The front steps have been due for a fix-up/replacement for years. I finally got the plan straight in my head and took it on!
I neglected to take a proper "before" picture, but here we are with the treads, handrails and faceplates removed.
We decided to buy pre-made stringers. I found some 5 or 6 step stringers, and cut those down to the 2-step stringers we needed for the porch. This worked out very well, although the tread depth was a bit longer than the old ones. In the end, I think this is a good thing - better steps. Made the end touchpoint a bit further out from the porch, but this was fine, as we had to raise the bottom step a bit anyway. The old steps were bouncing down into the gap where the driveway pavement ends.
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All the old wood removed. The porch deck itself and the header board are all very solid still, so we removed everything from the stairs up to that header board. The stairs and all supporting pieces were very loose (from the constant movement of the old stairs) or rotted out.
Old stringer on the bottom, new stringer on top. I spent quite a bit of time making sure the new stringers were going to be the right size, with the right cuts. I use a circular saw for some cuts, but actually used a hand saw for quite a bit of it.
Stringers assembled and attached! This was a big milestone, felt pretty good. We're using patio stones to get the support and leveling right for the steps. Pretty amazing how much the old steps had sunk.
We spent a lot of time positioning and testing the right angles and levels. In the end, it was close enough and we screwed it all in.
In the final strech. Positioning the faceplates and treads.
We got a third patio stone, smaller size to fit in between, and the end result for the "low first step" was pretty good.
The (almost) final result. Very nice outcome. Obviously the handrails are not there, that comes next. Also messed up on the stair treads - I got fence boards, not deck boards, so they are too thin. Will replace those when we do the rails.
A couple weeks later, my very generous BiL BD came over to guide me through the handrails reconstruction. There were quite a few pieces we were able to re-use - the balusters and the posts, mainly.
Also replacing the tread boards with proper deck boards - thicker and much more sturdy and stable. Lot's of fancy scribing to fit them around the contours of the stonework.
This sizing worked out pretty well with the posts, we were able to just cut out a gap in the board for the post.
Final result, this is pretty much final state. A little bit of glue needed for a split that happened on the last tread, and some wood filler for some nail holes on the handrails. Cosmetics for the most part. I'd say the power of the shim was a big takeaway for me on this project - B. showed me how easy it is to cut them as needed from scrap wood. He also showed me how versatile the speed square is - we took angles with it for the rails.
