I'm building a set of stairs for my deck, all wood construction. Right now, I have grass where the foot of the stairs will be. Eventually (next year probably), I plan to pour a concrete patio under the deck, including where the foot of the stairs will be.
My plan is to jack up the stairs a couple inches with some 2x4 and a couple jacks, then pour concrete underneath. The stairs are about 10' long and 90" high.
Is this a bad idea? The two alternatives are I put the stair project on hold until I pour a patio, or I remove and reinstall the stairs afterwards. The biggest hurdle I foresee is the torque on the hangers if I jack up the end of the stairs, though I'm not sure a few inches will have too much effect.
Definitely remove and replace. Working around the stairs and applying the torque to the hangars are bad ideas.
If you haven't built the stairs yet, why not pour a small concrete pad now where the foot will go, and later, you can just have a felt seam (expansion joint) around that and pour the rest of the patio around them.
I thought about this. But, I'm not 100% sure how I want the patio laid out yet. Plus, it's winter and the ground is frozen 😬
8" sonotube
Cut yourself 2 pieces about 2-3 feet long and dig holes where the feet will be landing.
Put the tubes in the ground, and fill with concrete.
Then build your stairs.
Figure out the rest of the layout later.
Just make sure to check local recommendations/requirements for footings to make sure you are below the frost line. Here in the Chicago area that would be 42" to prevent frost heave. If your somewhere that the ground is frozen right now, you don't want them to push out during the freeze thaw cycles. What's your plan for the footings now if the ground is already frozen?
I'm not planning to have any footings at the bottom of the stairs. Just the landing at the top. The bottom is going to just rest on a piece of scrap 2x12 that I put at the exact elevation of the future concrete. Once I pour the patio, the stairs will be bolted to the concrete.
Obviously just wait until you pour so you don't jank up an otherwise fine project.
Yeah I think that's going to be the plan.
Have you ever done concrete flatwork before? Harder than it looks to get a good flat surface (angled just enough to drain) with a good finish.
Trying to achieve this with stairs in the way plus whatever is prying them up a couple inches is just making things more difficult.
Either do the flatwork first for best results, or land the stairs on a small footing now that you can leave in place and concrete easily around.
Just little projects like a landing outside a door. You make some good points. I think I'm going to just wait and do it in the right order. Thanks.
I’m doing the same thing but I’m using pavers