I am from Poland I have also completely flat backyard and what is more important I don't have any immediate plans to build stairs on the slope, but I watched this material from beginning to end with interest 😅👌 well-recorded material and a passionate man , Happy day
Former trail builder here. For a really nice finished step I would try working with 1/4" minus crushed. Add a bit of concrete color powder to match the landscape and just a little bit of water. Then tamp the gravel down to a shape where water will flow from the back to the front of the step. The fines from the crushing almost act like concrete to solidify the base. This will keep your gravel in place rather than all over your wood tread. It's more work but man does it look nicer and feel better on the foot.
@@Profoundlygrateful quarrys sell stone in varying sizes to suit varying needs. 1/4 inch minus means no stones greater than 1/4 inch and some smaller.
@@boscoalbertbaracus1362 If you can't give a helpful answer you probably shouldn't be responding to the question. Everyone has to start somewhere...you might want to start learning kindness.
Pro tip. There are several grades of pressure treated pine lumber available. Ground contact is probably the best you can get easily. Marine grade is the best. Look up the difference, takes only a second, and see what is available for what price in your area. Pressure treated lumber is now "safer" to use because the arsenic has been removed but now it doesn't last near as long. You could potentially get clean, non pressure-treated lumber and "char" it but it will take longer. The end product will last longer though, much longer.
A couple of suggestions from a fellow stair builder. You need to treat every cut end of the pressure treated wood with copper-green wood preservative. PT wood is only preserved on the outside so every cut is vulnerable to rot. Also concrete form stakes are cheap and easier to use than rebar or wood stakes. They come with holes pre-drilled and in various lengths. And finally use Simpson straps and nails to re-enforce the joints especially on the first stair thread. Screws alone tend to pull out over time.
I'd say this is worth a pinned comment. To OP, is it worth the effort of painting the PT wood, since it's in contact with moisture so much more than usual?
@@MacroAggressor I would skip the paint and use a "water sealer" instead if you want to go that route. Some lumber yard sell varying grades of treated lumber, some are better for direct ground contact than other. Menards has good selection.
Thank you! 59 year old married woman who loves doing her own landscaping so any DIY tips are welcome. The part about taking your time and not having to have it done over night was priceless and much needed information to my ears lol Again Thank you!!
I'm an almost 80 yo. Grandma.🎉 and plan on doing this myself this year. Easy Peasy .... If I take my time. And pay the neighbor boy to haul the pea gravel.
More than 10! You could use this stairway video as a metaphor for life. The daily challenges and effort needed to accomplish a task...whether 10, 100, or 1,000 steps. Thanks
I wish I'd seen this video about 25 years ago when I was younger and stronger and had my original knees :) I have the absolute perfect spot for one of these .
FINALLY! I've literally waited years for a how-to on hill stairs that I can handle with my limitations. After searching and searching for how to make a simple set of stairs on a hill that's not far beyond my skill set and disability, I gave up around 2020. Now I think It's actually possible. Thank you so much for this!
I built a staircase for my parents years ago, so they could get down to the pump as they got older. I used railroad ties to line the hill side and secured them in place with rebar. I then cut landscaping temper to fit in between and secured those with rebar also. Then I filled each step with gravel. It is still standing in good shape after 15 years.
@@imabeapirateIf you still didn’t know what landscape timbers were, you’ve probably seen them as those long wood bits that are flat on top and bottom and rounded or curved on the sides. Almost like someone took a 4x4 and squashed it. They’re pretty cheap and not treated usually.
My lawn guy built a set of stairs like this for me down a bluff maybe 12-15 years ago. He put a little curve in it so it wasn’t too steep. Set some rebar into the limestone underneath. And lag bolted everything together. 20 steps total. Incredible job.
According to the comments, the algorithm made some errors when recommending this to people without land...without hills...without mobility, etc. But I am delighted that the algorithm got it right in my case. I live on the very tip top of a hill. Every bit of land I have is nearly inaccessible due to the steep incline. I've placed stepping stones here and there, but they are so very dangerous when my family comes to visit. This actually looks remarkably safe and easy enough for me to do myself. Thanks for the wonderful idea. I'm staying to the end.
I used your first video and built a set of stairs. It was my COVID quarantine project. 4 years later they are still awesome- haven't budged even though we get snow and frozen ground every year. Thank you for the idea and inspiration when I needed it!
** There is nothing wrong with 'expecting' that a Million, or more, people will watch your videos. Your content is good.. and very helpful.. and you are very personable.. thoughts create our reality after all doesn't it. =D .. I can use this in my yard on so many areas. Thank you for sharing.. I'm the kind of person who needs to 'see' the picture in my mind before I can grasp it.. This video paved the way, friend.. I am so grateful to come across your video.. and I subscribed as I love wood and building things. Never learned from anyone, I just wing it.. hahahaha.. Your channel will help with that I'm sure.. =D God bless and have a wonderful day!
I have been putting off a stair project from our fence down to the gangplank to our dock for 3 years. I was of the mindset that I needed concrete, posts and a whole structure like a deck. This is so much easier, cheaper and doable. Thank you for posting this.
