The information in this article applies to:
QUESTION
I need to draw a masonry staircase for a porch or patio. Is there an easy way to do this?
![Stairs leading up to a porch Exterior stairs at the front of a house](https://d2haqc5836ials.cloudfront.net/live/KB-00555/555-prettypic-2021.png?1626903016)
ANSWER
Creating a masonry staircase can be accomplished in Home Designer by utilizing the Stair tools and making modifications to the style and materials.
To create a masonry staircase
- From the menu, select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing
and draw out the area that will serve as the porch or patio.
![Drawing out a porch](https://d2haqc5836ials.cloudfront.net/live/KB-00555/555-fig1-12.jpg?1626903016)
- With the room created, select it using the Select Objects
tool, click on the Open Object
button, change the Room Type to Porch or Patio, then click OK.
![Selecting the Patio room type](https://d2haqc5836ials.cloudfront.net/live/KB-00555/555-fig5b-2021.jpg?1626903016)
in this example, we have chosen the Patio room type.
- Next, select Build> Stairs> Draw Stairs
from the menu and click just outside of the room to place stairs down to the terrain.
![Click outside the deck railing to add a staircase down to the terrain](https://d2haqc5836ials.cloudfront.net/live/KB-00555/555-fig2-12.jpg?1626903016)
If you do not already have a terrain perimeter in this plan, you can create one selecting Terrain> Create Terrain Perimeter from the menu.
- Using the Select Objects
tool, select the stairs and click the Open Object
edit button.
- On the Style panel of the Exterior Staircase Specification dialog that displays, uncheck Open Underneath and Open Risers. You can also set your desired Tread Overhang and Tread Thickness values here.
![Deselecting Open Risers and Open Underneath on the Exterior Staircase Specification](https://d2haqc5836ials.cloudfront.net/live/KB-00555/555-fig3-12.jpg?1626903016)
- On the Materials panel of the same dialog, change the Riser, Support Wall, Wall Trim, and Tread materials to the masonry material of your choosing.
- Click OK to confirm the changes and take a Perspective Full Overview
to see the results.