Your Landscape Needs Steps
A beautiful way to ad to your outdoor space and landscaping is to incorporate steps into the design. These are as important as trees, lighting, and other things that tend to be the focus of landscape design. There are many materials that can be used in order to make your steps appear natural and built into the design itself, melding in with the other elements in the design.
The dimensions of outdoor steps are usually the same as indoor ones, though sometimes the treads are wider or deeper than they would be indoors, to make a more gradual lateral movement. If the steps are to be used often, though, this should be kept to a minimum to avoid injury and problems with using them. Remember that the key to good step design is all in the design here. Make sure there is a slope to the tread, sloping forwards so that water will run off the steps easily.
A good foundation is key to step security and longevity as well. Concrete is the most popular material for steps and requires an extensive and strong foundation if it is to last very long. Simple wooden treads made up of half-buried logs require the least amount of foundation work, but will need to be replaced fairly often as they rot away and split. A good foundation is also needed for block steps, made from concrete or other materials.
Using pre-cast blocks eliminates the need for forms, as with poured concrete, but ads the problem of drainage as the spaces between the blocks must be filled in to keep the foundation from washing away and the treads from spreading or dislodging. Building steps from blocks and then spreading a thin layer of concrete over the top is a popular method of accomplishing both tasks.
Brick steps are similar to blocks, but require more skill to put into place. Because of their many joints, brick steps are generally weaker than concrete or block steps, but they can be very beautiful if laid out correctly. The bricks can be arrayed in patterns to please the eye and match the landscape as a whole.
Finding stone for stone steps is the hardest part of putting together this natural, beautiful type of step design. When stones must be purchased, then the stone steps will become the most costly form of constructing garden step design, but can be one of the most attractive. You can build stone steps without masonry bonding if you carefully select the stones to fit together well and lay a good foundation for them to sit upon.
Informal-appearing wooden steps can be made for steps as well, providing a raised platform for people to walk upon above the landscape. They require regular maintenance to keep in good condition, but are otherwise a great way to ad steps that are natural and low-cost at the same time.
Whatever your step choice, your design can greatly enhance your landscape’s appeal and how easily it is accessed. Great steps can make for a great landscape!
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