Well, I am so thankful to come across this video. What I particularly liked about it was that it was something I could actually physically do. Thank you.
we had a similar approach to a similar project, but we wanted our stairway to be more of a curve through a sloped garden bed of perennials. We built individual boxes for each "tread". We built them deeper so they could overlap, the front of each tread box using a few inches of the tread box below for stability and to maintain the right riser level. The rest, and i remember thinking this in your other video too, was the same - weed barrier, stakes, rocks and gravel. I appreciate you showing how you cut the stakes. You might not have thought that the most significant part of the video, but it was the "A-HA!" moment for me :D
this looks way easier than other tutorials I've found. I'm definitely give it a shot even if its only 2-3 steps. Any thing from slipping down the weird short slope at the end of my property.
You nailed it with the exercise phase. So many projects have that stage and it's my favorite part. Zone out and listen to a good book or podcast and get at it.
I'm glad this video showed up in my feed, I have to build a similar stairway up a hill on my property in the ozarks soon, and watching this, it occurred to me to put some raised bed planters on either side in places for my herbs and spices, thank you.
Thank you for this tutorial! My son moved into a mobile home on a slope for college, and a straightforward DIY solution for steps was just what he and I needed.
My yard is as flat as a pancake but I still loved this video. You were great at demonstrating everything and showing what problems you may run into and how to approach them. Liked and subbed!
Very useful, informative video. Clever idea for horizontal leveling by putting stakes on the ground and the fastening the frame. This is why RUclips is successful.
Great cheap fix for backyard hills, could I make a suggestion to maybe improve it? A lot of landscape supply yards carry a polymer sand used mostly for brick paver grout joints. You could leave the run box an inch or so low, then mix pea pebbles with the poly sand and trowel in to the top of the form. The polysand when mixed with water causes a chemical reaction and it hardens but remains permeable to rain and the pebbles under the cap are a great drain.
I, too, was one of the "10" who stayed until the end. I am looking for possible solutions for my sloped backyard. Because of the slope, the area is uneven, and I know that the day will come when I fall. I wondered if I could put in stairs and you certainly answered that question. Thanks so much.
❤🎉 So, I watched to the end. Nice stairs! So much work! We built similar on our Colorado property around several areas. We have elms, way too many so we cut down young ones for the risers and stringers. Husband drilled 2 holes in each riser to hold re bar that came with the property and pounded those into our rocky soil. The stringers were held in place the same way. We didn't dig into the soil as you did unless there was a lump. If there was a hollow, I collected rocks to wedge under the stringers and fill in the gap. Meanwhile, I did just like you and collected loose rubble and rocks to take up space in the tread area. We bought gravel and filled in the treads to level. That was 17 years ago and everything is still sturdy, functional and good looking! We built 3 sets of stairs.😂
Great idea!! Thank You for sharing this. was beginning to think it was hopeless for me to build stairs on my hill myself until i came across your video
Make sure your get GROUND CONTACT RATED 2x6"!!!! In the past Lowes used to carry them but Home Depot did not. Might have changed. Also use a dimple plastic mat between wood and gravel so that there is less moisture on the wood and it will last longer.
BEST stair vid I have ever seen! This I can do Thank you so much. With stairs added to our property the useable size will give me about 2 AC!!! It has just been too hard to walk on unlevel hill side. Lived here for 30 yrs and have given up on ever getting steps in. Nothing else worked THIS makes it easy old lady easy THANK YOU!
I don't have a garden or land where I could build this kind of staircase. And this is the first video I've seen from this channel, but I watched it all the way through: our tone, tranquility and benevolence really impressed me! Bravo to you for this video, I'm going to watch a second one from this channel right away!
I just found your channel and I’m soooo glad. Our properties look very similar. I built on a sloped wooded hillside and it’s VERY rocky. My major issue is the clay soil. I have relatively flat(ish) areas but there are major slopes to get to them so these stairs would be a game changer for me if I built a shed up there say for my tractor or whatnot. Thank you for the great idea. This is definitely on my to do list!! 😊
Saw an old school method for preserving the wood outside that had a ton of likes and looked really nice. The video was about mixing old diesel fuel with used oil. either brush it on, spray it on or the favorite method was to literally soak the boards in it overnight (in a bucket) so it gets drawn deep into the end grain as well.
Informative video. Rock Rakes and Pulaskis are good, but you should consider getting yourself of McLeod (Rakehoe) for soil clearing/leveling like you did briefly at 1:56. It's a forestry tool used by firefighters to make fire lines to try to control fire spread, but it's also used by trail crews for pushing, pulling, and compacting soil. It's my favorite outdoor tool of all time, I use it for removing invasive species like Himalayan Blackberries. I can slam the thick tines of the rake side of the McLeod under the root wads and lever them strait out of the soil so they can't grow back. Make sure you get one with a secure but detachable blade; a lot of the cheap ones skimp on the attachment point and don't last long.
I enjoyed the stairs video and the sauna one very much. I'm a DIYer, but I definitely am not a carpenter, and building that sauna would take me a year at best. The stairs, on the other hand, are something I will have better luck with after watching your video. You made it seem less than difficult. Nice work on both! Look forward to seeing what else you create.
