how to build stone steps on a hill

With the stone step hardscaping in place, your garden slope needs plants to soften the rugged appearance of the stones and give the outdoor space a more inviting feel. Next I suggest putting small rocks under the step to make a riser. As an FYI, a couple inches of compacted class 5 with a light layer of “leveling” sand as a base should do wonders to help with erosion control and even weeds. You can see a peek at the area I call Studio Gardens to the left. Besides the natural stone, rustic wood, concrete blocks and railway sleepers as well as bricks are also ideal materials to construct the garden steps… It turned out that these first two steps would eventually become the middle of the stairway as I didn’t like the grassy hill that I still had to walk up before getting to mostly flat ground. You did an awesome job, and I love the way it curves! We thought others might appreciate seeing our final solution. Choosing the first step Choose the stone that you want for your first step. It’s been several years since I’ve put the steps in and I’ve had a chance to see what happens over time. Fill in large open spaces with medium to large perennial shrubs, such as the dozens … I’m finally getting around to posting the progress pictures of my rustic stone steps that I carved out of our hillside. Repeat the same plants used along the steps or introduce new species for greater plant diversity. ), native columbine (Aquilegia formosa), coast rock cress (Arabis blepharophylla) or California sagebrush (Artemisia californica). Dig a hole straight back into the base of the bank - just big enough to accommodate the stone. ), which is adapted well to dry summers. I have to say, I’ve enjoyed having these rustic steps and they are holding up really well. However, before you rush off to … Accent the groundcover plants with small perennial shrubs and flowers, such as evergreen lavender (Lavendula spp. tall. I started with a small trailer full of this flat sandstone that we got wholesale from a quarry in Kentucky. It was May 2015 and mid to late spring and I had not quite finished mulching everything last year and the weeds came on with a vengeance! Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. A truly impressive landscape design successfully blends hard and soft elements to create a balanced garden that is easy on the eyes. It’s not as bad as it used to be, as moss has grown in and the dirt is packed but weeds grow in there and occasionally I do need to spray the stone treads off. The following day… The rustic stone steps are now complete! A mid spring look at my garden - Jaime Haney Fine Art. Make a mark of equal length on the cedar and cut it with the circular saw. Whatever your landscape ambitions are, there is a style of stone step that will accompany your space perfectly. I lived overseas for 7 years and the leaves piled onto the deck & rotted during that time. or box elder (Acer negundo) so you don't overwhelm the slope with trees and greatly reduce available sunlight. They curve around a black walnut tree and are in between the tree and my greenhouse. I also enjoy painting abstracts. I wanted to give you and idea of the slope of the hill that I’m dealing with. We are looking to do something like this too. Mix deep-rooted and shallow-rooted perennial shrubs, trees and groundcovers, choosing native plants when possible to reduce the amount of time needed to maintain the garden. The thickness makes it have a really good weight to the stone and they stay in place. Any book on trail building will admonish you to survey carefully before cutting your trail. Choose one or two small pieces of … Let\'s get outdoors and build … (no pun intended!) Set Railings or Boundaries. Each riser should be from 5 in. It was exhausting but so worth it. I love trees, but I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to build a deck around the sycamore. I even have the steps in a video here. We built steps, patios and walls throughout the property. or native sea thrift (Armeria maritima), along the sides of the steps, as these vigorous growers fill in space quickly and cling to the soil so it doesn't wash out onto the steps. Backfill each step with dirt and sod … First, pick out as thick of a rock, stone or paver as you can afford. Set the first riser in place between the edges of the path. ), phlox (Phlox spp.) How to Build Redwood and Stone Steps. in the tiny gaps between stones in the stone staircase. The area where I added the steps was always neglected, as the lawnmower didn’t fit through there and it would occasionally get hacked with the weed eater. I understand though with the arthritis in your hands you aren’t able to build more, the older I get the slower I get and I don’t have it in my hands but I do my knees. You'll need