There is nothing more satisfying than facing a successful building project. I view building as a small miracle - watching a pile of bricks and mortar being transformed into a permanent structure. However, building can also be quite daunting as it actually requires a fair amount of skill to create a stable structure from a pile of bricks. So, realising my limited skills as a brick-layer, I chose to outsource my small building projects.
I designed steps for two sections of the garden. Although I could see the logic of my well thought over dimensions, the builder questioned my decisions. I stuck to my plans and, only after the job was completed did the builder admit that it actually looked “OK”.
The main thing about building steps is to ensure that the dimensions are practical. The tread (where your foot goes down) should be a minimum of 300mm so that the whole foot (of an average person) can rest on it. The riser (height of the step) should be between 100mm and 175mm.
The first step is off our kitchen door. The original step into the doorway was 26mm off sloping ground which can be uncomfortable for the elderly or disabled. This was not really an issue for us until I ran a marathon and my stiff legs battled to lift high enough to enter the house. I planned a small 450mm x 900mm wide step to make the entry into the house easier.
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| Kitchen - Before |
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| Kitchen - After |
Excuse the messy finish. This is still work in progress.
The second step is off the patio into the “yellow room” of the garden. There was a drop of 400mm which was also manageable on good days but totally off-bounds on marathon day. To make a dramatic entrance into the garden, I designed a 600mm x1200mm wide step.
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| Patio - Before |
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| Patio - After |
Both steps were built with face bricks matching those used to build the house, with concrete pavers on the tread.
