Hi All,
I’m going to be building steps for my newly built outdoor deck in Rochester NY. Since I have only 21″ rise to deal with and I would like these steps to follow the edge of the deck for about 20′, I’m thinking about building a series of boxes rather than having to cut a lot of carriages.
If I do this, I’m not sure what kind of foundation I would need for the first platform. Would block pads on a gravel base do, or do I need to pour a slab, or dig footings all along the length of the stairs? Thanks for any advice here…
dave
Replies
You likely need footings, taking into consideration where you are.
I would do stringers though, then you only need two instaed of four as you would with the box idea.
If your soils are well drained and you don't get much frost heave in the winter, you might get away with digging out 12-18" of soiled and replacing it with crushed washed stone and then setting either the box or the stringers on it.
Eric
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Eric,Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify, you mentioned just two stringers. Remember though that the stairs need to be 20' long. So wouldn't you need stringers every three feet?Dave
I misread that........go ahead and build your boxes then, you're probably better off.
EricIt's Never Too Late To Become
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You can do them several different ways. Basically, envision each layer of step as a separate deck, with it's own joists, etc.
Probably simplest would be to cantilever the step joists off the main structure. This would mean having the step joists run under the deck for 6 feet or so and be anchored to the main deck joists.