How to Use Railroad Ties for Steps on a Hillside

Railroad ties make excellent landscaping timbers and can be used to make large, sturdy steps. The large size of railroad ties makes installation easier than many other options, and they cost about as much as stone block or brick. For the green gardener, using railroad ties is a pure form of recycling.

Railroad ties are heavy and should be handled by at least two people when they're at their full length. Building stairs in a hillside is hard, strenuous work and requires good physical fitness.

String
Sticks
Shovel
Wheelbarrow
Railroad ties
Level
Drill with 3/8-inch drill bit
3/8-inch rebar, 16 inches long
Sledgehammer
Gravel

Instructions

- 1
  Mark the area for the steps. Push sticks into the ground every few feet and tie string between them.
- 2
  Dig out the first step with a shovel. The step should be 5 1/4 inches deep and as wide as the tie used for that step. Put the dirt in a wheelbarrow and remove it from the area.
- 3
  Put the railroad tie at the very front of the step. Set the level on top of the railroad tie. The tie doesn't need to be perfectly level, but the bubble should be very close to the center of the level. Dig up a little more dirt if necessary.
- 4
  Drill a hole in the center of the railroad tie with a drill and 3/8-inch bit, 8 inches from either end. Place a piece of rebar into each hole, then pound the rebar into the dirt under the railroad tie with a sledgehammer until the top of the rebar is flush with the top of the railroad tie.
- 5
  Fill in the space behind the railroad tie with gravel. Make the gravel level with the top of the railroad tie. Some dirt can be added back into the hole to cut down on the amount of gravel needed, if desired.
- 6
  Repeat the steps along the path created by the string until the steps go as far as necessary up the hillside.

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