cheap stair ideas...

[jb52761]

There are (well, used to be)  about 20 or so steps leading from my cabin porch area, down the hill to the yard and lake. They were constructed out of mortar and standard red brick many years ago. They have almost totally broken apart and several are gone completely. Any ideas on cheap makeshift steps??  Don't have to be fancy, not expecting any Royalty to stop by for a cold one...

[MikeT]

Steps or stairs?  What rise are you talking about per step?

For stairs:  You could make some out of wood real fast. Simpson makes some angle brackets that support stair steps.  That, some 2x12s, and support posts and you have decent, sturdy stairs.  You just figure out your desired rise and build accordingly.

For steps that have a rise of 4" or so, I used 8 foot pt 4x6s, cut them into one four foot piece and 2 two foot pieces.  The 2 foot pieces serve as the sides and the four foot piece as the front.  Each side rests on the back part of the side of the step below.  I nailed the pieces together and filled with gravel (best to have filter fabric/weed guard below).    This creates steps that are four feet wide and about 18" deep.  I find they are quite comfortable to walk up and down.

[JRR]

I've never made any myself for outside walkways, but think the ones using treated wood for the retainers/risers look pretty good and low cost.  Creosoted cross-ties are popular in municipal and state parks ... but regular landscape timbers would also be effective.  You may have to bore the holes in either timber you select.  Two 3/4" or 1" holes at each timber end will make it more stable, minimizing "rocking".  Keep each step rise around 6" for the easiest navigating up and down the trail.  Pound a rebar thru the holes deep into the ground ... and then back-fill the landings with rubble ... perhaps the old bricks will be useful here.  I would backfill around the rebar with roofing caulking sealer to keep water out to the holes.  Good luck.

[MountainDon]

Sounds to me like jb52761 is talking about red brick and mortar steps that are set in or carved out of the sloped ground.  That's much what we are dealing with at the cabin. We have a long slope and for the most part a sloped winding path. In many places I've hacked steps out of the earth. That lasts a while depending on rain. I've "improved" it in places with 12x12 patio blocks. Concrete. No mortar. It's not a permanent solution.

300 feet is too long a distance to build anything permanent.       Is that more less what you're dealing with jb52761?


I have a copy someplace of a USFS handbook on trail making. We're off to the cabin but if there is interest I'll try to locate on our return.

[dug]

I built these steps up a slope on our property using stones and a shovel.





Kind of crude, I never really finished them as I was planning on filling the flats with gravel but 5 years with no maintenance and they are still holding up well. I used large stones dug in well so no need for mortar. Price- free!   

[MikeT]

Dug:  when you say cost: "free", you mean no out of pocket costs....

You had a fair bit of hauling, digging, and placing...and there is a cost to that....

[dug]

Dug:  when you say cost: "free", you mean no out of pocket costs....

You had a fair bit of hauling, digging, and placing...and there is a cost to that....

Yeah, I guess I conveniently omitted that part. It was less than a day though, and allowed me to skip the gym payment that day.   

[Windpower]

Very nice, Dug

[jb52761]

Don has it I think. Thanks all. Gonna toss these ideas around and wait till my next day off. It's a pretty decent grade too. Alot more than the pics dug posted.

[glenn kangiser]

Hope it works out well, JB

I like your steps, dug.  I need to do some similar.

[MountainDon]

FWIW, trail building according to the USFS


http://www.trailbuilders.org/resources/books1.html


http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/publications.htm