Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, founded in 1927 with boundary changes afterward. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than some other areas in Los Angeles.
Building codes and research findings do not completely agree over how to place handrails so they might serve the above functions. Research done by Maki and Fernie (1988) indicates a handrail height of 36 to 40 inches is most effective in preventing falls when descending stairs.
Distance From Wall. To ensure your hand has enough room to slide down the rail, the rail must be at least 1.5 inches from the wall. The railing can project into the stairway up to 4.5 inches. This means a handrail against your stairway wall must be narrow, no larger than 3 inches in diameter.