Landings and Steps

Landings and Steps

We plan to have a real front porch, but the project has cost more than we expected, so for now we just have the minimum steps and landings we need to get a CO. We can add a porch later.

The temporary landings are so well made!

A carpenter is putting on the landings

The minimum size for a landing is actually only 36″ x 36″, which seems crazy small. But it is just temporary, so we are going with what we can afford now.

(I googled for the minimum landing size to get a CO and pulled up a lot of information on getting a pilots license.)

Blocks to support the landing

A small landing doesn’t need a poured foundation or piers. It can just be set on level pre-cast footings like these.

The back door landing

The landing will be super stable. The pressure treated wood 4×4 posts extend to support the railing.

Back door landing

Each deck is 36 3/4″ x 40 1/2″. The carpenter had pre-cut almost everything at his shop and assembled it when he got to the cabin.

The back door landing

This is the same day he finished the Modular Cabin On-site Connection.

Landing

The deck pieces are cut out to go around the posts.

Landing

So it looks really finished.

Back door landing

The landing is free standing. We can lift it up and move it to paint the trim board you see there.

We put a concrete block down so we can get in and out of the cabin for now.

Front door landing

This is the front door landing. It’s the same process. I thought it was set on concrete blocks, which it kinda is, but these blocks are actually pre-poured or precast footings.

Back Steps

After we got the trim painted, the carpenter came back with all of the parts for the steps already pretty much assembled.

Back Steps

The carpenter dug space for more cast concrete to rest the steps on. He finessed it until everything was level in every direction.

Attaching the back steps to the landing

Then he attached the steps to the landing. Everything is screwed together.

You can see the concrete support in this photo.

The post that supports the hand rail is precisely stabilized.

This is how he anchored the handrail post. The ones on the house we are in are just nailed to the outside of the steps.

Stringers level and stable, ready for the treads

Here’s a closer look at how the steps on the front of the cabin are assembled.

There are five steps into the front of the house.

It looks like he is taking forever with all of the measuring and leveling, but he actually did it really quickly and efficiently.

Tape measure and level
The carpenter is finishing the landings and adding the steps and hand rails.

These are so well made! I want to use this as a landing to the front porch once we build it.

Only three steps into the back of the house.

Here are the finished steps to the back door. If we need to get larger furniture in, we can move the landing out of the way.

The back doors steps and landing.
They are still able to be moved so we can get furniture in.

It will be really easy to get in and out of the back door with just three total steps that are not at all steep.

Sanded Handrail

Everywhere you might touch is sanded and smoothed.

Taylor Fowler (Fowler Excavating) is the contractor. The cabin is from Westwood Cabins. We are very very happy with everything!