One of the things that I try to keep in mind is the intended lifespan of any project. If you're choosing to do a project that you want to last a long time, there's a disproportionate amount of effort you need to put into the small things that take the most time but have the biggest impact. But only to a point! You can easily add so many details a project never gets done. So pick one or two improvements and STOP. Treated cut ends, shallow dadoes for the risers to sit in, grout or polysand as a top coat, additional stakes behind the risers, a built in drain, you name it.
I should have mentioned I did find the general concepts in the video very useful for my situation. Thankyou. Just found lack of detail about levels when changing direction a bit frustrating.
Oh wow I wasn’t even looking for this, but RUclips fed it to me and I’m Sooooo happy it did! I utterly need to know how to do this and your instructions are so simple to understand and follow. 👍🏻👍🏻☺️
When I built my house, my electrician used a large impact driver to drive in the copper ground rod 8 feet into hard clay. I could not believe how easy it went in, because I've done it a couple of times before, and I know how difficult it is to do with a hammer.
I've done something like this a few times. The problem is finding a chuck that can hold the rod. The grounding rods required by code where I live are 5/8 or 3/4". My chuck is 1/2" I've got a Bosch hammer drill so it's always turning. Your electrician got around by having an impact driver that can just hammer. A useful feature if you do this a lot. What I generally do is using my longest masonry bit drill an hole as deep as it will go. Then I fill the hole with water and let it soak. The next day I can usually hammer in the rod as far as it needs to go.
This was perfectly executed and very clear! Thank you! We have a home that has a hill that as an senior I cannot walk down - but with these stairs, I would be able to walk down to the creek!! Thank you thank you!!!
Save on gravel and go rustic! If it's well travelled, you can just use available dirt and let it run wild. Tree sprouts will need to be pulled, but foot traffic should keep the rest clear. Or, a string trimmer twice a year if you're fussy... I've seen lot's of railroad ties monstrosities, but this is a one man project! And frugal. Very tidy.
May I suggest buying gravel in 2 sizes so that the smaller pieces find their home amongst the larger pieces and make for a more stable gravel bed. Eventually dirt will fill in the rest or you can try some polymer sand/ concrete that will harden with the rain. Thanks for this simple but effective solution to sloping yards.
Nice stairs. The work that goes into your stairs, if filled with concrete makes a more permanent set of concrete stairs. I spent a few days working with an experienced carpenter, form maker doing exactly this. We didn't use pressure treated lumber, and within two hours of the concrete pour we were already taking apart our forms. Ideally if you choose to use concrete you can store the lumber to use again, or for someone else to use for their stairs. In any case permanent wood or concrete, what you do should be anchored well enough that with frost heave and earth movement it doesn't shift and become uneven. I think about the only thing we did differently is inside the riser we added a chamfered strip so the edge of the concrete step wasn't a sharp 90° corner. We also added rebar so it would all hold together, and we keyd some of the steps into the slope so the whole thing wouldn't slide down. And maybe a few more stakes (wet concrete is very heavy) Just another option.
What a great video… we have a ravine and we need some steps because my husband loves to cross it to hit his golf balls from the other side of the ravine onto our property. This looks really doable for our needs. Thank you!
Thanks so much for documenting this so clearly and discussing the different anchoring options etc. I've just used a variation on this method to build a flight of stairs in my garden.
Just a quick note of appreciation to @atomicshrimp . I'm seeing new subs mention that they learned about me from you. As a micro channel I very much appreciate it! Let me know if there is any way for me to return the favor.
Thank you for getting around to making this video to build off the first one you made about this topic. This has helped a lot. Did you end up back filling around the outside of the stairs because I noticed a large gap under the first tread at the bottom of the stairs?
@@WineberryHill I see. Would you happen to have an email address or another social media account where I'd be able to share a picture of where I'm considering this option? I'd like to get your opinion if possible.
I agree with the guy who said to seal the end grain, use simpson strong ties, and use steel stakes. Lumber self-destructs in contact with the ground, and you want these stairs to last as long as possible.
A very nice project. Much effort was applied. My appreciation! It is very much interesting to hear about stairs' lifetime span since the planed wood gets completely rotten at the edge of soil and air just in 4-6 years.
How could I not watch til the end! It was informative, descriptive, and well thought out. Plus it was just 10 minutes! Great video and excited to try this out with our yard.
Thanks for the great vid - just happened upon it (well, The Algorithm presented it!). I've been contemplating stairs up to the far corner of a field I have (for a great view out to sea) - and you've made it seem much more straightforward a project! Simple instructions and points to consider. I have no doubt it will be hard work climbing up and down all the ground/stairs multiple times - so you make a great point of not being in a rush to complete it :) Cheers from London, UK (oh and my place with the view is in Wales - before anyone asks about the size and elevation of a field in London that could see the sea!).
