Outdoor steps with pavers and pebbles

[SMJGGT]

SMJGGT

Getting Established

Short and steep driveway only access to house apart from grass.  Had time and an optimistic outlook.

Materials

Tools

200 * 50 * 180/120 treated pine sleepers H4

Carinya 50*50*40 gal reinforcing angle bracket & 10g 35mm screws- should have used larger gauge with longer screws or bolted

12mm * 400/600 reo bar

2 * bag road base

75mm ag pipe with sleeve

Paving sand 

20mm drainage gravel

Weed matting

Hampton Grey Pebbles

400 * 400 * 40 Adbri Prague paver

Intergain Wood Stain - Charcoal

Exterior wood bog

Solar step lights

Wheel barrow

Elec drill with 12 auger bit

Impact driver

Club hammer

Circular saw

Sander

Mattock

Hand pick

Shovel

Level

String

Skip (3m)

Mini Digger with 11 year old to drive

Steps

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Step 1

1/7

PLAN - it was quite a steep slope and needed to ensure horizontal length was accurate to keep within property line whist maintaining spacing, comfort, and visuals.

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Step 2

2/7

Mark out with string lines and marker paint.  Bear in mind risers sleepers are 50mm and if butting to end of side sleepers this needs to be added to measurements by number of steps.

Quantity of sleepers based of these calculations (supposedly)

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Step 3

3/7

Start at the bottom as the riser sits on top of the side sleepers.  Initially I really only dug out enough to settle the sleepers on a small amount of road base.

NOTE: levelling is critical but, especially with the side sleepers, level does not necessarily mean the same height.  Over 1200 or 1800 this can lead to lots of swearing.  Levelled string lines during construction are a must.

Sleepers secured with angle brackets & 12mm rebar.  I should have driven the rebar through all risers at the front of each step as well as the rear.

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Step 4

4/7

As the slope angle increased significantly in the top half extra rebar required as well as a lot of excavation.  We dug out almost 4m3 and disposed of 3m3.  The one metre was used to back fill.

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Step 5

5/7

Drainage - as the soil was quick rich in clay one 75 mm sleeved ag pipe was set down the middle of the stairs with another between the driveway and side sleepers.  These joined to drain into existing spoon drain. Drainage gravel over.  Weed mat, then covered with drainage gravel.  

STAINED sleepers at this point.

 

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Step 6

6/7

A bit too much drainage gravel for the job.  Unloaded and spread by hand so no way I was gonna not use it.

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Step 7

7/7

Paving : Be patient.  Ensure levels are good and pavers on each step the same height.  Use string lines.

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[JacobZ]

This is a fantastic project @SMJGGT!

You've managed to turn a boring, potentially dangerous grass path into a beautiful, extremely usable feature at the front of your property.

The outdoor lighting was a fantastic inclusion that really shows off your work when it gets dark.

I hope you and your son had a blast on the excavator, I know I do when I've driven them.

Thank you for sharing.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @SMJGGT 

Now thats a decent amount of hard work. It looks great and I really like the forward thinking of drainage and lighting within the build. Having built some steps and also some paved slopes I totally get the "cursing" over straight lines and falls Worth the effort for sure.

Dave

[Nailbag]

Love the low voltage lighting to enhance your work at night. Great job @SMJGGT 

Regards Nailbag