I think most writers are builders at heart. They like to create.
I decided, for no particular reason, that I needed to build a staircase up along the side of my house. It was originally supposed to be simple: carved out of the ground, lined with timbers and filled with gravel. But as I got into it, the project kept growing.
I thought I’d buid a simple stairway down from my upper garage to the basement garage.It started as a simple set of boxes climbing up the hill.Getting there. I had to move quite a bit of dirt, more than I planned on.As I drew even to the electrical meter, I realized I had better give access for the meter reader. That meant I had to make another staircase at a right angle, then a landing.The trick was to make the staircase meet at just the right height so I could turn right (going up) to my upper driveway. Too high or too low would be a problem.Whether by luck or design I hit the right height. Then I saw I could make a planter box area for Kim, so I framed that out.The planter box idea worked out pretty good.I wasn’t originally going to add a handrail, but then I thought that in the winter with the snow and ice it would probably be a good idea.This is how I framed out the small staircase off the main staircase.The posts were set on top of concrete footings I poured.I added gravel to help prevent erosion.The start of the handrail. I made sure that the bottom was about 3.5 inches off the steps so I could blow off the fall leaves easily.I added lights after finishing the handrail.Almost there.I used a light cedar stain.The staircase off the staircase makes it easy for the meter readers, cable guys, and electricians to access the side of the house where everything is mounted.The step and post lights look pretty good at night.I still have to chop out the roots of the old plants I took out on the right. Then I’ll just throw down some mulch.All in all, I am pretty happy with it. The problem with these types of projects is you are working alone. So the design and actual build has to be broken down in small steps one man can handle. But hey, it came out all right, I think.Share this:
About David Grant Urban
David Grant Urban is an award-winning novelist whose work explores journeys, resilience, and the American road. His debut, "A Line Intersected" (2017), is a literary noir thriller set in San Diego. His second novel, "A Road Wanting Wear" (2023), a gritty motorcycle adventure, took First Place in Literary Fiction at the 2023 Firebird Awards and was a finalist for the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards. Kirkus Reviews praised his “masterful” depiction of a biker’s life, dusty locations, and the exhilaration of the open road.
A San Diego native who spent years living an itinerant life—cross-country by bicycle and rail, and two years aboard a sailboat—Urban now makes his home in East Tennessee. He continues to write short fiction and is at work on a sequel to his first novel.
