I am trying to find out more about building a walkway and steps from my house to a lake. The slope is fairly steep and the terrain is a mix of dirt and small / medium sized rocks.
Since the area is mostly wooded, I would like to build it using wood to keep in line with the environment. It is also located in Vermont, so I would have to deal with the cold weather.
The closest thing I could find is http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/tve/pond/50-big.jpg, but it would be a little steeper and without the sides. Most everything else I have found is for concrete or stone.
It is my assumption that I would need to use pressure-treated or weather-resistant wood for this. Under the wood, I am assuming I would need some sort of gravel or foundation (Vermont winters). I would also need a way to anchor the treads into the hillside and each other. I also have no idea what a proper rise/run would be, since the steepness of the lot varies.
Unfortunately, that is about all I know, and would love some advice.
Thanks for your help,
S
Replies
I believe I saw a detail for stairs in the new FHB.. Used pressure Treated 6X6 or 8X8 for the riser, had a tread fastened to the top, and had lag bolts anchoring back into a contrete pad for a longer run. I liked tis detail and might use it since I have a stair project coming up.
I read an article in the Builder's Library Stairs book where a guy put some redwood stairs down a steep slope around rocks and stuff. From February 1989 (51:46-49) "Building a Winding Outdoor Stair. Fitting stairs to a complicated site called for an accurate sketch and some job-site improvising" by Thor Matteson. It was a beautiful thing. He had poured concrete piers and 5 different pairs of stringers going every which way, treads of different widths with their ends scribed around boulders.
Go for a hike at a state park where there is a hill climb and pay attention to the details. Often, the parks use felled trees about 8-10 inches in diameter for risers.
Don't forget to consider water runoff because one downpour could destroy your hard work.
Actually, that is exactly the type of thing I am looking for - state park walkways. Although it would be nice to find something written on it, I sure could use a walk in the woods as well.
Thanks for the suggestion,
- Steve
If you use something like RR ties or PT timber for risers, drilling and then driving short lengths of #4 or #5 rebar works real well if the rocks aren't too bad and you're trying to save a few bucks.
I'd like to thank everyone for their help.
I also found a site that seems to be very good starting point as well.
http://www.sustland.umn.edu/implement/steps.html
Now I just have to do it...
Hi Steopa.
If your'e looking to put in "garden wall" style steps, then it looks like you found it already. Another source that explains in great detail this type of set-up can be found in the BLACK & DECKER SERIES books (Decks and Landscaping) which are on sale at all Lowes and/or Home Depot type stores. It's very informative.
But...to persue another avenue....if your terrain is very steep and requires many steps...think about installing a regular wooden stairway, complete with platform. We had to build a stairway that lead down to a river bank that was approx. 30 feet below. We dug holes into the hillside and sunk some 4X4 posts and built a 4ft square platform. We dropped 2X12 treated wood stringers from the top of the hillside to this platform, which was situated about halfway down the hill (15 ft). The stringer was not a cut-out stringer. Instead we attached 2x4 cleats to the stringer with carriage bolts, and then nailed the treads onto the cleats. We did install a 3rd stringer which was a cut-out variety, that supported the middle section of each tread. From the platform, another set of stairs was dropped that reached the bottom of the river bank.
Handrails were attached to posts that were also thru-bolted to the stringers.
Look in any carpentry book that explains how to lay out stairs and use that methodology to figure it out. You can build more than one platform to break up your stairs into smaller runs...if you have to traverse down a very long way.
As with any stair layout, you need to first find out your total elevation from the bottom up to the top of your hill. Once you know this, the rest is easy.
To me, it's way easier to dig 4 post holes (use a rented, 2 man, gasoline powered auger) to set my platform, and then simply frame and nail everything together, than it is to continually dig into the hillside every foot and install timber steps with deadmans. But, to each his own.
Nomatter what, good luck on your project. And hey, the more help you can enlist from friends on this project, the better off you'll be.
Davo
Thanks for the advice. The more I think about digging for the entire run of steps, the more my back hurts. A stair might be a better idea, especially with the handrail if the treads are wet. And it has got to be easier to put in place than 6x6s.