So, I bought this house a couple months ago, and need to figure out what to do about these steps. Obviously they don't line up w the door, though I have no idea why. They also require taking a pretty big first step, which makes them impracticable for a doggy door, as the little dudes would fall on their faces, as well as not being able to get back inside.
Should I knock the old steps out and rebuild them? I was also thinking maybe building a wooden patio over them. I'm not really sure. I'm extremely bad at this kind of thing, and am kind of at a loss.
Ideas?
If you don't need a whole patio, you could just go with wooden steps over the crappy cement ones. Centered on your door, with three or four steps instead of two, you could make the whole thing out of 2x4s screwed together and attach it to your door frame. This is the kind of entry-level carpentry that they made me do when I was in the theatre industry, building sets and stuff. Shouldn't cost more than $50 or take more than an afternoon if you or someone you know already has the tools (which should just be a power drill, wood screws, circular saw, measuring tape and pencil). If you're totally 100% new I would suggest asking around for someone to help you out in person, you'll learn way more than you will watching YouTube tutorials.
This is def worth considering. I could probably find someone to help, too.
Minnesota concrete guy here. How much work do you wanna do to improve it and what part of the country are you in?
If it were me I would make the top tread a 3'x3' landing at an elevation 3/4 inch below the threshold. MN building code mandates the landing at entries and the step rise may not exceed 7 inches, any steps above 3' from grade requires a railing.
Generally it's best to have the step slightly lower than the threshold in the event of frost heave as I mentioned. The existing step could be chipped down instead of total removal, I've used concrete screws called tapcons to create a points that will anchor the new cap to the existing. It is best to have 4 inches of new concrete clearance over the old step to ensure it won't fail.
Setting formwork for steps can be difficult, if you want a good finish on the vertical surfaces it needs to be stripped and rub finish while the concrete is still plastic. If this is a route you wanna go or even something quick like a skim coat of patch, don't hesitate to ask me!
I'm in California, right in the middle of what is technically a desert, so no worries on snow/ice. That said, think I'm probably gonna wind up going with a wooden patio or steps over the existing ones. Thanks though!
I'll third the idea to just build a wood structure over them. Patio is great if you have the room, but it could also just be some larger stairs.
I have a full porch on the front, so it'll probably be something relatively small, but big enough to at least be mildly interesting.
Do what my neighbor did with his shitty front step just destroy it and dont replace it with anything so there's a 2 foot drop from the door to the ground I swear to God that man has superpowers because I have seen him step down from that door onto shear ice and not slip
Lol I have no idea he's fucking wild like I think I'm losing sometimes but that dude is just 100% unhinged like he's got a hot tub in his backyard and I have seen his naked ass climbing in that thing on 95° days with steam coming off the water
well you have to explain the Stair problem to her of course , obviously .... , otherwise replacing the dogs might look bad ....
Good point. A replacement dog does make perfecr sense in that scenario.
i mean letting the dog fall on its nose every time he wants to go out would just be cruel and building a patio is like , work and stuff....
:monke-beepboop: Shovel dirt onto it until you have a nice, even dirt mound to get to and from your door
Lean a plank of plywood over it for a ramp. Now you have wheelchair access
When it surfboards down the steps w me on it, I will then need a wheelchair and so will be in luck to have the materials already on hand. Lol
Having done a fair bit of construction myself, my first thought was building a patio over them. It'd be as much or more work to knock out those steps as it would be to just build over them. Plus you get a patio out of it.
Seems to be the consensus. I'll look into the hows and stuff and figure it all out. Thanks!
You can use like 2x6 lumber to make a mold for the correct size of the steps. If you mix your concrete so it’s clay like you can pack it in without it leaking too much. Also mix in some sand and rocks.
Never done it before, but i’ve seem it done alot
As much as I hate myself, I don't hate myself enough to suffer extreme bone-breakage, and definitely can afford neither the medical bills, nor the time off.
Knock out the concrete and build (2) steps out of wood or composite. Do it up to code, so possibly paying a contractor.
The steps should have a small landing (the flashing on the door that's sticking out should rest on it and you can see where there used to be a landing to the right). They should also have some handrails for accessibility and a good, grippy surface.
Don't underestimate the value of safe walkways, people die from short falls.
Honestly I think that was them fucking up and starting over. See my response to this same reply for evidence of that claim.
I'm very confused by it. Also very confused by many things at this house, though. Lots of stuff straight up shouts "laziness." Like carpets that are uneven, or cracking grout around the shower or sink, or cockeyed lightswitch plates
This is what happens when someone wants to Diy everything to save money, but is too lazy to research how to do it properly and start over again if they fuck up.
There are dozens of things you will find like this over the years, just hope they didn't attempt this with anything that's really important.
IMO the easiest thing to do here is demo the steps and make new ones, which shouldn't be too difficult.
Haha nah, this is from a super shady investor hiring the lowest-cost contractors they could find. You should see the gates out front - looks like someone's cousin saw a gate once and said "sure, I can do that."