That looks very similar to my place in south central KY. Fortunately for me, I'll be carrying the gravel DOWN, not up. Great and very helpful video. I was trying to create my trail without stairs, but the hill sections are just going to be too steep. It's about a 90 foot rise over about an 8th of a mile. This solves it. I can have mostly flat sections with occasional stairs and even a switchback (though that will make it more like a quarter mile unless I put a more steep connecting stairs in...
So glad the algorithm threw this up at me. It must've been reading my mind again. Was just wondering how to put steps in my small front garden that I'm currently digging all the rubble out of so I can put top soil down and plant a wildflower garden. This video was perfect. Thank you. And yes, I stayed to the end. Tuning in from Ireland btw.
High quality work, with an emphasis on the word "work." There is no shortcutting the honest labor required here, but the simplicity of concept is ideal. Thank you.
![Construction of Concrete Stairway Start to Finish [ASMR]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xoNmEFEM6fE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Construction of Concrete Stairway Start to Finish [ASMR]](/img/tr.png)
Thank you for your modesty. I'm sure there are more than ten of us who watched till the end.
there are dozens of us! Dozens!
I am from Poland I have also completely flat backyard and what is more important I don't have any immediate plans to build stairs on the slope, but I watched this material from beginning to end with interest 😅👌 well-recorded material and a passionate man , Happy day
Yep
like 97K@@MooKau_
And subscribed and liked
Former trail builder here. For a really nice finished step I would try working with 1/4" minus crushed. Add a bit of concrete color powder to match the landscape and just a little bit of water. Then tamp the gravel down to a shape where water will flow from the back to the front of the step. The fines from the crushing almost act like concrete to solidify the base. This will keep your gravel in place rather than all over your wood tread. It's more work but man does it look nicer and feel better on the foot.
Awesome tips!
"¼" minus crushed" COuld you say more? What does this mean?
@@Profoundlygrateful if you cant figure out what that means then you shouldn't be building anything.
@@Profoundlygrateful quarrys sell stone in varying sizes to suit varying needs. 1/4 inch minus means no stones greater than 1/4 inch and some smaller.
@@boscoalbertbaracus1362 If you can't give a helpful answer you probably shouldn't be responding to the question. Everyone has to start somewhere...you might want to start learning kindness.
As a surveyor, we use rebar to break the ground, use vicegrips to twist and remove the rebar, and then set the stake.
Great tip
i am one of the 10 people that made it to the end. thank you. if i move to Tennessee next year, i will be watching more! thank you
Awesome! Thank you…people like you keep me motivated!
Have you picked an area ? I want to go travel. I've been to Alcoa TN and Kingsport for work, years ago. Things change too.
We just moved to TN and we're building the stairs, too.
Pro tip. There are several grades of pressure treated pine lumber available. Ground contact is probably the best you can get easily. Marine grade is the best. Look up the difference, takes only a second, and see what is available for what price in your area. Pressure treated lumber is now "safer" to use because the arsenic has been removed but now it doesn't last near as long. You could potentially get clean, non pressure-treated lumber and "char" it but it will take longer. The end product will last longer though, much longer.
Thanks for the tip!
A couple of suggestions from a fellow stair builder. You need to treat every cut end of the pressure treated wood with copper-green wood preservative. PT wood is only preserved on the outside so every cut is vulnerable to rot. Also concrete form stakes are cheap and easier to use than rebar or wood stakes. They come with holes pre-drilled and in various lengths. And finally use Simpson straps and nails to re-enforce the joints especially on the first stair thread. Screws alone tend to pull out over time.
Thanks for the tips!
What stakes would you use specifically @vicalbincooper ? It seems like this product doesn’t exist in my country.
Best price I have seen for form stakes is $35 for 10. I can make 10 wood stakes for about $5, and likely free out of leftover wood.
I'd say this is worth a pinned comment.
To OP, is it worth the effort of painting the PT wood, since it's in contact with moisture so much more than usual?
@@MacroAggressor I would skip the paint and use a "water sealer" instead if you want to go that route. Some lumber yard sell varying grades of treated lumber, some are better for direct ground contact than other. Menards has good selection.
And now for your next video HAND RAILS on those beautiful stairs. For times when your senior friends and family visit !!
Good idea!
Thank you for these "step by step" instructions.
Perfect 👍😁
you must be a dad, that is definitely a dad joke
Oh boo! 😂❤
Ha.
Thank you! 59 year old married woman who loves doing her own landscaping so any DIY tips are welcome. The part about taking your time and not having to have it done over night was priceless and much needed information to my ears lol Again Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
So I'm 66 and taking on the job. Only 3 steps. Lol
I'm an almost 80 yo. Grandma.🎉
and plan on
doing this myself this year. Easy Peasy .... If I take my time.
And pay the neighbor boy to haul the pea gravel.
More than 10! You could use this stairway video as a metaphor for life. The daily challenges and effort needed to accomplish a task...whether 10, 100, or 1,000 steps. Thanks
Very true!
These gonna be the stairs we build for our hillside garden. I've seen so many possible builds and techniques, but this is so much more accessible.
I prefer stairs with a hand rail. Up off the ground.
See all the leaf clutter around? If your stairs are raised, you won't have as much maintenance.
