As you probably heard in our last post, we built out an AMAZING new deck but it was too tall to get onto without steps and we didn't have the right materials to build any.
We drove this time to a larger home improvement store to get some materials to build stairs. As you can imagine, lumber prices are through the roof! To build our 4-5 steps out of wood, we were looking at dropping an additional $300!

This is where creativity can save you quite a bit of money!
Building Concrete Block Deck Stairs

You can gather the same materials we did in your local garden department and purchase:
8" x 8" x 16" - (twelve) concrete blocks
4" x 8 " x 16" - (eight) concrete capstone blocks
Compared to the original estimate of $300+ dollars...
we had a sturdy and long-dog-approved staircase for only $50!
Saving over $250!
Other Items we used and had on hand included:
Gloves
Rake, for leveling the ground and removing small rocks
Stick-level
Step 1
Similar to the concrete footers, we used the same rake and stick-level to start placing our cinder blocks.
Step 2
We needed two stairs from concrete, so we placed 8 cinder blocks into two rows of 4. On top of the first four blocks, we placed 4 capstone blocks. On top of our back four blocks, we stacked the second row of cinder blocks, capping that row also with 4 capstone blocks.
Twenty minutes later, we had our two concrete steps in place and they were ready to be tested!
We have plans to add safety railings and stain to the deck to ensure it will last a long time, but in one weekend we were able to improve the safety for both us and our dogs when getting in and out of our RV!
The last few years may have thrown us all a few curveballs, but we've learned that a little bit of creativity can improve almost any situation!
Has anyone else faced issues like this? Let us know any creative fixes you've tried on your DIY projects!

- peace, love, & dogs -
Sam + Jen
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