Building wood stairs over concrete steps
georgep
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I have a set of precast concrete steps that have settled, moved away from the house by an inch or so are ugly and both metal railings are rusted out. So, I need to fix them. Aside from replacing the precast steps I’m also thinking of building a set of wood stairs over the concrete steps. They have settled enough so that they would not interfere with the wood treads and risers. I’d start by pouring 6 footings on the outside of the concrete steps – 4 for supports for the top landing and then 2 at the bottom for the lower end of the stringers. My question is, is there any reason not to build the stairs? Could building them over the concrete cause a problem?
Thanks
Replies
Either way.
But, if they're precast-get 'em out of there. They'll do nothing but get in the way and not help "air out" the deck and steps you put on.
If the clearance is too tight the concrete will promote rot. Otherwise, so long as it's not in the way and is sufficiently stable that it's not likely to create future problems, no strong reason to remove it. (Though certainly it's not exactly "fine homebuilding".)