If you’ve added a deck to your home or have a set of old, dusty backyard steps that are worse for wear, it’s time to build some new and sturdy outdoor stairs to freshen up the area and make it safer.
It’s easy to build yourself with a stair kit from your local hardware store. This takes care of the hard part so you can just assemble and install it.
Let Adam Dovile show you how with an easy step-by-step guide.
Materials
- 3 tread treated pine stair stringer kit
- 240 x 45 x 900mm stair tread in treated pine (3)
- Circular saw
- Spirit level
- Tape measure
- Drill
- Countersinking drill bit
- 100mm galvanised batten screws
- Charcoal decking stain
- Painting equipment
How to build outdoor stairs
Step 1
It’s out with the old, and in with the new! First, unscrew, remove, and discard your existing gate and outdoor steps. Be careful and we recommend wearing gloves because there might be wooden splinters.
Step 2
Cut the bottom of the stair stringers as required so they fit into your available space. Sit it in position so the horns at the top of the stringer sit on the deck, and the channels routed into the stringers are level.
Measure the distance between the channels in the stringers to determine the width of your stair treads.
Step 3
Cut treads to length and, with stringers sitting upside down and on edge, slot treads into the channels within the stringers. Pre-drill through the sides of the stringers into the treads using a countersinking drill bit, then screw it together using 100mm batten screws.
Step 4
Sit the new staircase in position, pre-drill with a countersinking bit, then screw it into the frame of the deck.
Step 5
Stain your DIY outdoor stairs in the same shade as your deck to create a cohesive flow from alfresco entertaining to garden greenery.
How much do outdoor stairs cost?
The cost of a basic stair kit can start at around $150 for a single-tread step and $250 for 2-step kits, with prices increasing from there. The type of material used in the kit also factors into the cost, and for outdoor stairs, you need to make sure any wood is treated to withstand weathering (e.g. treated pine or Merbau).
The good news is that building the stairs yourself means you can save money on labour costs!
