Shop steps: sneak peek of my next project

I’m still working on the bee shed project (it’s been rainy, so no more progress yet), but I already have my next homestead project queued up. Read on for the background info.

Our workshop has a large deck on the side, built with nice maintenance-free Trex decking:

It includes a series of steps (or stairs if you prefer) down to the driveway, which is convenient:

However, whoever built those steps did so in a rather strange and ugly way, inserting tread boards between the stringer supports, rather than on top as they should, with lots of nails poking up at odd angles:

Over the weekend, Jenn slipped on the slick and crumbling steps, bruising herself, and breaking one of the steps — better that than breaking herself!

So it’s time to replace these steps with properly built ones. That is now my next project.

While I could cut stringers myself, Home Depot has premade ones of a suitable size, so I have ordered some, along with some balusters for a hand rail. I should have enough other materials for this project.

For the step treads and risers, I will use spare Trex boards that have been sitting below the deck for years:

That should be about enough, but if I need more, there are some old steps in a junk pile in the hoop house that I can salvage:

It’ll probably be a couple of months before I get to this project; I need to finish the bee shed first. Stay tuned!