How to Build a Hillside Handrail

Collect a sufficient surplus of branches to complete the handrail. Use branches with at least a 2-inch diameter. Avoid branches that show signs of rotting, splitting or other damage. Peel away the bark. Leave the branches in the warm sun for several days to dry.

Delineate the course of the handrail. Along the side of the path, hammer stakes into the ground and tie string between them.

Hammer stakes into the ground to indicate the placement of the handrail posts. Space posts 3 to 6 feet apart.

Dig 2-foot-deep, 12-inch-diameter holes for the posts with a posthole digger. Add 6 inches of gravel to the bottoms of the postholes to provide drainage.

Nail two long pieces of scrap wood halfway up 4-inch by 4-inch pressure-treated fence posts, pointing down at an angle and going in opposite directions. The pieces of wood will serve as legs to brace the posts while leveling and while the concrete sets up.

Place the fence posts into the holes. Secure the braces on the ground to stabilize the posts. Fill the holes with concrete. Tack scrap wood to the posts to help keep them propped up. Ensure that the posts are vertically aligned, using a level. Measure between the posts to ensure that the pallets will fit. The tops of posts should sit 42 inches high. If necessary, the posts can be cut to size after the concrete footers set up.

Strap a post level to each post, one-by-one. Post levels come with a rubber strap and have levels on two sides so you can adjust a post’s horizontal and vertical alignments at the same time. Adjust the alignments and reset the braces.

Trowel the tops of the concrete post footers so the concrete slopes slightly down from the fence posts. This will ensure water runoff. Leave the concrete to cure.

Saw the ends of the handrail branches to fit between the centers of successive posts. Sand rough spots on the rails, starting with medium-grit and finishing with fine-grit sandpaper, until they feel smooth.

Affix the branches to the posts so they rest just under the top edges of the posts. Attach branches with corrosion-resistant nails, screws or L-brackets positioned in the underside corner where the branches meet the posts.

Paint the branches with outdoor wood sealer. Apply the number of coats recommended by the manufacturer.