Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - ballusters

hi again
there is no such forum but i hope this is close enough. my daughter's finished cellar stairs have no railing for about 8 feet as you go up. my grand daughter is 18 months and this is a danger from my point of view. my son-in-law bought 4 ballusters(do i have the right name for the posts that are part of a railng?) and wants to use them as protection.
SO I have two questions;is there a safety or building code re this? i know i can call city hall but the answer might be obvious to you.
second does this idea sound ok?usually the ballusts are 'indented' for firmness but i was wondering if i could attach a piece of 3/4 thick x 8' long x 4" wide piece of moulding to the ceiling above the edge of the steps-then with a level attach the ballusters to both the side of the step and the top placed moulding. i would drill pilot holes then use finish nails toed at the top and nailed flush at the stairs.
well thanx for listening and i hope to hear from you.
pete

pete,

With what you described I was having a hard time deciphering so here is some links that may help;

http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo/index.html?/HowTo/IHouse/Flooring/Stairbuilding.html

http://arcways.com/IRC2000a.pdf

http://www.codecheck.com/bldframe.htm#anchor119127

Let me know if this helps!

Pretty sure that if you check out the sites Doug gave you that what you will see are that the railing has to be constructed in such a way that a 4" ball cannot be passed between the ballusters or pickets of that railing, EXCEPT in the triangle formed by the tread, riser, and the bottom rail, a 6" ball cannot be passed through that opening.

first to lefty-thanx for the ideas about the ball size-this lets me know it might not be a job for me-everything today is by code and technical, and with reason in some cases i'm sure.
second-for doug-sorry but i tried copy and paste and typing out each thread you suggested-one said no longer available and i could not get the others to display.thanx for trying and if i'm missing a trick as to how to find these links i'm open to advice.
*if the kids were ok with the cosmetics, i know how to build a wrought iron railing so that might be my best bet-what do you think?
pete

pete,

I double checked the links and they all work fine, the last does not display pictures but the information tht is there was important and it mentions the items that Lefty said. You'll have to try it again.

A iron railing is fine but it should meet code specs. Nothing wrong with it unless you prefer wood.

Hope this helps!

doug

doug
i tried my browser again and all's well. thank you
pete

Peterr -- don't let the ball thing scare you off. Start at either the top or the bottom of the railing where you have a post (probably a 4X4 or similar). Use a 2X4 as a spacer and attach the pickets. Just check every 3rd or 4th picket and make sure they are stay plumb. (A tip here -- drill a hole in one end of your spacer. Attach the first picket with that hole at the top of the spacer, then flip the spacer so that the hole is down to install the second picket. Keep reversing it.)

thanx, lefty, for the tip and advice-i'll let you know how we do.
pete