Hello everybody!
How to get to an object that is at a height beyond your reach? How to collect fruits from the very top of a tree or paint a house? Such questions, most likely, have visited you more than once; it was for these purposes that a special device was invented, which is called a Stepladder.
Stepladders are perhaps the most popular and necessary stairs, they are used in everyday life and in other areas of activity.
This article will describe a method for making an extension ladder, with detailed photo report.
To make the stairs we will need:
Materials:
Two beams 60*40 mm;
- timber 50*35 mm;
- self-tapping screws;
- dye.
Tool:
Wood saw or other available cutting tool;
- Sander;
- drill;
- hammer;
- axe;
- mount.
Let's start by taking two vertical strings with a beam cross-section of 60*40 mm, we take its length at our discretion, in this case the length was 3.6 m.
In order to make the stairs strong and the upper edge of the steps to be horizontal when tilted, we make special notches, apply markings in the places where we plan to install the steps, take the distance between the rungs to be 30 cm. We use timber for the steps with a section of 50 mm, according to these dimensions We make markings and apply them on both sides of the bowstring. Next, mark the depth of the notch - 15-20 mm. We connect the resulting marks with an oblique line, as shown in the photo.
Then, using a sharp ax and a hammer, we remove part of the wood at an angle, but before doing this, we need to make a recess along the marked line with a hacksaw, this is so that the timber does not split in a place that is unnecessary for us.
We use the ax as a plane, leveling the angle of the notch.
In a similar way we make notches on both bowstrings.
Next, using a grinding machine, we process the surface of the timber.
We need to carefully align the notches we made.
Now, using paint, we paint the inside of the nicks. Set them aside until completely dry.
Next, we take a beam with a cross section of 50*35 mm for the steps, it needs to be slightly modified. We take a plane and use it to remove the chamfer. We perform the same operation on each block.
Then you need to make one of the sides of the beams the base one; to do this, take a corner ruler and apply markings using a pencil.
When everything is ready, using cutting tool we saw off all the uneven edges, then sand the surface and smooth the ends.
Now you can move on to making the upper and lower rungs of the stairs. In order to distinguish the top and bottom of the staircase, it needs to be made with a slight narrowing. Top part should be shorter than the bottom one. We take the width of the stairs to be 65 cm at the bottom and 55 cm at the top. You can take other sizes at your discretion. Using a tape measure, mark the length.
Using a square, we apply markings in the place where the future step will be cut.
Let's start cutting.
When the steps are ready, we process the ends with a grinding machine.
Next, we find the center at the edges of the beam; to do this, we need to step back from each edge by half the thickness of the string (20 mm).
Then we make holes for self-tapping screws at the marked centers. The self-tapping screw should fit freely into this hole.
We make a countersink using a larger diameter drill.
Now we install the top and bottom crossbars, placing and aligning them in the notch. We make the ends of the steps flush with the side parts of the bowstrings. After this, through the existing holes in the steps, we make a mark of the place where the hole will need to be drilled. They are needed so that the screws do not split the wood when twisted. The holes were made with a drill 0.2-0.3 smaller than the thickness of the screws.
Now you can fix the step in its place, but before that you should paint the pressing side of the crossbar.
When the stairs are given the required dimensions, we add the missing steps; to do this, we lay out the prepared bars in the notches, aligning the base ends flush with the side parts of the bowstrings.
Garden stairs not only make it easier to move around the site, but also give the garden a feeling of completeness and structure. If you are thinking about building your own garden stairs, there are a few things to consider. This will be discussed in this article.
Not every staircase can be built without knowledge and experience in this field. Certain structures require a serious foundation, the preparation of which only professionals can do. Therefore, to build garden stairs with a height of more than one meter, it is recommended to either hire a specialist or buy a ready-made staircase made of wood or metal, which you only need to install.
In general, when building a garden staircase, the following principle must be observed: steps are dug in the ground, a concrete foundation is poured inside, steps from the selected material are placed on it. The choice of material for a garden staircase depends on its purpose.
What materials are garden stairs made of?
