So, I bought this house a couple months ago, and need to figure out what to do about these steps. Obviously they don't line up w the door, though I have no idea why. They also require taking a pretty big first step, which makes them impracticable for a doggy door, as the little dudes would fall on their faces, as well as not being able to get back inside.
Should I knock the old steps out and rebuild them? I was also thinking maybe building a wooden patio over them. I'm not really sure. I'm extremely bad at this kind of thing, and am kind of at a loss.
Ideas?
Minnesota concrete guy here. How much work do you wanna do to improve it and what part of the country are you in?
If it were me I would make the top tread a 3'x3' landing at an elevation 3/4 inch below the threshold. MN building code mandates the landing at entries and the step rise may not exceed 7 inches, any steps above 3' from grade requires a railing.
Generally it's best to have the step slightly lower than the threshold in the event of frost heave as I mentioned. The existing step could be chipped down instead of total removal, I've used concrete screws called tapcons to create a points that will anchor the new cap to the existing. It is best to have 4 inches of new concrete clearance over the old step to ensure it won't fail.
Setting formwork for steps can be difficult, if you want a good finish on the vertical surfaces it needs to be stripped and rub finish while the concrete is still plastic. If this is a route you wanna go or even something quick like a skim coat of patch, don't hesitate to ask me!
I'm in California, right in the middle of what is technically a desert, so no worries on snow/ice. That said, think I'm probably gonna wind up going with a wooden patio or steps over the existing ones. Thanks though!