I recently had some wooden stairs built outside my house to replace some crumbling concrete ones. However, I'm worried about a couple of things: first, there don't seem to be any stringers supporting the stairs—should there be? Second, the wood used is labeled "not intended for ground contact," which makes me nervous since these stairs sit right on the ground. Is this a problem? What should I do about it? Any advice would be appreciated! Here are the images: [https://imgur.com/a/dxYPWBu](https://imgur.com/a/dxYPWBu)
4 Answers
You might want to check if there are actual stringers supporting those steps. How are the planks attached? If you can, unscrew a few planks to see what's underneath! It’s better to be safe than sorry with stairs.
Oh man, stairs can be a real headache! Just make sure you’re keeping an eye on how sturdy they feel. It might also be worth asking a contractor for a second opinion, especially since you’re worried about that ground contact issue.
Are these stairs yours or did a landlord just slap them together? If they're your stairs and you hired contractors, you might want to discuss these concerns with them directly.