Concrete, brick, paving stones, natural stone are the favorite and most durable materials for outdoor construction. Wood or wood is also used for the construction of garden stairs. metal constructions. Moreover, metal can be used to make the entire staircase, and it can also serve only as a frame to give stability, for example, to a wooden staircase.
The simplest version of a garden staircase
The simplest option for building a garden staircase, which does not require serious effort (including a foundation), is to drive planks into the ground as risers, filling the space between the risers with crushed stone. The crushed stone will serve as steps. Of course, this option is as simple as it is short-lived.
Construction of a garden staircase that will serve you faithfully for many years
The durable garden ladder consists of concrete foundation, stone steps and risers. The foundation plays a determining role in how stable and durable your staircase will be. Risers can be made of brick, concrete or paving stones, the space inside of which is filled with crushed stone. Steps made of sandstone, slate, etc. are placed on top. and fixed with cement.
Combining materials when building a garden staircase
When building a garden staircase, you can successfully combine various materials, and new technologies in construction provide us with various designs, with the help of which it is quite easy to independently build this work of construction art. However, knowledge and experience in this area can make your stairs more durable and, most importantly, safer. Before the beginning construction work consult a specialist who can give you some practical advice regarding your specific project.
DIY garden staircase options
Wooden garden stairs
Stone garden stairs
Concrete garden stairs
Garden stairs made of various materials
Metal garden stairs
Garden staircase made of paving stones
Wooden garden ladder
Garden staircase made of clinker bricks
Fired brick garden staircase
Garden staircase with gabion steps
Creative eco-design idea - garden staircase made from tires
Landscaping of a garden staircase
The times when a flat piece of land was considered better than a relief one are long gone. It is well known how interesting it is to play with heterogeneous terrain. In this case, steps and stairs appear on the territory, and with them - a feeling of volumetric space
A staircase is an element of a vertical garden layout. For all its functional necessity, any staircase is also always decorative, since it emphasizes the plasticity of the relief and seems to expand the boundaries of the garden. The main requirement for a ladder is to ensure the safety of those who walk on it. In addition, aesthetics and compliance with the overall style of the house and site are important.
There are stairs different shapes, and the tread of the step can be rounded, forming a semicircle in a horizontal plane across the entire width of the structure. Garden stairs with several flights, made with turns relative to each other, look interesting. The double-sided designs are original, in which the steps are located at right angles.
There may be several stairs on the site, for example, in accordance with the number of terraces. Often a flight of stairs is also accompanied by an inclined platform - a ramp. This is especially convenient if the area is large and it cannot be done without the use of heavy garden equipment- mini-washers, lawn mowers, special vacuum cleaners, etc. However, ramps should not be made steep, as they can become slippery in winter.
The monotony of a wide staircase can be broken by creating stationary flower beds or even small fountains on the steps. In this case, you need to be very careful about the design of the drainage system.
What does it mean?
Tread- horizontal surface of the step that serves as a support for the foot
Riser(rise, step height) - vertical part of the step
Overhang- protruding edge of the step
flight of stairs- distance from one landing to another
Embedded staircase- an option when steps resting on the ground are cut out on the hillside
Free staircase— adjacent to a vertical surface and leads from one horizontal level to another; the support is a specially designed base, most often reinforced concrete
Stair ergonomics
Any staircase, large or small, steep or flat, should be comfortable. This property is determined by the ratio of the height of the steps and the size of the tread. It is optimal when the sum of these values does not exceed the average width of a person’s step (50-60 cm). With properly designed steps, the entire foot fits on the tread, therefore movement occurs easily and freely. The smaller the tread, the steeper the staircase and the large quantity it has steps. Steep stairs look ideal in the front area of the garden, near the entrance to the house, especially if there are two of them and they are located symmetrically, as is often the case in regular-style gardens.
Sloping structures are more convenient. If the terrain of the area is such that it is impossible to create a flat structure, the steps are placed along the retaining wall, that is, across the slope. Another way out in such a situation is to give the staircase descent an intricate trajectory: this will allow you not to overload the space and maintain its compositional integrity.
