A Beginner’s Guide to Building Garden Steps

A Beginner’s Guide to Building Garden Steps

Building garden steps is a great do-it-yourself project for any home gardener. An attractive garden is not just pleasing to the eye, it will make gardening more enjoyable. Knowing that you built the garden steps yourself also adds to the enjoyment level and makes it a very worthwhile endeavor.

Building Garden Steps – Planning and Supplies

Before taking any steps toward the actual building of the garden steps, it is important to have a plan in place. The plan should cover all the bases – most importantly what the finished steps will look like. This is when you make all of the decisions – how tall the steps will be, exactly where they will be placed and what materials will be used to build them.

When choosing materials for your garden steps, be sure to consider the width of the steps when measuring. You do not want to make your steps too narrow or too wide. Test out a few samples if you can, to determine if they are wide enough for an average adult to easily walk up and down. Also, look into the way the materials react to damp weather and try not to get anything that will be extremely slippery or dangerous when exposed to water.

The next step is to clear out the area where you will be building the steps so you can get proper measurements and also begin to form an idea of how the completed project will look. Once the area is clear, figure out all of the lengths and widths so you can determine what type of material will work best for your project. Most garden steps are made with stone or bricks, and they come in all different sizes.

One of the most important steps to a DIY building is to get all of your supplies together. Gather up your tools and all of the building materials and keep it neatly together so that you will have what you need when you need it.

Building Garden Steps – Clearing and Building

Before building begins, clear the ground and prepare the area where the steps will be built. Be sure and pack the ground beneath the steps down really well before starting any installation. This will prevent the pavers from sinking after they are put in place.

Build the pavers and risers out of wood to provide more stability for the material you are using for the steps. Lay a piece of wood on either side of the steps to help hold the pavers and risers in place as you are building them. Once they are complete, you can remove the 2 side pieces of wood.

Next lay the bricks or stones in place on the steps, making sure the area around the materials is clear and even. Once the materials are in place and you are certain that the steps are level, apply the mortar to the bricks or stones to secure them into position. If things need to be a shift around at all, do it while the mortar is still wet because once it has a chance to dry you will no longer be able to move the bricks or stones.

Once the bricks or stones have been laid and mortared, block off the entire area. Keep everyone off the steps for at least a couple of days to give them a chance to completely dry and settle.

Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Building Garden Steps appeared first on GARDENS NURSERY.