A staircase might be one of the most ancient creations in the history of human-built structures; experts believe the concept of stairs is at least 8,000 years old. The concept of cottage stairs—the kind we need to, say, navigate the long trip from the deck down to the dock—is, of course, much younger. And even though all stairs still follow the same basic ergonomic requirements that French engineer François Blondel described way back in the 17th century (the correct relationship between stair riser and tread gives the most comfortable and safest step—thanks for that, buddy!), building a great set of stairs at the lake is more than just perfectly calculated math. Here are five pro tips to step up your step game. François B. would have given them the thumbs up too.
Work with the land, not against it
“Every waterfront terrain is different,” says Marshall Black, the owner of Black Diamond Builders in Waubamik, Ont., “so you really have to assess your best path, and the safest path.” If the slope down to the lake is moderate, you could get away with a couple of short flights, broken up by flat surfaces. On the other hand, if it’s really steep, he says, “you’re looking at zigzagging down to minimize that steepness.” Love Your Lake—a shoreline health program developed in part by Watersheds Canada—recommends stairs with open backs and treads spaced about 2.5 cm apart. This allows rain to fall between the steps and sunlight to reach any vegetation on the ground. (Plants help prevent erosion; for more advice on building shoreline-friendly stairs or paths to the water, visit loveyourlake.ca.)
Pro tip Black likes to incorporate exposed rock into the stair pathway where possible—it can be helpful when it comes to, for example, fastening a platform to the landscape (since the ground itself on a steep slope can be unstable). Of course, it has to be the right rock—substantial rock, such as bedrock—“not a boulder that’s going to get caught in the frost and heave up and down like a piston,” he says. “That’ll turn your staircase into a funhouse.” And PSA: those things are never actually fun.
Sorry, but you’ll have to do math
Building stairs on level ground—say, in a city backyard—is straightforward. You figure out your rise and run to determine how to build your stringer. But, at a cottage, the ground is almost always sloping towards the lake. “So the rise of the stairs keeps increasing as you go out,” says Cottage Life’s long-time project builder, Wayne Lennox. And it’s the rise that determines the number of treads in a staircase. “Say you’re building six steps. A common tread size is 10 inches. So, that’s 60 inches of run,” he says. Simple! “But the math can get more difficult when you’re working on a slope,” he says. The ground keeps dropping so the total rise keeps changing.
Pro tip Lennox recommends creating a template for your stringer layout. “If you buy a piece of pressure-treated 2×10, make the stringer, and make a mistake, you’ve just wasted money,” he says. So, cut a piece of plywood to 9¼” (the actual width of a 2×10) to use as a template. It doesn’t matter if you’re building six stairs or dozens of stairs, “the template becomes your model for all of the stringers,” he says. “It eliminates the chances of mistakes that could be compounded with each successive stringer. Even I still make a plywood template.” (And he’s basically a stair-building wizard.)
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Be real about your DIY abilities
Okay, so you’re up for the math. Because you know how to use a calculator. But building a flight of stairs at the cottage might require more than just a carpenter’s square and a five out of 10 skill level. “Building stairs there is a seven or an eight out of 10,” says Lennox. It can require a lot of planning. The stairs need to navigate rocks and roots and soil that decides to do whatever the heck it wants after a season of heavy rain. Depending on the landscape, you may need to know how to make pier foundations, pour footings, or create multiple rock connections with the right hardware.
“I’ve seen a lot of people—weekend warriors and drunk uncles—try building stairs and that can result in pretty dangerous situations,” says Black. “It’s like ‘Who did this?’ and they’re like, proudly, ‘We did it ourselves!’ ”
Pro Tip If you’re going to tackle the job, and you’re not confident in your DIY know-how, “get a professional out there to at least give you some advice,” says Black. You could even hire a structural engineer to offer guidance. “At least steal someone’s ideas.” (Ooh, steal our ideas! Check out “6 In-depth Tips for Building a New Staircase at the Cottage”.)
If there’s ever a time to follow the building code, this is it
Fine. Sometimes parts of the building code—not to mention local bylaws—can seem excessively restrictive and possibly nonsensical. But people trip on stairs when they’re properly constructed. “If you’re even a half-inch off…there goes your tray of margaritas,” says Black. “Everyone’s thirsty, and you have a skinned knee.” Or worse, you have a broken leg. Or worse, your guest has a broken leg and you have a pending lawsuit.
“For safety’s sake, and for liability’s sake, you darn well be sticking to code,” says Lennox.
Pro Tip A long, wonky flight of stairs is easy to screw up and hard to…unscrew up. Safety aside, “if stairs are not constructed in compliance with the building code, or zoning bylaws—including location, setbacks, dimensions, or any other applicable legislation—the building department or municipal law enforcement may provide direction for you to bring the structure into compliance,” says Nick Snyder, the chief building official for the Township of Muskoka Lakes.
The building inspector will measure enough of a flight’s rise and run to determine if there are inconsistencies, says Black. “But how do you fix an inconsistency after the fact? You can’t.” Well, you can. But it would probably mean redoing the entire staircase. Six stairs? Not that annoying. Dozens of stairs? Pretty damn annoying.
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Include features that’ll make the stairs suitable for life at the lake
Consider cutting the treads longer than what’s required—five feet instead of four feet, for example. This’ll make it easier for people going up and down to the lake to pass each other, especially when carrying bulky items: coolers of snacks and drinks; extra chairs for the dock. A wider staircase can be especially convenient for a water-access cottage—guests will usually have to make multiple trips as they cart gear from the lake to the cottage. Also think about where the stairs will land at the shoreline. You don’t want them to interfere with the flow of traffic on the dock or monopolize the main seating area. Black likes to add a “landing space” beside the dock. And lighting the stairs can be a great idea—it’ll eliminate the need for a flashlight, says Black, “Plus, it looks really nice and sexy at night.” But you’ll want to make sure the lights are directed down, to illuminate the steps, not up, where they’ll cause light pollution. (Not to mention, annoy your neighbours.)
Pro tip Adding platforms between flights where possible is good, but don’t make the mistake of sloping them in an effort to eliminate stairs. Black sees this all the time. “It can result in—literally—a slippery situation. A little bit of mildew, a little bit of rain, and you’re on your butt,” he says. “A slope can shoot you right off the stairs. In which case…hopefully you end up in the lake.”
Ready to build? With these tips you’ll soon be on the up and up (and the down, down, down). No skinned knees for you—and François (RIP) will be proud.
Paperwork, please!
No surprise: permit requirements for outdoor stairs vary by municipality (though all construction should comply with your provincial building code). In the Township of Muskoka Lakes, for example, you’ll need a building permit for any exterior stairs that provide access to docks, boathouses, accessory buildings, or the waterfront, says the township’s Nick Snyder. “In some cases, these stairs may be included as part of a larger permit for a dock, boathouse, or accessory structure; in others, a separate permit may be needed for the stairs alone.”
On the other hand, “stairs made of timber or stone placed directly on grade, commonly referred to as landscape stairs, do not require a permit,” he says. But even in that case, you might still require railings to meet code. As always, check with the appropriate building department.
This article was originally published in the September/October 2025 issue of Cottage Life.
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