Build garden stairs, moving from the lower platform to the upper one
There are no hard and fast recommendations as to what number of steps on a ladder should be considered optimal. The steepness of the slope and the style of the space are of great importance here. It is well known, however, that steps in the garden should not be single - in this case, you can simply forget about them, this is especially dangerous in the dark. Minimal amount There are three steps. The ergonomic requirements for such mini-stairs are the same as for multi-step ones.
Step size
In order not to make a mistake with the size of the steps, you need to take measurements directly on the slope using a tape measure. First, calculate the distance between the sites. One end of the tape measure is installed on a stop corresponding to the level of the upper platform; the second is on the lower surface. Let's assume that this distance is 68.2 cm. The resulting figure should be divided by the estimated approximate size of the riser (for example, 16 cm). This will help determine the number of steps. The quotient is unlikely to be an integer (if we take the parameters proposed above, then the result of division is 4.28). The figure is rounded (in our case to four) and the measured distance between the sites is divided by the resulting integer (68.2:4). The result will be the actual height of the steps (17 cm). After this, find the length of the tread according to the formula:
63-68 cm - (17 cm x 2) = 29-34 cm.
It should be remembered that the treads on the stairs are always one less than the risers. Then full height a span with four steps and a tread length of 32 cm will be:
4 × 17 + 3 × 32 = 164 cm.
Diagram of a backfill garden staircase
Holding the tape measure at the level of the upper walkway and using a plumb line or level to transfer the measurement to the lower walkway, measure a distance equal to the resulting height of the flight of stairs. If it turns out that there is not enough space for steps, you can reduce the height of the span by reducing the length of the tread by 2-3 cm, or recalculate by calculating new size riser
The width of the garden staircase most often corresponds to the width of the paths it connects, and it should not be less than 90 cm. The dimensions of the landings are chosen based on the parameters of the staircase, but in no case are they made narrower than the flights of stairs. A span height of more than 3.6 m (about 20 steps) causes discomfort when climbing, so when long length For stairs, it is recommended to arrange rest areas at least every 3.6 m.
All steps of the ladder must be identical in their parameters, tolerance sizes - no more than 1 cm. For water drainage, a slope of the tread is provided: the front edge should be 3-6 mm lower than the back.
Steep stairs, as well as structures over 70 cm high, require railings. The height of the railing is usually 85-95 cm, provided that it is measured above the overhangs of the steps.
Installation of railings
Steep and long stairs in the garden require the installation of railings. Their height is on average 90 cm. The railings consist of vertical racks and a support portion that is grasped by the hand when in use. Support part it will be comfortable if it has a width of 3 to 5 cm. The distance between the railing and the nearest vertical surface (for example, a wall or hedge) should be at least 9 cm; in addition, 4 cm above and below the supporting part of the railing must also be free. The material for creating the railings is chosen based on the style of the garden. In classic estates, balustrades look good - they are made of concrete or, as is increasingly being done in Lately, from artificial stone. In Art Nouveau gardens, wrought iron railings with characteristic plant motifs are especially impressive. In general, when creating railings, you should try to use the materials from which small architectural forms on the site are made - gazebos, benches, bridges, etc.
Some ordinary work in the garden and on the site is impossible without a ladder. An ordinary stepladder or construction ladder in certain hour You will definitely need it, so prepare your sleigh in the summer. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in its design.
A portable ladder is the simplest device. On two vertical supports, which are called a bowstring, steps are attached in increments of 30 cm, which are ordinary horizontal crossbars. This is in short, but when you are planning to make a staircase with your own hands, different points will be taken into account.
The first one is length. A garden staircase does not have to be very high. In this case, height is not an indicator of quality. Still, every additional meter will bring weight to the structure, which means that carrying it from place to place will be more problematic. The permissible height is 5 m, everything else does not make much sense.
The width of the garden staircase is 35-60 cm. You can follow GOST as much as you like, adjust your design to the standards, the only important thing is how stable the structure will be and whether it will be convenient for you to use it. This is the most important thing for a gardener.
