landscape timber steps

[chuck172]

I'm thinking of installing 6x6 treated landscape timber steps for my front house access this spring. I need to rise about 5 feet.
Anyone have any experience building these? Any pro-con thoughts?

 

[sea2summit]

Long term anything that's wood and in the ground starts to rot, try to avoid it if I have another option.

 

[chuck172]

I'm 63, long term isn't that long a term. Should last a good 20 years right? I've seen retaining walls in the ground for a long time.

 

[hslogger]

You can do it, dunno what the longevity of the "landscape timber" will be in your region, depends on the mode of treatment and the raw material. RR tie might be another option. What might help your plan is to drill two holes in the top of each timber and pound a sixteen or eighteen inch piece of rebar down through it to help anchor it. Done that many years ago for others and worked fine. They are gonna rot out some day.

 

[oosik]

I've have RR ties in the ground for terracing. Been in the ground for 30+ years and still solid. Down side to using ties - on a good hot summer day they will still "ooze" creosote on their tops. Use RR ties and put a "cap" of untreated lumber on the tread and face. Easy to replace the "cap" when it deteriorates.

The length of time anything will last depends a lot on your weather conditions. I live in an area classified as semi-arid - so rotting is not a large concern.

 

[barko1]

Here in the very wet N GA mtns we had to replace a railroad tie retaining wall when it was 17. Used boulders this time. We have sandstone for our front entrance steps but 2' not 5'.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in East TX, our soil is acidic red clay with just about every type of wood eating bug out there. Creosote soaked railroad ties will not last ten years on the ground in contact with the soil. The bugs get through the creosote and eat them out from the inside. You never even see it happening. Just all of a sudden, it collapses. The outside looks fine, but it's hollow in the inside. I've never seen them used for steps, just in landscaping and fence posts.

I believe one of the main reasons the railroad sets the ties on a bed of gravel is make sure they do not touch the dirt so they last longer. Water will drain through the rock, and bugs do not get to them from the soil.

 

[chuck172]

What would you guys recommend instead of timber steps. I'm seeing the light on wood vs. soil, what else can I do other than pouring concrete steps?

 

[/pine]

An alternative to cut out stringers is "ladder type" stringers they are easy to construct and offer a smoother overall look...but they do not work well with anything over 40" wide or so...(no center stringers)

 

[KennyG]

How much work do you want to do? Flagstone or paving blocks. Locate your risers and use concrete block. Then backfill behind them with stone/sand and lay the flagstone or pavers and face the concrete blocks with flagstone or pavers.