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paulz
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 10:13am - Edited by: paulz
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Last year I dug some stairs into my hillside to get to my water tank. They've eroded, need to do something more permanent. The path is curved which I think rules out side rails. My initial thought is two steel stakes per step with a board across at the front of the step. Good?
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 10:48am
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Well it all depends on what is under the grass so to speak. If it's just soil and nothing solid like bedrock, the approach will depend on that simple fact. More information would likely provide a better answer and knowing what's under the surface I think is quite essential.
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paulz
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 11:47am
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Thanks Steve. I don't have a photo of the stairs handy, they are between the tractor and foundation layout in this photo. It's sort of a rocky sandstone I guess. Need a pick to dig it, a stake will go in a foot or two. I'm confident stakes would stay in place. Pretty sure I've seen other stairs done this way though, and eventually the dirt gives out under the vertical board.
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Just
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 01:10pm
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it's been a wile , I once had a cabin on a hill that needed steps in part of the path that led to the beach .We solved our dilemma with a combination 78 steps and a herringbone path .
I found in my rocky clay soil a4 in PT stake 16 in long worked well . Picture quality is poor my first digital camera ..
76 77 78
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250 new path
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wood steps
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Just
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 01:22pm
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I found as soon as you can get some vegetation growing the better erosion control you get. Took about two years for them to settle in.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 02:54pm
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Thanks. I was thinking 2xs but something thicker might be better like you used. Maybe railroad ties.
Wish I had a beach..
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 04:28pm
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Be carefull what you wish for,,I here the taxes are up to 5000$ a year
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skootamattaschmidty
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 07:52pm
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I have a similar situation at my place. I have a ravine I have to go down to get to my water source. I am lucky enough to have lots of rocks on my property, many of them flat ones. I gathered a bunch of them and made stairs using the rocks. I did this about 10 years ago now with my wife. There are a few that have loosened a bit and need some readjusting but they have lasted well. And it didn't costs me anything....aside from some sweat equity.
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Just
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 08:49pm
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skootamattaschmidty
That is my favorite thing to do ,use what 's there it always looks the best and often the cheapest . good job
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Borrego
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 09:11pm
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You could also buy some #4 or 5 rebar and cut it to length as you go...cheaper than buying metal stakes. I used 4x4's or 4x6's and drilled a hole and pin them down, then lay pressure treated planks across them...you get the idea....
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 11:06pm
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Another alternative is to get those concrete retaining wall blocks and set them into the soil as steps. They will last forever, but the soil around them could erode and undermine them I suppose.
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Bexeler
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2017 11:14pm
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A campground I go to uses railroad ties to build steps. They do get real slick when it is wet. I would look into using your retaining wall blocks like bldginsp mentioned above.
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vtbros
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2017 11:32am - Edited by: vtbros
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If you can afford stone or concrete block, that will last the longest. I have a steep slope from lake to cabin. We were able to do a cheaper option with pt 2x 8 on edge and pt 2x4 stakes in front. I had seen this approach at a state campground.
Could also use pt 6x6 with rebar driven through a predrilled hole.
Here is a picture
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cbright
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2017 02:50pm
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I made a curved staircase out of 8' railroad ties ... cut into 1/3rds ... so 2' 8" wide. Dug it into the hillside and used big 8" spike to hook it together. Super solid and will be there for 50 years. We had a supply of $3 railroad ties when they were ripping out the old railroad nearby.... built lots of different things from them.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2017 02:57pm
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Great ideas, thanks!
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2017 11:51pm
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I won't bring railroad ties onto my property, just because they are so impregnated with creosote. I don't want that all that poison on my place. Maybe I'm overreacting. Also railroad ties are near impossible to cut because the creosote screws up a saw chain or circ saw blade in a hurry. And lastly the reason they pulled the ties is because they are old and in danger of beginning to rot soon, so how long will they last? There are other alternatives.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2017 04:18pm - Edited by: paulz
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Here's the spot I'm working with. The stairs are almost gone from winter but they follow the red line.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2017 06:19pm
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I wouldn't rule out concrete, if you can get a truck in there. Most expensive and most labor intensive way to do it, but done right the most long lasting.