Materials for stairs in the garden
There is a composite ladder, a hinged one (hinged models can be very useful in the country), but in this case we are interested in an extension ladder. It can be steel, aluminum, wood. If you make the stairs yourself, then optimal material – wooden blocks coniferous species trees. Ideal if it is pine. This is a universal ladder made of high quality natural material. Only the wood must be free of knots, cracks, and cross-layers. If this is not taken into account, there will be doubts about the reliability of the staircase design.
In general, the requirements are:
- For the bowstring you will need bars, section 40x50 mm;
- The optimal dimensions of the bars for steps are 35x40 mm; larger bars will make the structure too heavy;
- In addition to wood, you need screws, nails, and metal tie rods.
If you have already worked with a router or saw, there should be no questions. With this experience, you may end up with a ladder no worse than professional samples. The main thing is to act according to plan.
Assembling the installation ladder: progress of work
Work will begin with cutting the bars into pieces. The bars, the cross-section of which is 35x40, need to be cut into pieces of approximately 50 mm - these will be the crossbars-steps. The number of crossbars should ensure a step height of about 25 cm. Maximum 30. The corners of the blocks are rounded with a plane, sandpaper or router. Next moment– attaching future steps to the strings. And there are several ways to do this. Choose one that is convenient for you.
Methods for attaching steps to strings:
- Tenon and groove. It’s easy to guess that this is perhaps the most reliable method. This is a standard tenon connection. In this case, spikes are cut out at the ends of the crossbar, and there should be grooves on the walls of the supports. Then the ends of the crossbars are cut in the shape of rectangular tenons, and then their width will be equal to the thickness of the bowstring. The most reliable tenons are those that are cut at an angle to the central axis of the block.
- The steps are mounted on top of the supports. In this case, the steps are filled on top of the bowstring. Then the bars-crossbars are placed on top of the bowstrings, after which they are fastened with screws or nails.
- Crossbars in grooves on bowstrings. There are, however, also stairs, the steps of which are inserted directly into the grooves that are cut out on the bowstrings. In this case, the width of the grooves will correspond to the dimensions of the ends of the crossbars. This type of assembly involves the crossbars being built into grooves and then secured with screws or nails.
But it is worth understanding that bowstrings cut into sockets will somewhat reduce the strength of the structure. That is, additional reinforcement will be needed; it is provided by tie rods with threads at the ends. Well, their number will depend on the length of the stairs.
Assembly ladder: work on designing the supporting parts
When you have already assembled the stairs, you need to slightly change the lower supporting edges. You can leave them with the straightest square sections. But if you do this, then they will not be able to fully contact the surface, which means you cannot be sure of the stability of the stairs. Therefore, the supporting edges are usually cut at an angle.
And in order to reduce the degree of slipping, you need to put rubber pads on the lower end. If you know that the ladder will be installed on the ground, then it makes sense to attach metal spikes to the lower supporting ends. You immerse them in the ground, and the ladder is securely fixed in the right place.
There is one more important point which is important to mention. Oil paints You cannot paint such a staircase - this is for safety reasons, because the steps can become slippery over time. On wooden surfaces Drying oil can be applied in several layers, and then coated with colorless varnish. This is good protective covering, which will prevent the wood from swelling, and in general, will increase the service life of the stairs.
Review of garden stairs (video)
There are many varieties of garden stairs - Rocket, scaffolding stairs, etc. You can buy a ready-made staircase like Praktik LMS, or you can make a simple one ladder, which will serve you for a very long time.
Correct decisions!
And a road leading smoothly into steps should lead to these objects. In addition to the direct function of providing access to the building, the staircase in this case solves a wide variety of additional tasks, in particular, it visually highlights the object to which the road is connected: a whole building, a separate architectural element or small architectural form. A house on a hill, accessed by a wide staircase, looks more majestic and substantial, since the staircase visually enlarges it.
If in a lowland, for example, next to small pond, there is a gazebo, then it is worth using the technique of including a section of stairs in the landscape design in order to visually expand the surrounding space.
