Building steep outdoor steps – any tips?

At the edge of our lawn there’s a bit of a hillside which has a grassy path traversing it. The path is cut into the hillside about 2m above the lawn, and the slope between the lawn and the path is a shade under 1:1 gradient. At the moment there are some rough steps cut into the slope to provide a shortcut up to the path. These steps start off going diagonally up and right across the slope, then curve round until they are going straight up, then for some reason start to traverse the the other way. Also, each step is unique in width, tread depth and riser height. They’re pretty crap.

I want to put in something slightly more useful, and was thinking that a flight of simple wooden steps would be the answer.

Option 1:

Something like this, two stringers and wooden steps.

Option 2:

Something more like the steps by the side of this slide – basically the same as option 1, but with the planks used as risers instead of treads, and filled in with something with suitable drainage properties.

I’ve narrowed it down to these as I have some spare lengths of H5 200x50mm which would be ideal.

Anyone got any pros/cons for either method?

Those wooden treads will be as slippery as hell pretty soon. Treated wood plank riser pegged and backfilled with type 1 as tread. Look much better. That wooden staircase is a ridiculous idea.

I hate these long case of steps usually wrong size treads and risers, I’d prefer maybe 4 steps then platform even a change of direction and at a similar angle to what most folk are used to 160mm rise 300mm tread, I hate slippy green steps seen on many a trail so easy to trip or slide then if your lucky a few bruises, and if it’s facing North never sees much of the sun

Go to the Minack Theatre.

Be made to feel utterly inadequate by an 89 year old woman with a wheelbarrow.

Look upon your own puny effort in despair.

The grassy knoll?

Option 2 as said flat steps will be slippy.

Put the slide in too.

Cheers folks. Option 2 was what I had in my head initially, but when I started doing a spot of research the ‘simpler’ option 1 seems to be popular. The steps will be north-facing, but I’m in the southern hemisphere so that means sun all year round. I was wondering how often they’d need jet-washing though.

redmex – I’ve looked into standard tread/riser dimensions, but given the steps have to fit an existing slope I’m a bit limited. I could add a bit of complexity and go up at an angle, might be able to get down to <40 degrees.

Perchy – Minack Theatre looks ace, my project might not be quite so grand though…

Option 3

Though the rock garden in option 2 looks decent.