Slope gradient & Wooden terracing

[Richardk]

I'm about to embark on building some rustic steps and terracing into a small area of bank and could do with some pointers from those who know.

• I need some help on gradients. What is reasonable, considered too steep etc.... 1:15, 1:10, 1:5 etc....

• the bank I am looking to cut into is 2.5m high and 3m deep. I'm thinking that I will do a combination of steps and slope but try as I might, I can't find anything on the web to help me with gradients which is what I need to work out the combination
• likely we'll use wood in some way here. Either for the edge of the steps or terracing. I imagine I could use treated pine which would be the cheapest, but what would should I really use for longevity? I'm sure ages ago I read something on green oak...?

Location wise we live in Languedoc, in a bit from Perpignan. That's down near the Spanish border on the med side. It's relatively dry, not that you'd know it at the moment mind you.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Richard

[M]

Easiest thing is to draw it (side view) to scale. If you have some idea of the rise of the steps (height from one to the next) you will soon see how many steps that will take to get to the top. The tread (depth from front to back) can be adjusted accordingly, but the rise has got to be comfortable - measure the rise on your stairs for an idea. When I made my last set I used 200 by 100 mm  properly pressure tanalised timber - good for at least ten years. Green oak would be good but expensive. If you could find some untreated oak railway sleepers they would be ideal, but can be difficult to cut without a chain saw and are heavy to handle.

M

[Richardk]

Thanks 'M'  -  the challenge is that I want a path which incorporates steps. So rather than just going straight I plan to kind of make a semi-circular path. As you look at the slope from the bottom, the path will head right, then back on itself in order to give me more room to play with. At the turn I'll make the area a feature by enlarging it into a circle or the like. Somewhere between top and bottom I'll also incorporate the steps, but how many (probably go for a rise of max 18cm) is really dependent on the gradient of the slope I go for.

I had considered just 'doing' the path and taking it from there. I'd rather have a bit more idea of where I'm going ideally though!

Now....what's 'tanalised timber' in French?!?

Thanks again,

Richard