New Steps Project

Shortly after we moved into our house, the back steps began settling. And then settled some more. In the end, we had a set of three steps, each with a different vertical height. For the uninitiated, it was almost always a cause for stumbling. Not only was this dangerous, it was an eye-sore.

Sure, we could have some guys come in and "mud jack" the steps back to where they should be, but I decided the steps were ugly enough to be replaced. Or simply buried, which is what I opted to do. So one of my projects this summer was to build some bigger, more attractive steps around the existing steps, and to provide a more consistent height for each step.

I decided to bury the steps because: (a) I didn't know what to do with all the concrete I pulled out of there, and (b) I didn't have much spare soil to fill in the steps. Leaving the steps in place made sense.

After redesigning the pond, I was left with many large cement blocks which could provide the step material. First I made the lower ring of steps around the existing steps.

Then I built up this layer with soil and other left-over blocks and built the second layer. More filling and the landings were covered with left-over flagstone to match the patio.

The resulting steps are not perfect, but they are much better than the original cement steps, and now the height of each step is a consistent 6 inches.