It started last Labor Day (see Oct 1, 2009 post) when I took on the project of building stairs on the correct side of the driveway. 
I decided to use some lovely pavers, cut out some lawn, moved boulders, concrete-glued the pavers to the concrete risers, and boom- stairs. Thankfully I have an able-bodied mom who saved the day, as I actually built these twice, once trying to go over a huge boulder but then the stairs were too steep, then again after mom helped me move the boulder. Oh and if you look closely at this picture, you'll see other yard improvements.
But... then I thought that the stairs were too narrow... So in November, I put in some labor to make the stairs double-wide (see Nov 10, 2009 post). Looked great and was finally a comfortable size... BUT... after a long, very cold winter, since I hadn't prepared the ground properly, the stairs settled and cracked, leaving scary-looking stairs that no one would use.So I had to think of a new solution. Part of the issue was that there was nothing to contain dirt under the stairs from eventually falling out the sides, since it is on a steep hill. I had thought that I'd be cutting into the hill enough that it'd work. It didn't. Because I'd already invested money in the pavers (they're a few bucks each), and I like the look and dammit that was my original idea and the way I saw it finalized, I wanted to figure out a way to still use them. My final two options were 1) pour concrete and set the pavers on it, or 2) built a wooden staircase but use the pavers as the tread instead of wood.
Step 1: lots of reading on the internet about how to build stairs
(this picture is what I was envisioning creating, except that it would just sit on the ground)Step 2: bought pressure-treated 2x6s for the risers, 2x12s for the stringers (along the side), 4x4s for the posts (mom and I thought that would help ground it and would make a railing), galvanized screws (because I was originally going to screw it)... Okay, I'm getting sick of the looks from the dudes at Lowes who apparently think I'm retarded or insane. Ya know what, it's gonna work, buddy.
Step 3: start to feel stupid for not being able to mark how to cut the wood. So... I'm a smart gal. But
some tasks are a little challenging for me, among them looking at certain instructions and trying to flip them around in your mind. And then working with my mom, who I think suffers from the same issue, does not help the matter. If we're using the diagram as a template though... something about it was just confusing me. Why do I feel so confused about how the diagram leads to the stairs above? Honestly I was racking my brain. I'm staring at my 2x12 trying to mark it like the diagram but something is just not adding up. 
Okay, so if you actually laid out your board and cut it just like in the diagram, you'd end up with a board like this. But... to make the picture above, you'd have to flip the board around like this: 
Right? Okay, see my confusion. That really took me about 1/2 hour to figure out. Wow, some tasks I probably shouldn't take on myself. Or with mom's help (no offense, mom). Luckily we ended up just getting tired and frustrated, oh and didn't have the right tools so that the circular saw I was trying to use 1) didn't cut all the way through the 2x6 so we'd have to cut one side, flip it over and cut it again, and 2) got too dull to cut, so we just ended for that night.
Step 4: somehow ran into my next door neighbor Alan who said he had the right tools to help me cut my pre-marked wood. But... when he came by to cut it... because I still hadn't figured out how to mark the stringers, he completely took over and started cutting my boards much differently than I had expected. His idea (or maybe what he thought was my idea) was to cut everything as boxes that would be nailed together), and I'd fill the interior with dirt or whatever.
Step 5: I relinquish control and feel thankful that I'm getting some help, even if my stairs end up differently than I'd envisioned.
Step 6: rip out pavers as we build these wood boxes down from the top, setting some posts as we go
Step 7: buy Alan a toolbelt to thank him for working on this project and not wanting me to pay him, though I offered. He did a great job cutting the bottom riser so that it's flush with the slope of the sidewalk.
Step 8: filled the boxes with a combo of dirt, then quick cement (which then I let harden since we ended up having a bunch of rain in May), then paver sand. Placed the pavers on the new wood frame.
Step 9: finished setting posts. Mom had seen the
se cool post caps that have solar lights on them, instead of these small stick-in-ground ones I'd been using to light the stairs. The near finished project looked so good. I had a bunch of different ideas for a railing but due to cost ended up just going with some clear cedar.Step 10: cut posts to same height. Bought some clear cedar. With Alan's help, cut the clear cedar to the exact angle needed to fit between the posts. Used finish nails to place it. Stained.
Also... with mom and Alan's help, we tipped over a rock that had been standing up in the yard. It was part of the slope but I wanted to cut into the slope, make it a more pronounced hill there so I could gain more yard. We also built up the slope that was below the "yard" which helped me a gain a few more feet, then built a rock garden below that.
I transplanted some grass from the backyard sprinkler project to the front... the front door is now painted as well... built a retaining wall since that big rock, and some buried rock, had been holding the hillside in...
Originally, it looked like this:
Today, it looks amazing!
No comments:
Post a Comment