View in 3D to verify.

[KarenC63]

I opened a new plan. Think I followed your directions exactly . . . did not work.  

[solver]

What did it produce? Something similar to your picture above? You get the landing, but the upper flight is not connected?

 

Have you tried creating the stairs, then using the landing tool to create the landing?

[Kbird1]

Can you post a copy of your Plan here ? I'll have a look if you like

 

I also tried this new technique in a new plan and it worked for me in Pro 10 and Pro 2015 Trial , your User Signature does not say what version you have  and you haven't said.  There are 5   2015 versions alone , all with different features which is why it is a good idea to add it to your sig, , as answers frequently depend on the version of the software being used.

 

If need be select and open the landing and remember the height setting, close the DBX and select and open the Upper staircase and then uncheck automatic heights and set the bottom height to the same as the landing height, that should hopefully get the upper staircase to "jump up" in the 3D view.  You may have to break the edge of the landing where the stairs touch the landing in half to get them to connect. The break will also allow you to select the "no railing on selected edge" checkbox will will get rid of the rail across the stairs in the image you posted.

 

M.

[KarenC63]

Thanks M. I so appreciate everyone's help. I am using Home Designer Suite 2015.  

 

Lets see, I have tried building the stair sections first then the landing; then tried the bottom stairs + the landing then the second stairs; then the second stairs and the landing then adding the bottom.  

 

Then I opened a new plan and tried building the landing first, with specified height, and then adding the stairs - this actually worked sort of - I got them to 'look' right (will have to adjust the riser etc) but then could not build a stairwell - the program wants me to BREAK and I have not been successful  with the Break function. Is there a trick to the Break?  I have selected the Landing and then the Break tool . . . the only thing that breaks is the nearest wall. ???

 

I am attaching my latest attempt . . . new floor plan, and I started with the Landing and added the upper stairs . . . when I try to attach the lower stairs I am prompted to Break BUT I cannot seem to make that function work.

 

 

 

[solver]

Zip up your plan file and upload it here so we may take a look.

[Kbird1]

Sounds like you are trying to use the  WALL Break tool  instead of the LINE break tool which looks like a lightening bolt

and will appear on the EDIT Tool bar once something is selected , in this case the edge of the landing where the stairs connect.

It only appears if a line object is selected  ( the wall break tool is always on the toolbar).

 

I think the requirement to zip plans is no longer needed .plan and .calibz files can be posted direct to the forum now as long as they are smaller than 10mb. 

 

 

 

Mick

[KarenC63]

Here is the plan . . . Drawing3.plan

[KarenC63]

Thank you all so much . . . Kbird1, I found the Break Line and voila - I have a beautiful staircase and a stairwell!!  Doing a happy dance!!  Thank you everyone - I so appreciate your help!

[solver]

Should not need the break line to do this, but if it worked, then good.

 

I added a wall in the basement on the open side of the stairs, but only after drawing them.

 

 

[KarenC63]

Thank you Solver . . . here is my wall!  Ha ha ha I am sooooo very relieved to have this work!! 

[Kbird1]

Doesn't appear to be a problem with you Plan Karen , I deleted your staircase , tried the click technique of Derek's and it worked just fine.

 

Your staircase looks like it could be wider in your pic , I see a ledge on the RH side with flooring on it.......

 

@ Solver ...you have to use the Break line tool and break the edge of the landing IF the edge of the landing it longer than the width of the staircase as a staircase will only join if the landing width is the same ....which is why it connected properly immediately once broken.  I think it is on about page 377/378 of the Ref Manual.(pro 10)

 

Mick

[KarenC63]

Thanks Mick - is there a suggestion for how I can eliminate the 'ledge'?

[KarenC63]

Just a thought . . . when I finished building the landing and went to add the upper stairs I was prompted to either use the break tool or make the width of the landing line up with the stairs. So I zoomed in really close and made them line up but I got the prompt to use the Break line.  So I guess that I was not able to line up the edges . . . ???  Any thoughts? 

[solver]

For the ledge, you should be able to move the wall over in line with the one below. When you are on a floor above another, the edit tool bar has a tool for aligning a wall with the one directly below.

 

When I did the steps using your plan, I did the lower flight, and it snapped to the left wall, then the upper flight, and it snapped to the right wall, then the landing, which filled the space. Adding the landing last seems to be the easiest way, at least for me.

 

No breaking needed.

 

-- Eric

[Kbird1]

Hi K.

 

The edge of the landing which is connecting to the stairs is longer than the width of the stairs so you MUST break the edge of the landing at the point where the stair connects to the landing ,as the landing MUST be the same width as the Staircase for it to join properly.

 

 

 

As Solver said you need to align the walls Floor to floor to get rid of the ledge , and you can use the Wall Align tool for that.

 

 

 

However you have no Interior walls around the perimeter of your basement either , which you need for drywall and insulation , you can draw interior walls about 6 " off the concrete walls , (so they wont "snap" to the concrete wall)  then move them over so the are only 2" off the concrete which is about normal for most basements. these walls will alter your staircase too , so do them 1st and then do the auto staircase.

 

 

 

M.

 

 

 

 

[KarenC63]

I have another questions re: stairs . . . I want to add stairs to my deck . . . but the stairs always end up higher than my deck.  Any suggestions?

[KarenC63]

Thanks M . . . that is so helpful!!!  

[Kbird1]

with Decks you can use Click stairs and DRAW DOWN to the Terrain , with one click usually, but have a bit of a read of the Reference Manual section on them , so the frustration levels don't rise unnecessarily ...of course you terrain must be in and at the correct height.

 

M.

[KarenC63]

Well, I added the walls to the basement and then went to add my stairs and stairwell and it won't work. I am right back where I started. So I played around with building the landing first and it wouldn't work . . . out of desperation I tried building the stairs and the landing and it worked BUT now I cannot build a stairwell. In fact the Flooring of the first floor disappears when I try. So right now I have a staircase . . . but no stairwell.

 

I have attached the 'error' message because I don't know what it is asking for.  Then I went and removed the railing from the landing and I had a lovely stairwell . . . but my floor disappeared.  hmmmm  

 

Any thoughts?  Is it my computer?  Is the program or the file corrupted?  HELP . . . thanks.