How to Build Steps: A Brief Guide for Your Garden Design Project

The elevation of the patio steps and the distance they will reach outward from the entryway are the two most important measures to take. Make steps in a way so that they are all the same height.

Once you have these dimensions, you can calculate how many steps you will need to construct. Each solid step is made from a single piece of natural stone, so factor this thickness into the overall height of each patio step

Then, to determine how many step stone pavers you will need, divide the net size of each step by the size of your pavers. As your bottom step, place one row of blocks. Place the next row on top of it, overlapping the pavers from front to back to the middle of the previous row.

Continue until you have reached the top. This will help you in deciding the correct fit and amount of steps required. With chalk dust or a thick pencil, trace the outline of the lowest step.

Now that you’ve completed your measurements and prepared the construction area, it’s time to remove the grass and soil. Depending on your soil type, you may finish this phase with hand-powered gardening tools and a lot of elbow grease. You can remove square foot portions of sod using a sharpened garden spade by defining sections and lifting them individually into your wheelbarrow.

You might get away with laying patio stone steps in existing landscaping without disturbing the soil. However, excavating the intended area first and then filling it with a base material is the best way to go ahead for how to build steps. Crushed concrete, crushed shell, and limestone are some common materials you can use. These compounds will keep the stones in place and ensure levelling.

It is good to check with your local utilities first if you plan on digging the desired area. A hidden gas or electrical line is the last thing you want to hit accidentally.
After you have finished excavating, you can begin laying down a thin layer of your base material.

Place the paver stones around the perimeter. Starting at one end of the pit and working your way to the centre, carefully press the pavers into the levelling sand. Leave a small gap between each stone because you will be filling it in with more sand later. When determining the placement of your pavers, use images of completed patios as a guide. Raw stones or pavers with natural finishes will take longer to embed since they must be adjusted to the correct height individually.

Maintain a consistent distance between each paver. As you put the natural stones, you might want to use a sheet of plywood or spacer blocks to separate them. Drop your first stone by sliding the plywood against the pit’s edge. Then, to create a gap between the nearby stones, turn the sheet 90 degrees. Continue by laying down one row or pattern section at a time, adjusting the plywood after each paver.

Keep equally formed pavers as close as possible together. Allowing room between them requires additional joint sand to fill in the gaps and decreases future moving as the joint sand loosens, is washed away, or is blown away.