Hello,

We are seeking advice about steps for a deck we are building.

The pictures below show the two variations we are considering. In both cases, you descend 1 riser from in-swing kitchen door to a ~5-foot landing, then you descend 2 risers to the main deck. Then you descend either 3 or 4 risers to reach the ground.

The kitchen floor is ~45 inches above the ground. We are considering two options:
- 6 risers of 7.5
- 7 risers of ~6.4

Tread width is not really a constraint because it can be varied as needed. Currently planning ~12".

If we use six 7.5" inch risers then...
o stair pattern is 1-2-3. 1 from kitchen to landing, 2 from landing to deck, 3 from deck to ground
o wraparound stairs have 2 treads and 3 risers
- each step is pretty tall and may be uncomfortable for young and old

If we use seven 6.4" risers then...
o stair pattern is 1-2-4. 1 from kitchen to landing, 2 from landing to deck, 4 from deck to ground
o wraparound stairs have 3 treads and 4 risers
+ main deck moves slightly closer to the kitchen (25.6 inches high vs 22.5 inches high)
+ all steps will feel more relaxed
- extra step may make wrap-around skirt may look more imposing even though it's only ~3 inches higher
- may need to add an extra handrail on front portion of wraparound stairs (need to check with building inspector)
- would lose another tread's width from the yard

We are currently leaning toward the six 7.5" riser 1-2-3 solution, but we have a nagging fear that the 7.5" tall steps will be too tall to feel comfortable.

Sooo....any advice on comfort of 6.4 vs 7.5 risers versus the impact on the wraparound stairs?

Thanks,

TheDinos

PS A few other bits of info
- there will be retractable cloth in the channels of the trellis
- images are from an older version of 3D Home Architect
- I originally posted this on the decks forum, but am cross posting here because this is more active

Here is a picture of the six-riser solution. Picture of seven-riser solution is in comment below.