Must clean out and save the screws so the wood will be saved. No ripping apart allowed.

Screw head must first be scraped out & unscrewed by hand to just above wood surface. Dedicated screw gun then recommended. About 30% of old screw heads strip, so backing out screw by hand is insurance vice grips can remove stripped screws.

Carefully scrape & clean out each screw head or the screw gun will slip. One slip of a screw gun and you'll never get the screw out. Use had drive to get head above surface because slips can be prevented more easily.

Clean with these, then use hand driver to get screw head above surface. Only then use screw gun. If gun strips out head, you then have option of removing with vice grips.

All screws are out, just need to pop out the stairs.

A chainsaw is used to cut away rotten exterior of some logs, normally the ones exposed for years (before we purchased home) without any protective stain coating.

The 8" logs are cut 4 1/4" deep with the tip of a chain saw.

The next photos will demonstrate how to arrive at this point.

Final tool work is accomplished with a small air chisel. (12 years ago I used a hammer and chisel, this is about 90% faster)