Saturday 13 August 2016

Patio Progress - Concrete Steps

This has been a labour of love over the last three weeks! Blood, sweat and the whole of my little finger nail (which got ripped off on a piece of reinforcing bar) have gone into these steps! 

With the patio being so large I decided that having a nice, wide flight of stairs would really set it off. There was a few ways I could have made them; timber was out of the question as I wanted something maintenance free and to last a long time (it's very wet here and they'd rot in ten years or so). 
That left me with either using blocks or concrete, the blocks would be more expensive and I'm not great at laying them (so I'd get my brick layer to do it. The concrete on the other is something I could do myself but it does involve a lot of work (and I mean a lot!).
First step form work
Not one to be deterred by a bit of work I went for the concrete option. I have built full flights of stairs like this where you pour all the concrete for the steps in one go (have a look here) but I decided that as I was mixing the concrete in a small mixer by hand I'd do one step at a time, doing it this way means I can use the same timber to form each step as well so it save money. 
I join each step by leaving some reinforcing wire between each step to tie into the one above. Each step is also vibrated to remove the air from the concrete using an industrial vibrator (no rude jokes please!) 

These pictures show the process, there was a bout 6 to 8 mixes full of concrete in each step! I tended to move and set up the shuttering/form work one night, then mix and pour the concrete the next and strip it the night after that. 

Pouring the concrete in for the first step

Removing the shuttering/form work 

Second step form work in. Stone fills in behind and is compacted down. 


third step - note teh bars in the back to tie in the next step

Another step - I did this one when we poured the footings for the extension as I ordered enough concrete to do it - seemed daft to mix it if we were having some delivered.  

Nearly there! 

Steps finished!
I was surprised how much work were in these stairs, even though I knew there would be. I guess mixing concrete after eight at night after doing a ten hour day on a building site is going to make me a bit more tired as well! 
Still it feels great to have them done. They'll get clad in the same stone that the patio will be with a handrail down the sides. 

What do you think? 

Ever made steps like this?

21 comments:

  1. That's an amazing job! Question.... how did you know how far out to start with the bottom step in order to have even height in all your steps and yet end up on the exact level you want on the top step? I'm guessing it is some complicated maths equation?

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    1. It's easy to work out, you just divide the total height into the number of steps you think you'd want then adjust to suit. I think you can even just type it inot google these days and it'll work it out for you. With outside steps I try to make the slope a little less than inside steps though.

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    2. Thanks. We have quite a steep banking that we'd like to build steps into. I think we may have to put a turn in them in order to cope with steepness. (and a good railing to hang on to!)

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  2. Replies
    1. Cheer Gorges, it was certainly hard work!

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  3. Blimey Kev, you are one hard worker. Well done, they look great.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, there's always something else to do!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm won;t be doing any steps again anytime soon!

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  5. Another project well executed. Well done. Don't burn yourself out. Its easy to keep working while its light bust rest is important.

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  6. Been there, done that, and I don't care to do it again. It is brutally hard work. Best left to younger guys like you. ;-)

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    Replies
    1. It is hard work, not something I'd want to do everyday!

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  7. AMAZING! love it. Such a good job! Well done Kev, you are such a hard working bloke. It is all going to pay off when it is all finished it is going to look FAB!

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    1. I hope all my ideas come together like they are in my head!

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  8. Hard work but it's looking great already Kev! I can imagine your children sitting on those steps and making games up and down it:)

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    1. They already love walking up and down them!

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  9. gorgeous steps! what a great job! my dad used to build stuff like this all the time! if fact, if he saw a cement truck in the neighborhood, he would run out and build a footer and then tell the truck driver that he had a place to get rid of his extra cement!

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    Replies
    1. I keep thinking I need to make some moulds up so I have somewhere for spare concrete to go next time! He sounds like my kind of guy!

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  10. These things are essential, great think so - I suspect as much as well..
    concrete cutting

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