If you can come up with a ready supply of stone, a stone and mortar staircase is not too difficult. No concrete trucks cause you mix mortar as you go. Much less mortar than concrete cause it's mostly stone. No forms required. Still important to dig deep and include rebar. Fun, permanent, and very attractive. Stone suppliers will deliver if the truck can get in. Otherwise, many trips to some local supply of unwanted stone.
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KinAlberta
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2017 05:46pm - Edited by: KinAlberta
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Quoting: bldginsp I won't bring railroad ties onto my property, just because they are so impregnated with creosote. I don't want that all that poison on my place. Maybe I'm overreacting. Also railroad ties are near impossible to cut because the creosote screws up a saw chain or circ saw blade in a hurry. And lastly the reason they pulled the ties is because they are old and in danger of beginning to rot soon, so how long will they last? There are other alternatives.
On this issue, yesterday I ran out to the cabin and jacked up our old metal bridge (its beams had sunk into the bank over the years). It's only about 6-7' wide (50' long) so I was thinking that I could lay down some sidewalk blocks to spread the load and then top them with cross-members to lift the bridge rails well above the ground using using some beams. But the costs will add up now that I need to build long ramps.
So I thought, maybe to save money and get a long lasting solution, I could use a few of the old, but like new, railroad ties I have laying about.
Then had second thoughts and some googling indicates that there may be regulations against having creosote railroad ties near bodies of water. In one forum posting some guy had seen a number of bridges being forced to be torn down because they have been build with creosote railroad ties.
I also have a couple under our boathouse so I think I may even replace them with concrete blocks of something less toxic.
Here's one old but interesting regulation link I came across:
http://www.mae.gov.nl.ca/waterres/regulations/policies/creosote_wood.html
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bobrok
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2017 06:41pm
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I put this in over several years and it works fabulously.
If you are interested in info/details comment back to me.
Glad to help.
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Eddy G
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 05:04am - Edited by: Eddy G
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bobrok, that's a work of art... nice job
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cbright
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2017 08:13am
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Quoting: bldginsp I won't bring railroad ties onto my property, just because they are so impregnated with creosote. I don't want that all that poison on my place. Maybe I'm overreacting. Also railroad ties are near impossible to cut because the creosote screws up a saw chain or circ saw blade in a hurry. And lastly the reason they pulled the ties is because they are old and in danger of beginning to rot soon, so how long will they last? There are other alternatives.
I disagree.... they were ripped out because the railroad was totally removed. All in good condition and many thousands have been used for various things in the area and are all holding up fine about 15 years later. They aren't leaking anything at all. They will outlast concrete stairs in the same location. No worry of them polluting anything nearby. Cutting? Used a chainsaw, cut fine, just a quick resharpen after cutting up 6 or 7 ties (14 cuts?)
You could use nice PT 6x6s for 10x the price, but I'll save my money thanks.
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Bushwhacked
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# Posted: 1 Sep 2017 12:39am
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Quoting: bldginsp I won't bring railroad ties onto my property, just because they are so impregnated with creosote.
I was hired about 17-18 years ago to build 5 retaining walls with steps between/along side of them. We framed in the steps and filled the area with crushed gravel level with the top of the rail road tie "riser" The rock packed in nicely after a bit of use.
The walls and steps are still there. We used rebar slammed though a hole we drilled in the tie to hold them together. Looks just about the same now as the day we finished other than plants growing around them.
I DO worry about the creosote issue though, I wont use them around my house.
Quoting: bldginsp Also railroad ties are near impossible to cut because the creosote screws up a saw chain or circ saw blade in a hurry
That is a bit of an understatement haha. They are so freaking hard to cut!!!!
I think we were using a combo of chainsaws and sawzall to cut through them. Having to touch up the chain, well really refile the whole chain every two cuts or so.
As far as the ties being used up and already rotting comment, It depends on where you get them, and where they came from. The local lumber yard near where we were working had really nice ones that didnt look that old and they were solid. I have seen other people order a bunch of them from their local lumber yard and half of them seem to be soft or have a hole down the middle!
If it were me and my place, I would use pavers or retaining blocks. A friend of mine just did a patio out of pavers they got for "free". They just had to go and take them up and bring them to their house. Pavers are usually set in sand, so easy peasy once you get the first couple up.
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enigmamdw
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# Posted: 19 Sep 2017 01:33pm
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Everyone's talking about steep slopes to "the water." My steep slope goes down to a cow pasture...
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 19 Sep 2017 05:21pm
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cows are good also..
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