Process Journal

Stone, Set Straight

A failing railroad-tie staircase becomes a sandstone walk-up built to outlast the house.

Terrain · August 2025

A hillside staircase, rebuilt from the base up in heavy sandstone — no veneer, no shortcuts, no second passes.

A Jackson Hole homeowner had been living with a flagstone-and-railroad-tie staircase that had quietly run out of life. The treads were uneven, the risers narrow, the structure beginning to fail. Lazar walked the property, presented two paths, and the client chose the one with a longer lifespan.

Before Railroad-tie structure wrapped in flagstone veneer. Visually charming, structurally done — treads uneven, risers narrow, base starting to fail.
Original flagstone and railroad-tie staircase before rebuild
Materials Roughly twenty sandstone treads from Rocky Mountain Supply. Fifty square feet of flagstone for the landing. A dry-stacked retaining wall at the top. Twenty-four feet of steel edging to hold the line where stone meets yard. One yard of road base to seat the stones without shifting.
Sandstone treads set on compacted base
The Build The core stair went in across four working days — June 30 through July 3 — with crews of three to four running demo, footing, and tread-setting in sequence. Finish passes came back in mid-August, after an adjacent retaining wall rose on the same slope. Roughly 158 crew hours by the time the last stone was set. A skid steer for the heavy moves. Hands for the millimeter ones.
Setting the sandstone treads Dry-stack retaining wall rising above the stair
Mid-build view of the sandstone staircase and wall
The Result Stairs wide enough to pass two people. Treads level enough for morning coffee with both hands full. A retaining wall at the top that reads as if it had always been there.
Completed sandstone staircase from above
Detail of sandstone tread joint Looking down the new sandstone stair
The completed staircase in its landscape
Flagstone landing at the base of the stair Retaining wall meets the stair
“Built right means built once. Heavy stone on a compacted base, edges held by steel — and the stair reads like it belongs to the hillside.” — Vergiliu Lazar, General Manager, Terrain
From the Client “Everything went great. The new stairs and retaining wall look nice.” — a Pine Drive homeowner, August 2025

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