Are my stairs no longer held up?

[Ashbash1991]

Hi all,
Got told the little wall under my stairs was not structural so took it out it was from the bottom newel to about halfway then a door.

Anyway took it down took the bannister off etc noticed the landing newel was wobbly so thought I'd investigate. Turns out this newel isn't attached to anything you can even run a screwdriver down between the joist and newel and there is a huge gap.

Have I buggered up and better get proping the stairs up.

Thanks

 

[Tigercubrider]

I wouldn't worry about the newel post, just make sure that the string is fixed to something like an upper floor joist. Presumably the short wall in the kitchen is staying? Secure the stairs to that

 

[Ashbash1991]

I always thought the newel posts were load bearing which is why I got a bit of a oh bugger moment. I thought the landing newel was supposed to be tied into a joist to help take the load on the side not attached to the wall but the more I read the more I realised its the bottom newel which is the most important and that's set into concrete.

The stringer is dowelled into the newel so I have the big gap to span to try and attach it to anything.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Ashbash1991]

Also yes the wall is staying

 

[blup]

Can you pack out the gap and bolt the newel with stringer attached to a floor joist.

Although it may not be structural, removal of the dwarf wall would have offered some support to the staircase.

Blup

 

[Ashbash1991]

Hi,
I could probably do that or I was also thinking put a big piece of wood in the length of the wall tied into the wall and bolt it to that then dry line it all.

The dwarf wall wasn't really touching the stringer it wasnt resting in any of the bricks.

It's not imminently dangerous then?

 

[23vc]

Do the stairs still feel solid then and just the newel loose? Stairs aren’t normally supported by the bit of wall you’ve taken out, as above they should still be secured on the stairwell wall or at the top

 

[Ashbash1991]

The newel is loose but the stairs don't seem to be moving but I can't work out what the stairs are attached too at the top except the stringer attached to the wall so the none wall side is only secure at the bottom to the bottom newel by dowels. The stringers appear to stop before the joists on both sides.

 

[blup]

Looking again, the third and fifth pics appear to show the stringer attached to the newel and the newel in turn notched over the joist, just not fully.

Blup

 

[Ashbash1991]

You can fit a screwdriver under the newel so it's not sitting on the joist, I asked around and it's reckoned the newel is tied into the bull nose edge.

It's not fallen down yet anyway and doesn't appear to be moving haha I have but wooden spacers in the gap and tied the newel to the joist behind it to stop horizontal movement and also packed out between the notch and joist to help with left to right movement seems to have worked.

Thanks all for looking at this.