by Keith Markensen
When you’re planning the landscape of your yard or garden, consider adding a set of steps. You can use anything from round-cut logs to concrete, brick, or stone to create the look you want. Each material varies in difficulty, and also in the style the stairs will add to your landscape.
When planning the size of your steps, try to make them similar to indoor steps, particularly if they are in an area where you will use them often. The tread should measure about 10 inches from front to back, and each should rise about 7 and a half inches. Make sure that the treads are a little lower in the front of the step than in the back, or rain water may collect in your steps.
If you are using anything other than round logs to make your steps, be sure they have a good foundation. It should be in the ground about 6 inches below the frost line to make the steps stable.
Although concrete may not be the most attractive material for garden steps, it is often used. To make concrete steps, first you’ll need a form for pouring the concrete. These wooden boxes should be placed on top of each other, forming your stairway. Mix 1 part Portland cement, 3 parts sand, and 6 parts gravel, and then pour the cement into the form. The treads should be made level using the flat edge of a board.
Another way to make concrete steps is by using pre-formed concrete blocks. While you’ll still need a foundation, it is much easier to build a stairway from concrete blocks. Make sure that you bond the blocks together well. You may also want to consider coating the stairway with a thin layer of concrete to obtain a good appearance. Brick steps are made in the same way as concrete blocks, although they do require a little more masonry skill due to the many joints.
The main difficulty of constructing stone steps is finding the stone. While you may be fortunate enough to have stones available on your property or some stones left when you had the chance to work on patio landscaping, otherwise you’ll need to purchase them. This can make them an expensive choice, although they are also a very attractive and rustic way of building steps. If your stones are very large, you won’t need any masonry bonding. If the steps are freestanding, you’ll need to use mortar.
Wooden rounds cut from logs make beautiful steps, and they are easy to construct. Just set the bottom round into the earth. The next one should placed so that it partially covers the bottom log, leaving a riser. Fill in the ground under the upper round, and then repeat this step until your stairway is complete. This is also an excellent solution for a long slope that is slightly too steep for just a path. Logs can be set into the earth to provide occasional steps along the way.
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December 29 2008 | Home Improvement | No Comments »
You may think that the best time to think about putting up a fence or maintaining the fence you have are the months between March and November. I would argue that now, December through February is the optimum time to plan a fence as well as to look and access the damage your fence incurs during the harshest time of the year.
Making plans is harder when there are more distractions. The colder months have always been useful for planning and taking stock, so consider walking around the area you want to fence. Look for possible issues, such as property lines and tree roots. These will be trouble later, but they can be easy to spot on bare winter ground.
Depending on your region, it’s probably too cold to do any real fence work, but what about getting down your trusty tape measure and filling in a sketch with the details you need. Then you can begin looking for the kinds of fencing options for your job, and figure out if pre-made panels or building from scratch makes more sense.
You will want to consider the materials available for fencing in your part of the country. Remember that not all types of wood are suitable in all climates, due to issues with water or insects. Your local library, the internet, as well as various books and magazines all offer good advice as you conduct your research.
You’ll want to begin thinking about your budget as well. What types of materials can you afford? Wood can vary in species and quality a great deal. And be sure to think about sealing a sub-grade wood, in order to prolong its serviceability.
Protecting your fence should also be a prime consideration, and fence post caps present an excellent and beautiful way of doing just that. In addition to being decorative, post caps protect the ends of posts from water and insect damage. Glue is recommended for installation, so it’s best to do this on a warmer, pretty day.
If you live in a particularly cold climate, you need to be aware that rain and snow are horrible enemies of the wood fence. As rain penetrates wood and freezes, it expands and can cause nasty cracks to form. These can later become insect hideaways, and before a few seasons have gone by, your beautiful fence is ready to fall over. Now is a great time to walk out and inspect your existing fence line for signs of water and insect damage.
In addition to the ever-popular wood fence, vinyl and metal fencing options each have distinct advantages worth investigating. Privacy and picket fences can be made of vinyl and yet resemble wood very well. Wrought iron and aluminum fencing makes an attractive yard perimeter as well. There are lots of choices, but I hope you’ll agree, there’s no time like the present to think about and plan your fence project.
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December 26 2008 | Home Improvement | 1 Comment »