You are looking to do an outdoor project at your property and you know you will need steps from your door to your walkway or patio. There is alway a few questions that customers are thinking about, how many steps do I need, do they remove the old steps, how much does this cost and how to build paver steps. Here at affordablepatio.com we are the resource for all these questions and help to give you more information about your future steps or stoop.

Ways to improve your curb appeal from your front door to your walkway

When looking to improve your curb appeal from your front door to your walkway, stoops are a great way to enhance your home. A new stoop or step to your front door is used everyday and when guests come over it sets the ambience walking into your home. Another big reason for new steps is because of safety, if your old steps are falling apart or have cracks it can turn into a liability. Building a stoop with pavers can create a beautiful and welcoming entrance. If looking to have a paver patio installed in your backyard and you need steps from your back door to your patio this is very important. We ensure that we are giving you the proper landing space for your application. When it comes to the back steps we want to make sure it flows right and has enough room for you to bring food to the bbq or patio and you feel safe. The front steps or stoop we want to make sure the landing is large enough for the door to open and you do not need to step down to a lower step. We understand that when you are walking up to the door with a child or groceries and your hands are full, it’s very important to have the right size landing for safety reasons. When we install steps we make sure that the steps are at least 6 inches wider on both sides of the door and the reason for this is for the installation of railings. By code you will need railings on any sets of steps that are 18 inches or taller. Proper planning is essential when building steps, ensuring they are both aesthetically pleasing and safe. In the next paragraph we will go over installation and step height so you will understand how many steps you may need and also do you need a railing.

Installing step or stoops

When installing steps it is very labor intensive and materials cost more then standard pavers. Building steps or stoop we will be excavating down at least 2 feet and installing a concrete footing, some applications will be 3 foot concrete footing depending on the size of the steps. After the footing is installed we use cambridge wall stone or cinder blocks to build the structure. We use cinder blocks for culture stone applications, this style of step cost more than a wallstone option because of the additional labor to build the steps then veneer with culture stone. When building steps for masonry projects the standard heights for each step will be 6 inches or 8 inches tall, the reason for this is because that is what the height of the blocks come from. Now learning the heights of steps you will need a railing on 3 or more steps because it will exceed the 18 inches. The smallest the steps depth should be is 12 inches deep and you can make it larger but we want you to keep in mind every step sticks out further so adding more depth can make your steps very long. A standard interior step is 10 inches deep and 7 ¾ tall. We fill the structure with broken concrete, rca and pour concrete for strength. We install a 4 inch concrete slab on the top for your landing and install pavers on top of the concrete. Learning how to make steps with pavers is a common homeowner question, as is how to build stone steps, given the various material options. We recommend you should at least a 3 foot landing for your back steps and for your front door a minimum of 4 feet. We also provide another link that will give you a little more information about installation or steps here (link).

What will my steps cost and will the material play a role in this?

Here at affordablepatio.com we provide some prices of steps on our price builder on our website (link). When it comes to material it could change the price depending on which item you are using. Most cambridge paving stone items will cost the same. The biggest jump in price is when you do culture stone or use a natural stone tread like bluestone. Thinking about your overall landscape design is important, and considering the paver steps design early on can help with planning. Below we will provide you with some of the prices for steps. All steps are 7 wide with a 3 foot landing. If you’re curious about the process, you might also be interested in learning How to build paver steps, though we always recommend professional installation.

•  7 foot wide with 1 step cost $ 2,099.00
• 7 foot wide with 2 step cost $ 2,399.00
• 7 foot wide with 3 step cost $ 4,399.00
• 7 foot wide with 4 step cost $ 5,999.00

We hope that this blog helped you understand a little more about your future project and what’s involved and how much it may cost. The prices above are ballparks to give you an idea and prices may change depending on increases of material cost. If you’re also considering adding features like steps to your project, you might want to explore how to build stone steps to get a better understanding of the process and costs involved. If you have any questions feel free to reach out or build and price your project on affordablepatio.com.