|
|
|
Build Outdoor Landscaping Steps by Vicky Smith
|
|
|
Build Outdoor Landscaping Steps |
|
|
|
Business
|
|
Creating a set of landscaping steps may seem as simple as cutting a set of terraces into a hillside and stacking stone on them, but this is far from the truth. Landscaping steps must be carefully constructed so that each step is solid and equal to prevent trips, falls and other injuries. Builders must carefully plan each step of the process from choosing landscaping stone to blending the steps into the landscape to build a successful set of steps. Instructions as follows: Firstly, outline the borders of the stairs in spray paint. Drive a stake into the ground at the top of the steps. Tie a string to the stake and pull it directly outward. Hold a yardstick at the foot of the staircase and measure the string against the yardstick to determine the rise and run of the stairs. The run is the measured horizontal length of the steps. The rise is the measured vertical length. Secondly, determine how many steps you want in your landscape. This will help you to decide the height and width of each step. To determine the height of each step, divide the number of steps by the rise. To determine the width of each step, divide the number of steps by the run measurement. For example, if you want to build 12 steps into a hillside where the rise is 15 feet and the run is 30 feet, each step will be 15 inches tall and 2.5 feet wide. Thirdly, choose a material for constructing your stairs. Granite is a very popular material for landscaping due to its durability and flexibility. You can have stones cut to the correct size for your project, or simply choose stones that are already the right size. If you select stone for your project, you can purchase a pallet of stones in bulk to save money, but the stone may not be the proper size. For a slightly higher fee, you can choose each stone individually. You should choose broad, flat stones for the tread stone, which is the portion of the step that you will walk on, as well as thick, loaf-shaped stones for the riser, which holds the tread stone at the correct height. Fourthly, dig a trench that is several inches deep in the base of the stairs for your first riser. Use a carpenter's level and a piece of scrap plywood to ensure that the trench is level. Place the riser into the trench. If the riser is not level, fill in soil beneath the riser to make the top of the riser level. Dig straight back from the riser into the hillside to make a level surface for the first treadstone and the second riser. Fifthly, adjust the soil level behind the first riser before setting the second riser. Each stone step should be exactly the same height. If your treadstones are of different thickness, compensate by digging a deeper or shallower trench for the riser. Once your second riser is in place, set the first treadstone into place on the first riser. If a treadstone does not sit flush on a riser, place a wedge-shaped rock beneath it to stabilize the stone. Sixthly, slope the soil around the steps to blend them into the hillside. Plant sod over the sloped soil. Fill in the cracks with a mix of 1 part compost and 1 part soil. Plant a rock garden plant such as creeping thyme into the soil between the cracks of the rock. In a word, as a global business E-platform of promoting stone industry, we have been continuously merging all kinds of resources together, in which regard not only have we realized the strategic combination of Stones Yellow Pages and overseas famous stone magazines, but also our good cooperation with overseas stone company, associations and organizations. If you want to consult us freely, you can also see quartzite block or become an honest follower of us by @ https://twitter.com/stonebtb.
Related Articles -
granite, company,
|
Rate This Article |
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author Login |
|
|
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
SUSAN FRIESEN
Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Steve Bye is currently a fiction writer, who published his first novel, ‘Looking Forward Through the...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
SHALINI MITTAL
A postgraduate in Fashion Technology. Shalini is a writer at heart! Writing for her is an expression...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
JAMES KENNY
James is a Research Enthusiast that focuses on the understanding of how things work and can be impro...more
|
|
|
|