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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @VinceB. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question on step installation.
Would you like to lay the smallest possible slab, or are you happy with something slightly oversized?
For the Wilmaplex Treated Pine Ezistep 10 Step Stringer Kit, the height from where it touches the ground to the deck is approx 1760mm and the first place it touches the ground should be approx 2485mm out from the deck. The easiest way to measure out the slab would be to put a mark at 2485mm. You can presume you'll then need to add at least 200mm onto that for the contact surface. One edge of the slab at 2400mm and the far edge at 2770mm would give you some wiggle room.
Please remember the measurements on the product are approximations, and given this is a sloping block, I'd suggest the best method would be to wait until the stringers are on-site and mock them up. You'll then quite easily be able to see where the slab should be placed.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hello @VinceB
It's great that @MitchellMc has given you excellent advice. I suggest checking with your local council on the decking stair slab thickness requirement. There may be rules and regulations in place on how thick the slab should be and how deep it needs to go. Some of the things that you need to consider when building the slab are the static weight and the weight of the people that will be walking on it. If not built correctly that slab could crack or shift. If you had your deck professionally built, I recommend asking your builder what the general rules are in your area for building a cement base for timber stairs.
Let me tag our experienced members @tom_builds, @Brad, @woodenwookie and @Adam_W for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
The job is now underway. With a few changes. Ended up with 12 steps and went with 2m steps. Steps are in. Now for the rest.
I have a query though. Do these steps need support in the middle? I was going to hang a post each side in the middle so as to support the handrails. Do these posts need to go all the way to the ground, or am I ok just fixing them to the stringers? (For the posts I'm using 100X100 posts I have laying around)
Hi @VinceB
That's a fantastic-looking set of decking stairs. To be safe and not put any load on the stringers, I recommend putting the posts all the way down. Not only will the post act as support for the middle of the stringer, but it will also lessen any wobble the stairs might have.
Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your timber stairs ready for use.
Let me tag our experienced members @tom_builds, @ProjectPete, and @jaga for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