three of these boards for each … My goal was to have it to where a lawn mower could drive right over it for easier upkeep. Plant smaller trees, such as dwarf pine (Pinus spp.) Mulch the bare soil around plants and rocks with 2- to- 3-inches of shredded wood mulch to prevent erosion. See how to build steps into a slope. The smaller stone also acted as support for the step – a happy accident. It looked great for one year then the brick moved due to frost heaves and erosion which caused the slabs to cave in at the parting line on each step… Later as the steps progressed,  I had to use a trowel to dig out more dirt so that every time it rained I wouldn’t have muddy steps. I love them just as much today as when I first did them. The only thing I would say is consider any kind of view that you get from your deck. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Made a set of steps with two cement slabs 2ft square and supported the back of the slabs using a brick where the slabs came together. Spray the grass where the walkway will be built with marking paint. I spend my summers weeding in the gardens and the fall and winter doing art shows and painting in my studio. – Jaime, absolutely love the steps!! Dig several holes in the slope to determine how deep the bedrock is, so you can choose the appropriate plants. Place larger boulders on the hill around the stone steps to help the steps seem more like native stones. Thanks for visiting and commenting! I’ve never had a root cellar, it sounds convenient. I did the same when I was young. Place the stone slabs overlapping each other about 50%. So here are the steps almost a year later. Yay! The smaller stone also acted as support for the step – a happy accident. The curve I planned is really becoming apparent now. These stones are curved to make … I left a comfortable 2 or 3 inches or so for the “step down”. Here’s the final lay out with the stones dug in. You just can’t go wrong with natural stone in my opinion. Huge leaves, sticks, large strips of bark not to mention the gum ball thingys that it drops each fall. You’re so welcome Thel! What a weedy mess! You might plan your flower beds to accommodate a nice sweeping curve too. It never occurred to me to use it in the steps, hah. At the bottom of the steps make … Find me in my art studio attached to my greenhouse painting all the beauty that surrounds me. It’s gotten so big, it’s now broke the deck because it outgrew the hole and my husband didn’t cut the hole bigger in time. Here is Zoey, my studio dog, using the new rustic stone steps! The new composite decking would be the way I would go if we had to re-deck. I blog about my life, gardens and paintings I'm working on. These were the first two steps that I put down. So it’s been several years since I put in the steps and I can happily say they are holding up just great. So, I do have a couple tips for you. Thanks Kathy! It was nearly dark but I had to mulch the top to be satisfied and get a photo. Artist, dreamer, gardener and nature nut. A former cake decorator and competitive horticulturist, Amelia Allonsy is most at home in the kitchen or with her hands in the dirt. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. You may notice above there are a few more stone steps above the ones I started with. Here’s what it looked like before the steps. How to Update a Stone Walkway. After following basic landscaping principles, you can customize the step landscaping to your own taste. That always makes me move at a snail’s pace. Build steeper steps by setting risers in place first to hold the later treads; plan these so each riser will go to the bottom of the tread stone below, which will help hold it in place. by JaimeB Haney | DIY, garden, garden chores, landscape, rustic, stairs, Studio Gardens | 10 comments. Thanks Carol! We have a huge sycamore tree that is actually in the center of the deck and it’s a horrible mess all of the time. I was sort of landscaping as I went along by adding a few plants in that I had divided and adding mulch. It’s fairly level there and the path to Studio Gardens can begin with this stone. I also have my work for sale on my site. I dug, tugged, pulled, strained and sweated my but off for this entire project by myself. Plus, I’m planning to continue on with the stones to make a path around the greenhouse that will lead to Studio Gardens, koi pond and the entrance to my art studio. I had Johnson Grass growing up in-between sunflowers because the bird feeder is in that tree. We too have cedar siding. of hand-tamped quarry dust, sand, or gravel. This is a nice and comfortable stride to take downwards – for me at least. Here's how we built the steps up the hill … I picked out the largest and thickest pieces for the steps. I found it encouraging to step back to look at