Stairs add dynamics to the overall terrain, so if you feel that your site lacks it, then it’s worth creating artificial elevations and providing them with at least a few steps. Even this will be enough to overcome the static and monotonous terrain.
Architecture of garden stairs
Depending on the constructive solution supports, garden stairs are divided into free and embedded. For free stairs they serve as support. This option is on garden plot is not in demand so often, it is suitable for sharp changes relief, which are found in mountainous areas. Embedded stairs, which have the ground itself as support, are more common in Russia.
It is best to entrust the design of stairs to the specialists of the PozitivProekt company (Moscow), since it will be very difficult for a non-professional to correctly calculate their proportions. The calculations should be based on the steepness of the existing rise. Also, the stairs must be organically integrated into the style and landscape design of the entire site; it is necessary to make this element part of the whole.
When determining the width of the stairs, you should focus on the width of the paths. Usually these values coincide or differ only slightly. In this case, the minimum acceptable option would be a width of 60 cm.
The staircase should not have more than 15 steps. If you need to arrange a very long staircase, then you cannot do without dividing platforms. In a place where the stairs change direction, such a platform would also be appropriate. These sections of the stairs should not be empty. garden bench, pergola, flowerpot - this is an incomplete series of elements that will find their application here.
When arranging a garden staircase, you need to take care of safety; its basis will be the correctly calculated proportions of the steps and the overall dimensions of the object. Garden stairs are structurally different from those we are used to seeing in houses. Their distinctive features– flat and fairly deep steps. If we talk about average sizes, the height of the steps can be 12-15 cm, and the depth will reach half a meter. It is believed that the height and depth of steps are correlated with each other: high steps should be deeper. However, this is not an absolute rule: for example, very low and at the same time exaggeratedly deep steps can be perfectly integrated into the design of the site. This does not contradict safety rules at all, and can look very interesting.
If the terrain requires inclusion in high and sufficient steep stairs, then it should be equipped with railings and the safety of movement along it should be especially carefully considered. Pay close attention to the surface of the steps: it should be smooth and non-slip.
For traditional garden stairs, it would also be prudent to design the steps with a slight slope towards the outer edge to prevent rain moisture from accumulating on them. An angle of 1% is invisible to the eye and does not interfere with movement, but you will appreciate the practical value of such a solution after the first rainstorm.
What material to make a staircase from and how to decorate it
There are practically no restrictions in the choice of materials for a garden staircase; priorities here can only be set depending on the preferences of the owners and the overall style of the site. So, on a large plot with a large stone house on a hill, a paved staircase will look solid and presentable natural stone or tiled. Stone will be the material of choice if there are already objects decorated with it, for example, a fountain or hearth. It would be logical to decorate the staircase with relief natural stone, which goes down to a water source flowing over rocky soil. If you choose special material with the visual effect of wet stone, then the overall harmony of water and stone will reach its highest point in your composition. To decorate the slopes of a stone staircase, it is good to use flowering bushes, noble marble or granite sculptures, and bright large flowers in classic flowerpots.
In a garden whose landscape design is based on eco-style, the so-called grass staircase will play extremely impressively and originally. This is not very common in Russia, but very decorative option: the gentle steps of the staircase are decorated to resemble natural soil overgrown with herbs and moss. The steps can be more or less correct form. In a minimalist garden, you can rely on strict geometricism. An artificially aged staircase will fit perfectly into the eco-garden, creating the illusion of assimilation with the natural topography of the soil. The decor of such a staircase will be plants that should fit well into the existing grass cover.
Wooden decking in the form of steps will create special atmosphere garden in an oriental style, they will perfectly complement, for example, a gazebo in the form of a Chinese house. Slope of stairs in eastern garden can be decorated with bonsai trees or stones of different sizes.
And of course, the material of the staircase and the path that goes up to it should not come into conflict with each other in style. Traditionally, the same material with minor variations is chosen for paths and steps. For example, the texture of the stone, the color of the wood, or the pattern of the tiles and the width of the step of laying them may differ.
From the Moscow company "PozitivProekt" - this is many years of experience and professionalism at an affordable price. Call!