Replacing Outdoor Steps

Eventually everything wears out I've learned and when you're the homeowner you need to address it as soon as possible.

This year a few things came up, in this post it's the front outdoor steps.  This is the main entrance to the house and it needs to be safe, legal and with a handrail. 

I replaced two of the steps then remember to take the before picture!  As you can see they are worn and up close they are cracked and rotting.

I thought I was just going to be replacing the step boards until I got to the top and found this menacing looking board - with dry rot and holding the whole stairway on the porch!!!

 Well that was enough to get my attention and be grateful no one had fallen through there.

All I had to do now was to remove the entire staircase and attach it somehow with a new board.

 After I'd had lunch and time to contemplate the situation, I came up with the above idea.  I first had to attach the board to the steps, then attach the whole system to the porch.  It wasn't easy, but I did it!

(Insert Girl conquers carpentry).

The other thing I had to do was to re-level the steps and put in new supports under both risers.  I did this with broken patio blocks (which work for all kinds of projects by the way) and added gravel to fill.

So wala!  New steps (railing added later) and it's safe and secure for all who enters.  

I decided on these 6 inch wide deck boards with a sliver of room between them for water run off.  I noticed the last steps were all built so tightly together that water puddled up and eventually rotted the wood.

Next up is an indoor floor project I'd been thinking about for years....!