how it looks from afar at different angles. I look down at what all I’ve still got to do… oy. Plant a few deep-rooted and shallow-rooted trees on the slope to provide height, shade and erosion control to the area. If you would like to keep up with what I’m doing, I have a newsletter e-mailed about once a month that gives you special status for invitations, birthday greeting and more. This meant I had to dig from the back of the stone – where your heel is when standing on the stone when walking down. Bury one-third to one-half of the stones in the soil to anchor the stones and give the appearance that the stones are native to the soil. I filled in with mulch, which looked beautiful but the weeds loved to germinate in it. Pack quarry dust, sand, or gravel behind and on the sides of each stone. ), and serviceberry (Amelanchier spp. Place steps into the notches, using a dolly if necessary to haul. More work and I’m getting closer… the triangle shaped stone is the last one that is part of the steps. That’s really all I can think of right now. In my case, surveying meant standing at the top of the hill, pointing, and saying, “Around that big cedar tree, then over there toward those two pines poking up. I still love my stone steps though and wouldn’t try to talk you out of it at all. Build up the height of plants as you landscape farther away from the steps, using a combination of solitary plantings, straight lines and group plantings of three to five plants. I can appreciate your hard work and I too am planning to put steps in a steep hillside on my property Any tips, you did a great job. Looks great! I ended up finding small stones out of the batch that I would add under the large stone to block off the dirt – a riser if you will. Below, is the photo where I’m trying to decide exactly how far I wanted to keep going. The exact dimensions of the steps and overlap will depend on the steepness of the hill. Her work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and on other websites. I really had no idea what I was doing, so I made it up as I went along. Make individual stone steps by starting at the bottom, laying one stone in place, then overlapping the next stone slightly; work your way to the top of the steps. In retrospect, I wish I’d used a gel mitt every time I worked with stone. Plant low-growing, creeping or clumping plants, such as groundcover stonecrop (Sedum spp. ... Measure the slope of the hill from the highest to the lowest points of your steps. Plant small succulents, such as hen-and-chicks (Sempervivum spp.) I can just envision your cabin now with those beautiful maples but understand fully the problem of the rotting cedar. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I’m in my own house now and the arthritis in my hands from all that work prevents My hostas are up as well as coneflower, mint under the tree, sedum covering the retaining blocks and the dark purple foliage is Pirella. I put the dirt in the bucket to go dump somewhere else. I’m getting pretty excited at this point because I’m really liking how it’s looking. This second photo taken from atop the hill shows you the lake that you can then roll into after you fall… can you say lawsuit? I think I’ll be using this as inspiration for cabin lakeshore steps . Jun 14, 2017 - Explore DonB's board "Hillside Steps Ideas", followed by 135 people on Pinterest. I’m quite proud of it and even more proud that I can say I built it by myself. I didn’t need it to keep the rocks from collapsing, but where I did put them, there is less muddy mess when it rains. Plant additional groundcover plants, small shrubs and flowers where needed to fill in any remaining spaces between the trees and larger shrubs. Using your rubber mallet, pound it evenly down into the soil until about … Have fun creating yours. Spring is a busy gardening time for me as well. Chuck June 26, 2018 at 10:25 am . Back to the stones… here is a close up detail photo of the stones. Create a hillside sitting area with a patio and garden bench on a terrace, if desired. My husband and son helped load the trailer with the rock that was being stored across the lake on a palette. Next, use a good long life weed blocker under the stones, especially under a walk way area. I like what you did, and your suggestions will be helpful! Dang moles. Not much since I have a lot of clay, but some. Jeanie and I searched high and low to find a way to build the steps up the hill from the creek to the lodge with no success. (part 3 video). I’m glad to have you visit my site, I hope you return! Posted January 23, 2020 January 23, ... Building stable, attractive steps means making a few calculations before purchasing your pavers. me from doing even the smallest jobs. I basically put the stone where I wanted it (thinking this would be the