With several different threads discussing stair mods I finally got motivated to do something about mine. Well, that and the recent RV show every nice staircase I saw had wood kick plates and some had storage drawers.
The typical one stair before picture in a cougar 325srx. Just a bad design, not easy on the legs for some in my family old and young alike.
Taking them out was easy, perhaps too easy. 3 screws and poor construction. Not surprised but explains the slight creak in the factory step. Well, only heard it when i walked on it LOL...
I discovered alot more wiring and plumbing than I expected. I would have to sacrifice a bit of storage but I can live with that. My idea was for the vacuum hoses and such, and anything else that might need a temporary home.
My goal was to claim back some of the space below the stairs for storage. I also felt that i could get two steps in comfortably using the entire space. 10" treads on both steps and a rise just shy of 7" each. With the wiring and the plumbing I had to frame out one side of the middle stair to give some breathing room.
I used 3/4″ one side oak finished plywood to build the entire staircase box. I build it outside the trailer and dropped it in. I used cherry wood panelling found at a local lumber yard for the kick plates. I reused the carpet from the original stair, along with some carpet underlay I kept from a few years back when we got new carpets in our house.
Still need to figure out hinges for the stair treads. My idea of using European hinges (just like kitchen cabinets) was a bust. I hadn't taken into account the thickness of the carpet, only realized after I tested the fit it wont work. I might stain the inside of the storage box at some point in the future, but its nice one side oak finished plywood so maybe leave it nobody will see it. I have a bit still to figure out with that top chrome kick plate and the wall moulding fit.
After several days invested I am pleased with the look and functionality. Looking at the new it's hard to remember the old single stair. The cherry panelling for the kick plates make it look much higher end. Walking up and down its very natural and comfortable. I'm not sure how come they don't do this from the factory in these units, with the right planning they could get a bigger tread too.