I wish I'd seen this video about 25 years ago when I was younger and stronger and had my original knees :)
I have the absolute perfect spot for one of these .
I little bit at a time...
If you got nephews or grandkids, it might be time to enforce some help 😂
Digging and building out on my hill actually helped my joints and stamina. Like OP says, a little bit at a time. ☺️
FINALLY! I've literally waited years for a how-to on hill stairs that I can handle with my limitations. After searching and searching for how to make a simple set of stairs on a hill that's not far beyond my skill set and disability, I gave up around 2020. Now I think It's actually possible. Thank you so much for this!
The gravel-filling part seems like great Summer chores for kids.
Bingo!
I wasn't even looking for a video on building stairs, but watched until the end. Great video!
Same here :D
I don't own any land... But I'll remember this one
Glad you liked it!
same
I built a staircase for my parents years ago, so they could get down to the pump as they got older. I used railroad ties to line the hill side and secured them in place with rebar. I then cut landscaping temper to fit in between and secured those with rebar also. Then I filled each step with gravel. It is still standing in good shape after 15 years.
I believe it!
What's landscaping temper?
Landcaping timber... he got autocorrupted!@@imabeapirate
@@imabeapirate landscaping timber
@@imabeapirateIf you still didn’t know what landscape timbers were, you’ve probably seen them as those long wood bits that are flat on top and bottom and rounded or curved on the sides. Almost like someone took a 4x4 and squashed it. They’re pretty cheap and not treated usually.
My lawn guy built a set of stairs like this for me down a bluff maybe 12-15 years ago. He put a little curve in it so it wasn’t too steep. Set some rebar into the limestone underneath. And lag bolted everything together. 20 steps total. Incredible job.
This is exactly what I need to do in about 5 places on my property to make getting around in the winter much much safer. Thanks!
Exactly this. I have this one steep clay hill that I go up and down all the time that is just awful outside of summer.
Merci à vous aussi pour votre intelligence et bienveillance.
According to the comments, the algorithm made some errors when recommending this to people without land...without hills...without mobility, etc. But I am delighted that the algorithm got it right in my case. I live on the very tip top of a hill. Every bit of land I have is nearly inaccessible due to the steep incline. I've placed stepping stones here and there, but they are so very dangerous when my family comes to visit. This actually looks remarkably safe and easy enough for me to do myself. Thanks for the wonderful idea. I'm staying to the end.
its a lot of lumber
I used your first video and built a set of stairs. It was my COVID quarantine project. 4 years later they are still awesome- haven't budged even though we get snow and frozen ground every year. Thank you for the idea and inspiration when I needed it!
Makes me happy to hear this!
** There is nothing wrong with 'expecting' that a Million, or more, people will watch your videos. Your content is good.. and very helpful.. and you are very personable.. thoughts create our reality after all doesn't it. =D .. I can use this in my yard on so many areas. Thank you for sharing.. I'm the kind of person who needs to 'see' the picture in my mind before I can grasp it.. This video paved the way, friend.. I am so grateful to come across your video.. and I subscribed as I love wood and building things. Never learned from anyone, I just wing it.. hahahaha.. Your channel will help with that I'm sure.. =D God bless and have a wonderful day!
I have been putting off a stair project from our fence down to the gangplank to our dock for 3 years. I was of the mindset that I needed concrete, posts and a whole structure like a deck. This is so much easier, cheaper and doable. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for posting this. Great information!!
Excellent craftmanship. Your stairs look great.
Thank you very much!
Well, I am so thankful to come across this video. What I particularly liked about it was that it was something I could actually physically do. Thank you.
Wonderful!
we had a similar approach to a similar project, but we wanted our stairway to be more of a curve through a sloped garden bed of perennials. We built individual boxes for each "tread". We built them deeper so they could overlap, the front of each tread box using a few inches of the tread box below for stability and to maintain the right riser level. The rest, and i remember thinking this in your other video too, was the same - weed barrier, stakes, rocks and gravel. I appreciate you showing how you cut the stakes. You might not have thought that the most significant part of the video, but it was the "A-HA!" moment for me :D
Great idea...and I'm glad it was helpful!
This is why I love youtube. I have no idea how this vid found me, I could never do this skill...but here I am WATCHING it.
Could never use a shovel and a level?? With RUclips ANYTHING is possible.
The stairs are exactly what I need to come from the house the shed - wow - thank you
Glad I could help!
this looks way easier than other tutorials I've found. I'm definitely give it a shot even if its only 2-3 steps. Any thing from slipping down the weird short slope at the end of my property.
Thanks for watching!
I have no idea why I am watching a video about building stairs for hills when I don't even own land, but I loved it!
You may someday!
Hear hear!!
me to
@@adus123 You're comment literally has a "Translate To English" option on it 😂
You nailed it with the exercise phase. So many projects have that stage and it's my favorite part. Zone out and listen to a good book or podcast and get at it.
Totally
I love the fact you didn’t just show yourself building the stairs, you actually gave detailed instructions/advice.
Glad I could help, thanks for watching!
I have a large slop section to do and this helped for the planning of the steps. Thank you, and watched both videos the scale and this one.