top of the stairs) and started digging until the stone laid level. It’s like putting together a puzzle to see which pieces fit the best together. Make slight adjustments… I kept at it, digging more dirt out and laying down the stones. Just sayin…. The steps continue as a path that leads to my Studio Gardens and art studio. Stone steps on a hillside not only look better when accented with beautiful plants, but the steps need landscaping to prevent the soil on the surrounding slope from washing out onto the stones. The succulents were there already in a retaining wall style planter that you can no longer see. Create easy — and attractive — hillside access with a snazzy set of steps made from redwood, ledge stone and crushed rock. She received her Bachelor's degree from West Virginia University. I actually used it in the flat part of the patio. I look down at what all I’ve still got to do… oy. Start by using a regular garden hose to create the shape of the stairs. ), coast Angelica (Angelica spp. Modern landscaping often incorporates the use of natural features to give gardens character. See more ideas about garden steps, garden stairs, backyard. Click here to see one. Cut 1-inch boards to a length of 3 feet for the decking. I have a small cabin built up on posts. https://www.hunker.com/12000980/how-to-build-stone-block-steps-on-a-hillside I’d sure like to have some more of this stone. So if you have to be gone again, that wouldn’t hurt the deck. Below is just a few months later in June. And finally, I just took this photo today and it’s August 5th a year later from when I first made the steps. That’s too bad you’re not able to enjoy all your hard work that you had done in the past. Level the riser stones by removing soil or adding gravel as needed. Set the distance from the ground (or future path)… That gives me hope for our project. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. Landscape steps are easy and if I can do it, you can do it! … I think that curve adds so much character to it. Fill in large open spaces with medium to large perennial shrubs, such as the dozens of native manzanita species (Arctostaphylos spp. Your view will surely change because you’ll be lower. Don’t bury your stones too far down or your grass or whatever may grown over it! I’m not familiar with gel mitts, I’ll have to look into those. Keep the paint inside the area to … Since the dirt under the step is open in lots of places (even if just a crack between the rocks), I’ve found that heavy rains have sometimes made dirt come out. Nothing sophisticated about it. I eventually added eight more steps above the original “top” of the stairs. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Use only shredded bark mulch or large, flat gravel mulch that locks together instead of sliding easily down a slope. Also, that dirt has been host to many a weeds and unwanted flowers and tree seedlings. It's intended for the DIY. Lots of work still ahead. Set the first base course block for the stairs perfectly level, front to back and side to side. Leave me comment if you’ve done this or were inspired by my path, I’d love to hear from you. The most popular material for building stairs is the stone. Plant level garden areas of accessible terraces to avoid having to navigate the steep hillside to tend your plants. Plant native ornamental grasses to accent boulders, shrubs or to serve as the backdrop for a group of small plants. Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate that. And Hey! Of course the work doesn’t stop there. I will say these stones are pretty heavy – I had to use a hand truck (dolly) to move some of them – remember the trailer with the stone is at the bottom of the hill – oy. I want to state for the record, this is the only help I received at all for the construction of these rustic stone steps! This is great theory, but not much good when you can’t see or walk on the terrain you’re working with. Brick, natural stone, concrete blocks and poured cement can all be used to build steps on a backyard hillside. If you add them as risers, they also help keep your step level and not fall forward. I didn’t take a photo of every single step I put in, but it was helpful to be able to look at them to see the steps at a different perspective (sort of). Six steps in at this point. A root cellar sounds great but all that rock work sounds like a ton of work and massively expensive! That might not be a problem, but then again you may miss it. Come back and see the next project, the pathway to my koi pond and Studio Gardens.
Netflix July 25, Second Hand Travelscoot Mobility Scooter, Kohl's Login Issues, Alberto Del Rio Net Worth, Paladin Names Female, Home Depot Weekly Time Detail, Craigslist Mobile Homes For Sale Or Rent, How To Make Your Pp Size Bigger Apple Juice,