Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 10:48 pm
Hello again,
My in-laws have a crazy-paved patio with matching steps from the kitchen door. The mortar on the steps is constantly breaking up making the steps unsafe to use so we're going to replace them with blocks, 3 steps of about 150mm rise each. They'll be a cascading arrangement, squared rather than semi-circular.
We have some bricks left over from the kitchen extension build so I'll use them to match and save buying new ones. They'll be used to 'fill in' the treads and, as I'm thinking so far, the steps will be edged with kerb units like these... http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/153939?WT.ac=SP030005
What I can't quite get my head around is the best way to build up the central mass of the steps. If I haunch the edges of the bottom step can I just in-fill with hardcore, compacted in thin layers, then with a sand bedding? That would mean building each step up off compacted hardcore. Should I have something more solid under there, like a block/concrete skeleton of some kind or perhaps just a pile of loose bricks?
Thanks for your advice.
My in-laws have a crazy-paved patio with matching steps from the kitchen door. The mortar on the steps is constantly breaking up making the steps unsafe to use so we're going to replace them with blocks, 3 steps of about 150mm rise each. They'll be a cascading arrangement, squared rather than semi-circular.
We have some bricks left over from the kitchen extension build so I'll use them to match and save buying new ones. They'll be used to 'fill in' the treads and, as I'm thinking so far, the steps will be edged with kerb units like these... http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/153939?WT.ac=SP030005
What I can't quite get my head around is the best way to build up the central mass of the steps. If I haunch the edges of the bottom step can I just in-fill with hardcore, compacted in thin layers, then with a sand bedding? That would mean building each step up off compacted hardcore. Should I have something more solid under there, like a block/concrete skeleton of some kind or perhaps just a pile of loose bricks?
Thanks for your advice.
