concretedeckrailing
I want to remove the metal railing and put in a proper wood railing. I was planning on cutting the pipe flush with the cement and then using a bracket to connect my 4×4. However, when they put in the pipe they left a mound of cement so the bracket can’t sit flush to the ground. What is my best option? Could I just run my 4×4 from the top step where the yellow circle is? Is there a type of bracket that could work in my situation? Thanks for any help!
Should be pretty simple. You just need a way to gently raise the railing up enough to get the block underneath. I would do this slowly over a number of days and raise it the absolute minimum amount. Once you get there, slide the block underneath, slowly remove the support, and you're done.
Those pier blocks or deck blocks are a waste of money. It's not going to be as difficult to dig a few holes and install some real posts now as it will be after the deck is complete and has sunken (unevenly). They might be okay for a light duty shed or dog house, but nothing significant, like a deck.
Edit based on comment:
Best Answer
As explained in my linked answer, I cut a half-lap joint into the 4x4 post. I set the post on top of the step with the lap hanging over, then drilled holes and drove sleeve anchors through the wood and into the concrete.
Here is a highly non-technical Paint sketch of what I'm talking about. On the left is the view looking toward your door (essentially the view of the picture you shared), on the right is the view from the right, looking at the steps. Grey is the concrete step, brown is the wooden post, red represents the sleeve anchor.
You would want to be sure the post is sitting on a level spot of concrete. Either grind the concrete flat right at the corner of the top step or move the post in, away from the bulge around the current pipes.
To avoid having to deal with the mound of concrete entirely, and to avoid cutting the 4x4 post, you could put the entire 4x4 post on the "outside" of the steps, like this:
I used 6" anchors for my half-lap solution with roughly 2" through the wood and 4" into the concrete (I actually bought 7" bolts because that's all they had in stock that day). If you go with the full 4x4 on the side, you'll want to use anchors at least 8" so you have 4" through wood and 4" into the concrete.
Put one post at each end, put a railing (plain and simple or fancy and decorative) between them and Bob's your uncle!