Thanks for watching!
I'm glad this video showed up in my feed, I have to build a similar stairway up a hill on my property in the ozarks soon, and watching this, it occurred to me to put some raised bed planters on either side in places for my herbs and spices, thank you.
Glad I could help!
Thank you for this tutorial! My son moved into a mobile home on a slope for college, and a straightforward DIY solution for steps was just what he and I needed.
A family project...glad I could help!
My yard is as flat as a pancake but I still loved this video. You were great at demonstrating everything and showing what problems you may run into and how to approach them. Liked and subbed!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very useful, informative video. Clever idea for horizontal leveling by putting stakes on the ground and the fastening the frame. This is why RUclips is successful.
Glad it was helpful!
I loved this. ive been building stairs for 25 years, and learned a few things here, so thanks.
Thanks for watching!
I’m not even building any stairs and I watched this whole video. Very informative. Thank you 🫡
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!
Great cheap fix for backyard hills, could I make a suggestion to maybe improve it? A lot of landscape supply yards carry a polymer sand used mostly for brick paver grout joints. You could leave the run box an inch or so low, then mix pea pebbles with the poly sand and trowel in to the top of the form. The polysand when mixed with water causes a chemical reaction and it hardens but remains permeable to rain and the pebbles under the cap are a great drain.
I thought polysand cured to be water tight? Will water really run through the polysand after it has been wetted and cured?
My wife has been asking me for stairs in our hillside. Thanks for your video, I think I need to get busy now.😅
Have fun!
I, too, was one of the "10" who stayed until the end. I am looking for possible solutions for my sloped backyard. Because of the slope, the area is uneven, and I know that the day will come when I fall. I wondered if I could put in stairs and you certainly answered that question.
Thanks so much.
❤🎉 So, I watched to the end. Nice stairs! So much work! We built similar on our Colorado property around several areas. We have elms, way too many so we cut down young ones for the risers and stringers. Husband drilled 2 holes in each riser to hold re bar that came with the property and pounded those into our rocky soil. The stringers were held in place the same way. We didn't dig into the soil as you did unless there was a lump. If there was a hollow, I collected rocks to wedge under the stringers and fill in the gap. Meanwhile, I did just like you and collected loose rubble and rocks to take up space in the tread area. We bought gravel and filled in the treads to level. That was 17 years ago and everything is still sturdy, functional and good looking! We built 3 sets of stairs.😂
Great idea!! Thank You for sharing this. was beginning to think it was hopeless for me to build stairs on my hill myself until i came across your video
Glad I could help!
My husband is sad I found this! Summer project now planned! Thanks😂😂
Use pressure treated lumber if you want it to last.
@@brandonhoffman4712. Retreat in the sawed ends if you want it to last, too
Make sure your get GROUND CONTACT RATED 2x6"!!!! In the past Lowes used to carry them but Home Depot did not. Might have changed. Also use a dimple plastic mat between wood and gravel so that there is less moisture on the wood and it will last longer.
BEST stair vid I have ever seen! This I can do Thank you so much. With stairs added to our property the useable size will give me about 2 AC!!! It has just been too hard to walk on unlevel hill side. Lived here for 30 yrs and have given up on ever getting steps in. Nothing else worked THIS makes it easy old lady easy THANK YOU!
Wow, thanks!
Great, great, great job!!! Greetings from Romania.
Thank you very much!
I made it to the end! And my cul da sac house with no neighbors is gonna get beautiful stairs this week! 🙌
Nice!
I really appreciate the way you explain the process in your videos. Thanks.
So nice of you
I don't have a garden or land where I could build this kind of staircase. And this is the first video I've seen from this channel, but I watched it all the way through: our tone, tranquility and benevolence really impressed me! Bravo to you for this video, I'm going to watch a second one from this channel right away!
This is amazing... And I think too that more than 10 of us watched til the end. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just found your channel and I’m soooo glad. Our properties look very similar. I built on a sloped wooded hillside and it’s VERY rocky. My major issue is the clay soil. I have relatively flat(ish) areas but there are major slopes to get to them so these stairs would be a game changer for me if I built a shed up there say for my tractor or whatnot. Thank you for the great idea. This is definitely on my to do list!! 😊
Glad I could help!
Thanks for showing this, I actually have this particular problem with my property. I guess this is the way to go.
glad I could help!
Thanks for taking the time to update your earlier video.
You did a fantastic job on your stairs AND you’re a very good presenter.
Thank you so much!
Saw an old school method for preserving the wood outside that had a ton of likes and looked really nice. The video was about mixing old diesel fuel with used oil. either brush it on, spray it on or the favorite method was to literally soak the boards in it overnight (in a bucket) so it gets drawn deep into the end grain as well.
Great suggestion!
Yes, my father-in-law would do this to his outdoor wooden stairs, I bet those stairs are still in great shape after all those years.
You just simplified the planning for a stairway in my backyard.
