I am building concrete steps to enter my new home. Its eight ft wide by five ft high and goes in about four ft. Theres four ft concrete walls on three sides. I was told I could use hay bales to fill the void and poor over them. I know this sounds silly but I was told since the bails are covered by concrete with no chance of air or water they could not rot. I guess its somewhat like hay bail homes .
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BHJ:
There's a lot more too it than that...
We're doing a similar change as part of our remodel - concrete landing that will provide a departure point for a set of stairs directly to the 2nd floor (rather than the existing ground floor entrance). We're situated on an upslope lot with a ground floor (garage/storage) and 2 living floors above...
All work is being permitted and done by an experienced concrete contractor (although I'm doing just about everything else with the remodel). Basic technique is forming up the sidewalls with footings - single pour. #4 rebar grid, 12" o.c., throughout. 18" wide footings, 12" minimum below grade, 3" minimum clearance between rebar and sides, etc... Inspector required our engineer to have a specific detail to sign off against. Compacted infill (soaked repeatedly with a hose) with dirt from the footing trenches will fill in much of the interior volume of the landing, keeping the total cubic yds of concrete to a (slightly) more manageable amount.
I'd eliminate the use of any organic material within the structure - seems like a recipe for cracking down the road as the stuff distinegrates. You want the concrete to hold together without cracking (hence, the rebar), and the entire structure to be uniformly supported AND supported consistently over time (hence, the firm ground and compacted infill/footings)...
We've changed our design a bit, but the attached illustrates what we're doing...
As a minimum, you might want to consult with a local concrete contractor on this one - you probably want your project to last...
Good luck!
I wouldn't use bales for fill either.
Am I understanding you have 60'' of rise up into the house? If so, you'll have to start the stairs out from the house quite a bit more. And don't forget the landing at the top.
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Edited 11/7/2006 6:52 pm ET by calvin