Remove Brick Steps Leading Into House?

[M1N1ON]

I’m looking into a new car and everything I am looking at doesn’t fit in the attached garage due to these stupid brick stairs that lead into the house. I had the idea of demolishing the stairs and building a walkway out that would exit between the two vehicles. The hood of the car would extend under the walkway. Thoughts? Can I remove the brick or is there likely a ton of concrete underneath?

Excuse the poor photo, this is just when we first moved in.

 

[The Cobbler]

I'm guessing they are laid on top of the concrete pad and hollow , or backfilled with dirt.

 

[M1N1ON]

This is what I’m looking at doing

 

[p00p]

drill into the side with a concrete drill bit. You'll want to drive the bit in at least 12" below the upper most step & 8" away from the door's sil.

May need to pilot a few holes to find consistency.

 

[M1N1ON]

drill into the side with a concrete drill bit. You'll want to drive the bit in at least 12" below the upper most step & 8" away from the door's sil.

May need to pilot a few holes to find consistency.

Is this just to find out what’s under the brick? I basically need to remove it all.

 

[p00p]

It'll help understand how you might approach the removal. Otherwise, blindly swinging a sledgehammer willy-nilly is an option too.

 

[PassnThru]

This is what I’m looking at doing

It appears from the photo that the stairs are not past the doorway by very much. By your plan, to gain any space or clearance, the pathway to the doorway would have to be very low. Are you planning to jump into the house from there? There are very specific regulations about the rise and run of stairs. Maybe it's the photo but I'm not seeing where you can demolish the stairs and still have a reasonable access to the house.

Edit - I missed where you want the hood of the car to go under the walkway. How would you support it? Are you going to get tired of having to go behind and around the car to get in the house? Will there even be room to go behind the car? I think you need to step back from this one and think about it more.

 

[M1N1ON]

It appears from the photo that the stairs are not past the doorway by very much. By your plan, to gain any space or clearance, the pathway to the doorway would have to be very low. Are you planning to jump into the house from there? There are very specific regulations about the rise and run of stairs. Maybe it's the photo but I'm not seeing where you can demolish the stairs and still have a reasonable access to the house.

Edit - I missed where you want the hood of the car to go under the walkway. How would you support it? Are you going to get tired of having to go behind and around the car to get in the house? Will there even be room to go behind the car? I think you need to step back from this one and think about it more.

Yes the stairs come flush with the door which is about 1.5’ offSet from the corner. The stairs themselves are about 48” wide which is huge. I was planning on running a straight 6-8’ beam (maybe made out of 4x4?) and then using 4x4s as upright supports.

I had a bmw I3 that was leased that I just returned. I’ve been eying a Tesla Model 3 for awhile. It’s about 5” shorter than the garage space but really only leaves 2.5” on either side. I did a test fit the other day and it’s SUPER tight. Unfortunately every other car I’ve looked at is the same size or bigger and I really don’t want to drive an I3 for the rest of my life....

This is definitely a hard one.

 

[The Cobbler]

you could probably even raise the section a step or 2 , so the car goes underneath the walk platform

 

[M1N1ON]

you could probably even raise the section a step or 2 , so the car goes underneath the walk platform

That’s the goal. The platform would run the length of the vehicle and then 90 degree and then stairs down landing between the two vehicles.

 

[lostmind]

Relocate the doorway behind the white cabinet?

 

[CraigStu]

I think your drawing idea will work just fine. I am not sure of codes but you could even step up a step or two right at the doorway so your elevated walkway would be a little higher. That would also allow you to use 2x10s which would make it real easy to span the 10 ft or so I am guessing you need. I would put everything together w/ construction screws and bolts so when you decide to sell, if buyers don't like your idea, it will be easy to remove. BTW I am real sure you should have railings along the walkway and down at least one side of the stairs.

 

[ace10]

How about a ladder?

Kidding, because I don't see a reasonable solution to your problem, short of moving the entry door to center of back wall.

I'd expect to see CMUs under the brick. Might be hollow, might be filled.

As for the drawing, I really dont see how the hood of a car would fit under a stick built walkway spanning the first bay, given the height of the door threshold.

 

[kbs2244]

Most codes require a platform at threshold level.
IE you cannot have a "step onto air" at the top of the stairs.

 

[CitadelBlue]

I had some steps that just werent right from my deck to the ground. I used one of Harbor Freight s hammer drills (about $80 on sale) first using a hamner drill 3/8 inch bit along the motar joints, then changed over to the hammer chisle option. Had 3 steps to remove and it took a few hours over a couple of days. Good luck.

 

[jbwilkins]

Your stairs will end up landing 8’+ into the garage You have to have a landing at the top that’s 3’ wide. Looks like you’ve got 5-6 steps now, at 11” deep, so they would end in the middle of the garage.....Oh and those stairs have to be 3’ wide at the tread and will require rails due to the height.

There’s a reason the stairs were built the way they were, it takes up the least amount of space.

 

[CraigStu]

They may take up the least amount of space but it is right where he wants to put a car. Taking up more space in a different location may do what he needs.

 

[yeldogt]

feel your pain -- before you move forward make sure to mock up the whole thing for size. In my case it just would not work

 

[Justind97]

Are the steps imperative for your garage use?

I had a 1 car at one point and just removed them altogether. Wasn't the most convenient, but added a ton of space. In your case, if you do that, when it comes time to sell, you could just add wood steps back in.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I don't see any good solution...so I'm going to try to change the problem.

Can the door be lowered to just above garage floor level and the steps be moved inside the house?

Phil

 

[bradpac]

More complicated for sure, but do you have room to demolish and put the stairs inside the house and make the door way into the garage at ground level. Much more added work and money, but probably a better overall result. Otherwise, I like your walkway idea, you can stand and look out over your new automobile.