exterior stair replacement

[sluggo]

Hi, I need to replace the stairs to my back deck because the stringers are rotting. The existing stringers are embedded into a small concrete pad, and mid-supports are also placed in a small concrete pad.

I'm looking for ideas on how I should deal with the concrete. Do I somehow try to chisel out the wood so I can set the new wood in fresh concrete? Cut the wood level with the concrete, set the new wood on the top surface, and build forms for a small concrete footing around the wood, or???

thanks

[bob haller]

I would cut the wood off, and if possible remove but use joist tye hangers to both the new stringers to the concrete.

Wood encased in concrete is guaranteed rot:(

[cshenk]

"sluggo" wrote

Humm, main reason they rotted probably. I suspect the concrete was poured after the posts and stringer were in place and took a shortcut.

The wood needs to be raised above the concrete and all water levels. It's hard to tell for sure but with all that brick and what looks like poured cement, it seems you have a wet yard and that was there to address it?

I'm interested in what others have to say here. I'd personally chisel out the wood from the cement and fill it with new (with lifts to hold the staircase and removal of rotted part) then raise the cement as needed. I take it just the bottom of the stringer has a problem and not a high distance, just a few inches?

[aemeijers]

Yeah, if only the bottom is rotted, you can fake it. Time to poke all over with an icepick, and see where rot stops and solid wood starts. Clip it off flush, dig out the embedded wood, and use the holes and some patching concrete to install anchor bolts for the proper aluminum standoffs (Simpson or similar). Impossible to give better advice without seeing it in person- a lot depends on how steps were framed. Sometimes it is easier and almost as cheap to just tear it all out and build it back the right way. Builder was a slob- you never trap wood in concrete, other than maybe expendable fence posts, and even then you rest them on gravel, so the water has somewhere to go.

-- aem sends...

[cshenk]

Cant tell from the pic.

Agreed. It's hard to do this one without a rebuild unless the depth of damage is minimal. I worry the mid-supports are going too at the base?

[hrhofmann]

How are the supports for the deck itself????