Informative video. Rock Rakes and Pulaskis are good, but you should consider getting yourself of McLeod (Rakehoe) for soil clearing/leveling like you did briefly at 1:56. It's a forestry tool used by firefighters to make fire lines to try to control fire spread, but it's also used by trail crews for pushing, pulling, and compacting soil. It's my favorite outdoor tool of all time, I use it for removing invasive species like Himalayan Blackberries. I can slam the thick tines of the rake side of the McLeod under the root wads and lever them strait out of the soil so they can't grow back. Make sure you get one with a secure but detachable blade; a lot of the cheap ones skimp on the attachment point and don't last long.
I actually have something similar...but I wanted people to realize they could tackle this project.
@@WineberryHill that's fair
I enjoyed the stairs video and the sauna one very much. I'm a DIYer, but I definitely am not a carpenter, and building that sauna would take me a year at best. The stairs, on the other hand, are something I will have better luck with after watching your video. You made it seem less than difficult. Nice work on both! Look forward to seeing what else you create.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
The details are important.
Thanks for the in depth explanation. -KJ
Glad it was helpful!
One of the things that I try to keep in mind is the intended lifespan of any project. If you're choosing to do a project that you want to last a long time, there's a disproportionate amount of effort you need to put into the small things that take the most time but have the biggest impact. But only to a point! You can easily add so many details a project never gets done. So pick one or two improvements and STOP.
Treated cut ends, shallow dadoes for the risers to sit in, grout or polysand as a top coat, additional stakes behind the risers, a built in drain, you name it.
I agree, 100%
i saw this video! i watched to the end! it's not the buckets of gravel that intimidate me, it's all the digging. if only i were a few years younger.
...just take it a little bit at a time.
Not sure if I'll ever need to do this myself, but this was a very satisfying watch. Thanks!
Glad you liked it...thanks for watching!
I should have mentioned I did find the general concepts in the video very useful for my situation. Thankyou. Just found lack of detail about levels when changing direction a bit frustrating.
This man knows how to build a staircase.
Awesome, this combined with the previous video and I don’t need to think too much about how to build a future staircase on my imaginary property
Its construction projects like this that need to be kept alive in our minds.
Our history is built on the backs of ingenious constructions
Fantastic idea for my home in Patagonia here raining a lot I try one section next spring thanks for shared..greeting from 🇨🇱
Oh wow I wasn’t even looking for this, but RUclips fed it to me and I’m Sooooo happy it did!
I utterly need to know how to do this and your instructions are so simple to understand and follow.
👍🏻👍🏻☺️
When I built my house, my electrician used a large impact driver to drive in the copper ground rod 8 feet into hard clay. I could not believe how easy it went in, because I've done it a couple of times before, and I know how difficult it is to do with a hammer.
I've done something like this a few times. The problem is finding a chuck that can hold the rod. The grounding rods required by code where I live are 5/8 or 3/4". My chuck is 1/2" I've got a Bosch hammer drill so it's always turning. Your electrician got around by having an impact driver that can just hammer. A useful feature if you do this a lot.
What I generally do is using my longest masonry bit drill an hole as deep as it will go. Then I fill the hole with water and let it soak. The next day I can usually hammer in the rod as far as it needs to go.
Yeah, you use a rotary hammer drill for that. They are awesome
@tylerk.7947 That's really what I meant.
Thanks youtube algorithm. You know I don't live within 100 miles of a hill, but still knew I wanted to watch this video. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Plains people, from Mountain people.
Yeah that made me laugh. I am constantly amazed by the algorithm that is supposed to know me so well.
don't need a hill to make this for an uneven area
I’ve got a steep hill. I’m building box steps based on your video. I’ll do my best to post a couple before and after pics.
Update? I've got a very steep hill as well and not sure how to handle it.
This was perfectly executed and very clear! Thank you! We have a home that has a hill that as an senior I cannot walk down - but with these stairs, I would be able to walk down to the creek!! Thank you thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful!
This is a fascinating tutorial video where absolutely everything you truly NEED to know about the design can be found in the thumbnail.
Glad it was helpful!
Save on gravel and go rustic!
If it's well travelled, you can just use available dirt and let it run wild. Tree sprouts will need to be pulled, but foot traffic should keep the rest clear. Or, a string trimmer twice a year if you're fussy... I've seen lot's of railroad ties monstrosities, but this is a one man project! And frugal. Very tidy.
May I suggest buying gravel in 2 sizes so that the smaller pieces find their home amongst the larger pieces and make for a more stable gravel bed. Eventually dirt will fill in the rest or you can try some polymer sand/ concrete that will harden with the rain. Thanks for this simple but effective solution to sloping yards.
Great tip!
Three sizes is the magic ratio. You can use sand as the third. Dry stones will lock together like concrete.
Me, from my New York City apartment: Yep, this looks like useful and entertaining information for me.
well, you could always do what I did in my first video and just make a miniature version!
hi neighbor. say hi sometime.
Upstate is calling 😅😂
If you're on the second floor, this could be useful someday.
don't get stabbed
Thx for the update. It was helpful to see your stair build plus the add-on section. You’re a good instructor. Thx again for sharing.
Nice of you to say that, Thanks for watching!
