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Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 3:41 pm
by jamesdoubled
Hi,
I'm hoping to build some new steps from a patio to raised deck area which has the following effect - see:
Sleeper 1
Sleeper 2
This worked fine on this occasion where I was able to notch out the sleeper wall and slip the step into the wall for additional support!
I now have a larger span (2m) and brick walls - see:
Wall 1
Wall 2
I'm thinking of building a 'T' shaped wall to support the sleeper steps in the centre and bolt the sleepers to the wall eaither side. Hope this makes sense!!!??? See my poor sketch illustration:
Idea 1
I'd really appreciate your thoughts on my idea or even better if you have a simpler solution!!
Thanks
James
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 4:52 pm
by michaelthegardener
surely when the sleeper gets wet it expands and breaks the bond and the pointing 
id do em out of brick to match the walls myself sorry i cant be any help
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 5:29 pm
by lutonlagerlout
need to be done out of brick or blocks mate
timber and stone should never mix as michael correctly states ,the timber will expand and the steps will come loose
if the steps were ALL timber that would be ok,just not a mixture of the 2
cheers LLL 
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 6:03 pm
by dig dug dan
i concur. By the time you have gone to the trouble of building what you have done in the sketch, you may as well use brickwork
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:14 pm
by GB_Groundworks
there tends to be less movement in sleepers than standard exterior wood but still id eith do all the risers and treads in sleepers or risers in brick and steps in stone
if you go teh sleepers way you should avoid the old british pine ones, they are common in bm and graden centres but are impregnated with cresasote and its now banned, and skin contact should be avoided like ppl sitting on them etc
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:43 am
by jamesdoubled
Thanks for the advise re: not mixing timber and stone.
The way I got around this on the previous bit of work was to cut out the back of the sleeper so that the stone was pretty much only in contact with compacted base - see idea 2
These are good quality treated sleepers (not the old used ones) There shouldn't be much moisture apart from splashing to the riser. Other than that it should remain reasonably dry and not be prone to extremes which would cause cracking etc?
P.S I'm thinking of having an single story extension built on the side of my house (way out of my league) - small workshop, laundry room, shower room and living space etc... can anyone recommend a couple of friendly builders that i could discuss my plans with and get an idea on planning requirements and costs? I'm based in South Croydon, Surrey.
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:27 pm
by lutonlagerlout
ballpark is £110 a foot of floor area
sorry way out of my area
LLL
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:08 pm
by local patios and driveway
try signet construction, very nice work, i would recommend them if you can afford it. but you pay for what you get. tell them digger dan sent you.
i know quite a few guys near you but couldnt recommend any of them :rock: