The besser block steps were never going to work out, so I want to start doing something that will work – the besser blocks reassigned to the kids for planter boxes.
I’ve been playing with some different methods of putting the steps in, but am ensuring they comply with the BCA, which sets standards for risers, goings and slope relationship.
The new idea – chuck in some treated pine steps, which should be relatively easy – supported by concrete in the ground, posts come up, bolt to the stringers, to which the treads fill the middle.
Some oil to change the look from treated pine to merbau hardwood (or similar, to match our threshold), and it’ll look really good (so I figure).
The holes for the posts were dug, 30cm down, but I’m putting the posts down 15cm, as that should be plenty, and leaves me enough to do it out of one 2.4m length.
After I dug the holes out, I went back to the first one, there was water sitting in there – but it hasn’t been raining, so I see the water is seeping downhill, which matches the tiny slope that our block has. The holes filled with water wouldn’t be ideal to set the concrete in, so I’ve had to call it a day.
I took the sleepers which were to serve as the stringers, and put them over the holes. Put the current besser blocks on top of them.
The concrete slabs that were the original treads, placed in front of it, and a sign, “Beware, Large Wet Hole” currently sits on that with bricks holding it in place to ensure no one is dumb enough to fall into the wet hole.
Hopefully, next weekend, the hole will be dry, and we can then set about inserting concrete (quick set!), and levelling the posts, ready to later, determine how long and how to cut the stringers, and later, chisel them out for the possibly, treated pine sleepers – less we find hardwood, to go in between and coachscrews hold it into place.
My partner finds some sort of issue with the sign.. Maybe it’s due to it being made of paper, and so won’t hold up to the rain.