Very Much enjoyed this walkthrough... thank you for reposting an update!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You did a great job! I love when someone takes a simple approach that doesn't harm the natural landscape.
Thanks!
I don’t even need to build stairs in a hill but still made it to the end lol, fantastic video my friend
Nice stairs. The work that goes into your stairs, if filled with concrete makes a more permanent set of concrete stairs. I spent a few days working with an experienced carpenter, form maker doing exactly this. We didn't use pressure treated lumber, and within two hours of the concrete pour we were already taking apart our forms. Ideally if you choose to use concrete you can store the lumber to use again, or for someone else to use for their stairs. In any case permanent wood or concrete, what you do should be anchored well enough that with frost heave and earth movement it doesn't shift and become uneven. I think about the only thing we did differently is inside the riser we added a chamfered strip so the edge of the concrete step wasn't a sharp 90° corner. We also added rebar so it would all hold together, and we keyd some of the steps into the slope so the whole thing wouldn't slide down. And maybe a few more stakes (wet concrete is very heavy) Just another option.
would love to see a tutorial video on this
Your stairs and his stairs have zero in common other than they are stairs.
This stair design is essentially the form you’d use for the concrete, no?
If you think the aesthetic of ugly concrete stairs would enhance a beautiful wooded property, go ahead and do it your way. But you'd be dead wrong.
What a great video… we have a ravine and we need some steps because my husband loves to cross it to hit his golf balls from the other side of the ravine onto our property. This looks really doable for our needs. Thank you!
Glad I could help...thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for documenting this so clearly and discussing the different anchoring options etc. I've just used a variation on this method to build a flight of stairs in my garden.
Awesome! I'm glad I could help!
Thanks for the recommendation from Shrimp HQ. Awesome to find another great channel to add to my subscriptions!
Just a quick note of appreciation to @atomicshrimp . I'm seeing new subs mention that they learned about me from you. As a micro channel I very much appreciate it! Let me know if there is any way for me to return the favor.
@@WineberryHill I feel like you already repaid me with the useful info on building the steps!
Cool, well thanks again.
Glad the algorithm brought me here. Awesome idea and execution!
Our neighborhood lake community needs to watch this video so we can get down the hill safely to the lake.
Thank you for getting around to making this video to build off the first one you made about this topic. This has helped a lot. Did you end up back filling around the outside of the stairs because I noticed a large gap under the first tread at the bottom of the stairs?
I'm planning on doing a bunch of stonework are the area...making a stone landing and beds on either side.
@@WineberryHill I see. Would you happen to have an email address or another social media account where I'd be able to share a picture of where I'm considering this option? I'd like to get your opinion if possible.
My e-mail should be found in the "links" section of my channel. I also have an instagram acct: @wineberry_hill
@@WineberryHill perfect. thank you!
I agree with the guy who said to seal the end grain, use simpson strong ties, and use steel stakes. Lumber self-destructs in contact with the ground, and you want these stairs to last as long as possible.
Good tip
A very nice project. Much effort was applied. My appreciation! It is very much interesting to hear about stairs' lifetime span since the planed wood gets completely rotten at the edge of soil and air just in 4-6 years.
True, while nothing is perfect, "ground contact" pressure treated should help extend the lifespan.
RUclips gets me. I like your video.
You underestimate how many people bought a house on a hill: before ever having lived in a house on a hill.
How could I not watch til the end! It was informative, descriptive, and well thought out. Plus it was just 10 minutes! Great video and excited to try this out with our yard.
Thanks for the great vid - just happened upon it (well, The Algorithm presented it!). I've been contemplating stairs up to the far corner of a field I have (for a great view out to sea) - and you've made it seem much more straightforward a project! Simple instructions and points to consider. I have no doubt it will be hard work climbing up and down all the ground/stairs multiple times - so you make a great point of not being in a rush to complete it :)
Cheers from London, UK (oh and my place with the view is in Wales - before anyone asks about the size and elevation of a field in London that could see the sea!).
That looks very similar to my place in south central KY. Fortunately for me, I'll be carrying the gravel DOWN, not up. Great and very helpful video.
I was trying to create my trail without stairs, but the hill sections are just going to be too steep. It's about a 90 foot rise over about an 8th of a mile. This solves it. I can have mostly flat sections with occasional stairs and even a switchback (though that will make it more like a quarter mile unless I put a more steep connecting stairs in...
So glad the algorithm threw this up at me. It must've been reading my mind again. Was just wondering how to put steps in my small front garden that I'm currently digging all the rubble out of so I can put top soil down and plant a wildflower garden. This video was perfect. Thank you. And yes, I stayed to the end. Tuning in from Ireland btw.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent. You turned the run and rise wooden treads steps upside down. Simple approach where the gravel self levels, and each step becomes a landing.
High quality work, with an emphasis on the word "work." There is no shortcutting the honest labor required here, but the simplicity of concept is ideal. Thank you.
Love the video! This is my next project. Thank you for posting and Happy New Year!
Glad you liked it, let me know how it goes!
Looks like a beautiful piece of property. Your hard work made that hillside accessible. Looks great!
Thanks 👍