Staggered stairs

[swimmer_spe]

In the spring, I plan on replacing the stairs down to the lake. Currently, there are 15 steps that are 15'' square patio stones with wood ties around them. My plan is to remove all of it and start from scratch. Instead of a long set of stairs, I want to put a couple in, and then have a flat landing, then a few more, then a landing, etc. I am trying to figure out the footings needed as well as what I need to build them.

 

[joecaption]

Please post a picture so we can see what your seeing.

 

[havasu]

Also would need the rise and run you have, and whether the run could be modified to include a landing.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Also would need the rise and run you have, and whether the run could be modified to include a landing.

The step is 15'' deep by 6''. There are 15 of them.

 

[havasu]

Sounds like your stairs take about 20' to drop 7.5'. If you started 30' out, you could drop 5 steps (30" drop) and have a 5' flat landing, then another 5 steps (30" drop) then another 5' landing, then finish up with the last 5 steps. Is that what you were considering?

 

[swimmer_spe]

Sounds like your stairs take about 20' to drop 7.5'. If you started 30' out, you could drop 5 steps (30" drop) and have a 5' flat landing, then another 5 steps (30" drop) then another 5' landing, then finish up with the last 5 steps. Is that what you were considering?

Yes, something like that. We have elderly family and that landing can be their rest stop.

What other combinations of steps and landings could I go with?

 

[havasu]

There is nothing to stop you except a lack of money or space. I personally like a design element added, such as 3 steps down to a railed landing, then steps to the left that goes down 3 steps, again to a railed landing, then back the opposite direction. As folks get older, they lose depth perception and this would alleviate this issue.

Here is another idea, which makes a great patio area.

 

[swimmer_spe]

 

[swimmer_spe]

There you go, a picture of the existing stairs and the yard.

 

[havasu]

What is that white stuff? It does not compute for a So Cal boy!

 

[swimmer_spe]

What is that white stuff? It does not compute for a So Cal boy!

Go up to the mountains. You will see it. It is what happens when rain falls as a solid.

 

[bud16415]

What is that white stuff? It does not compute for a So Cal boy!

We call that a dusting.

 

[bud16415]

Steps don't look too bad as they are. Someone did a lot of work cutting them in. Is the one that is tilting a dock or a sun deck? Is it a lake they draw down for winter?

 

[swimmer_spe]

Steps don't look too bad as they are. Someone did a lot of work cutting them in. Is the one that is tilting a dock or a sun deck? Is it a lake they draw down for winter?

The one with the rope is part of my dock. It is out of the water as the breakup will destroy the dock or send it down the lake.

The existing stairs are too much of a rise per each one. They are also too deep.. You cannot just walk up and down them. The wood is starting to rot, so if I am going to fix them, I may as well build something nice for them.

The lake level is normal, but in the spring, the sport where the dock sits may be a few inches under water. The lake is controlled by a dam, about 9km to the right of the photos.

The wood retaining wall also needs to be replaced. it is rotten and starting to bulge out. My thinking was a water feature on that area. Something I could incorporate with a landing would work well.

 

[bud16415]

Yep around here a lot of the small lakes are dam controlled and in the fall they drop the water to protect the docks and shore line and also kill a lot of the aquatic plants along the edges.

Looks like you can build it out to be a great feature. even a small deck half way down on the left would be nice.

The rule of thumb for comfortable steps is the rise plus the run should = 18".

7" rise and 11" run is a real easy climb for older folks.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Yep around here a lot of the small lakes are dam controlled and in the fall they drop the water to protect the docks and shore line and also kill a lot of the aquatic plants along the edges.

Looks like you can build it out to be a great feature. even a small deck half way down on the left would be nice.

The rule of thumb for comfortable steps is the rise plus the run should = 18".

7" rise and 11" run is a real easy climb for older folks.

I'd rather not touch the left area with the stairs.

I can get precut stairs that I just put some boards on top and I am good. I am just trying to figure out how many steps I would have and how much of a landing would I have.

 

[bud16415]

Best way is to make a scaled drawing as a cross section. take the height in inches and divide by 7" you will get some odd number but round that off up and down and divide that again and pick the rise that's closest to 7"or 8" depending on what you are looking for. Then in the middle stretch out the landing to make it fit the slope on your drawing.

I would do it on CAD but if you don't have CAD paper has worked for 100s of years.

 

[Sparky617]

You might want to consider adding benches on the landings. If they are there for elderly family members to take a break, might as well give them a place to sit-a-spell.

 

[swimmer_spe]

You might want to consider adding benches on the landings. If they are there for elderly family members to take a break, might as well give them a place to sit-a-spell.

I am planning to.

 

[swimmer_spe]

That is my rough idea.

I am thinking that about half way up there is a nice small deck with a bench on it.
The steps start almost at the edge of the tree branches. They would have a landing about half way up.
The top section on the steps would be similar.

I redid some measurements.
There are 15 steps, plus the step down and up.
They range between 8-10 inches of a rise each.
The step is 21 inches deep..

My hill is about 136 - 170 inches high. It is also about 315 inches deep.

Once I tackle this, I will start at the bottom. So, at about 68-85 inches, how many steps would that be?