In the spirit of showing that I have no limits to what I will do for money (in a carpenterial way, I mean...) here is a picture of a shed that I built. It is 10'x12'. I site-built trusses to make the gambrelle roof, so it's very open on the inside. Talk about storage...

Stairs- Step by Step

I've been meaning to do this for a long time... Here is a set of stairs that I re-worked a few weeks ago. I would like to use it to show you step by step, how I install the skirts and risers. This is for you potential clients who want to know more about the process you might pay me to somplete for you.

The below picture is the before. Typically, the stairs are carpeted, or in this case, just rough. This one is a basement finish, and in any basement finish, one of the challenges is to make it not look like a basement finish, but part of the house. This one was made more difficult by the guy that finished the basement, because he put the walls too close to the stair stringers. You'll see what I mean later...

Here you can see how the other guy, who I will refer to as SBG (Stinky Basement Guy), really made my job harder. Normally, there is space between the stringer (the notched thing that holds the treads) and the wall. Then, all you have to do is cut the top and bottom to length and the right angles and the skirt(the white trim board on the left wall) will slide right in. Notice the sheet rock under the stairs, which is why I couldn't just replace the stringers.
As you can see, though, I didn't have that option, so I had to notch the skirt all the way down. SBG also added 3" of floor at the bottom, thus making a major difference in riser height. (There can only be 1/4" of difference, and I had to work with 3". So I had to sister on new stringers to the old ones, which is harder and slower than you might think. The below picture is after the skirt and new stringer was put in place.


Below, you can see all the new stringers installed, which have to line up with one another, both top and front. You can also see the outside skirt, which has to be perfectly cut on a 46 degree angle and placed back in just the right spot so the risers will all meet perfectly.
Below, you can see the whole thing from the side, outside skirt already installed.
The next step is to rabbet the risers to accept the treads. This done on a table saw, and I set it up so that the cut is slightly angled to produce no gap after installation. In the below picture, the rabbet is the notch cut in the bottom of the horizontal board. The tread slides under the notch, and then is nailed from the back. This locks them together and ensures that the tread will never pop up.
After dry fitting the tread, I use polyurethane construction adhesive. (PL brand is the best I've seen) All wood to wood contact must be glued. I can't stress this enough. It is the only way to ensure a squeak free staircase.

After gluing, I use my hands and a rubber mallet to gently tap the tread into place. You want to make sure that all gaps are taken out so the fit is tight and the heights remain the same. Below you see the tread installed. I use finish nails the secure the tread.
I use my waste pieces to cut stubby little shims, then I drive them home behind the riser and under the tread. This pushes the riser out and the tread up, ensuring a gapless fit. Then I use a brad gun the nail the back of the riser into the tread.
Below you can see the skirts, risers and treads installed on this staircase. I still had a long way to go on this one, but I will post about the rest of the process on another staircase. It's nice to install the newel post early on, so you can have a place to hang your hat...
The tread material is ash, by the way.