Steps you do not think about
Porch steps, a landing at the back door, or one extra step where the drop is too big. Even risers, firm footing, broom finish.
Steps and landings
Good steps go unnoticed. Bad ones get your attention every time. The back door that opens onto a tall drop to the dirt. The stack of pavers that rocks when you put weight on it. The porch step with a corner missing. Older knees, small kids and anyone carrying groceries feel these first. Usually the fix is one or two concrete steps or a small landing. Size and access decide the schedule.
Steps are slow to build and small to pour. A set of two porch steps may use less than a yard of concrete, but the forms take real carpentry. Each riser has to be the same height and each tread has to drain. For a crew geared to big pours, that is all labor and almost no concrete, so they pass. We are set up for small forms, and a single step is normal work for us.
Common sizes
- Single step
- One step at a door or a patio edge where the drop is too tall to take comfortably.
- Two or three porch steps
- A short set from the walk up to the front porch, or down from a raised back door.
- Back door landing, 4 by 4
- A flat place to stand while you open the door, with a step down to the yard if needed.
- Wide landing, 5 by 8
- Room for the door to swing, a mat and a person standing clear of both.
How the job goes
- 1
Measure the rise
We measure the total height from the ground to the door or porch and divide it into equal steps. That number sets everything else, including how many steps, how deep each tread is and how far the set reaches into the yard.
- 2
Base and forms
The ground is dug and compacted, with gravel under the whole footprint. Then we build the forms, one riser board per step, braced hard to help keep wet concrete from bowing them out of shape.
- 3
Pour from the bottom up
We fill the bottom step first and work upward, using a stiffer mix so it holds its shape. Each tread is floated, given a rounded front edge and broomed side to side for grip.
- 4
Strip and finish the faces
Riser boards come off once the concrete can stand by itself, and we smooth the faces by hand. The steps can take foot traffic after about a day. Until then, plan on using another door.
What makes it last
Concrete fails from the bottom up. These are the parts you will never see once the job is done, and they decide how the slab holds up.
- Even risers
- People trip on the step that is different, not the one that is tall. We keep every riser in a set the same height, typically around seven inches, so your feet learn the rhythm after one step.
- Deep enough treads
- A tread should hold your whole foot, which typically means about eleven inches deep or more. Shallow treads are what make a set of steps feel steep, even when the risers are a fair height.
- Treads that shed water
- Each tread gets a slight forward fall so rain and hose water run off the front. A flat tread holds a puddle, and up the mountain that puddle is ice by morning.
- Steel and a real base
- Steps are a heavy block sitting on a small footprint. We compact the ground, add gravel and place rebar inside, and we keep the steps separated from the house wall with an expansion strip.
Start with a photo.
435·220·5536Text us a photo of the spot and rough measurements. We will tell you what we can from the photo, or come out and take a look. Rather type it out? Use the form.
Steps and landings: straight answers
Is one step too small a job?
No. One step is a normal call for us. It will usually be poured on a day we already have work in your town, since it needs only a small amount of concrete. Text a photo with the height of the drop and we will tell you what fits.
Can you pour over my old steps?
Sometimes. If the old steps are solid and the new height works out to even risers, capping can be an option. If they are cracked, sunken or rocking, new concrete on top will follow them. In that case we break them out and start from the ground.
How tall can a step be?
A comfortable riser is around seven inches. Much taller than that and people notice, especially on the way down. A fourteen inch drop is two steps, not one tall one. Your city or HOA may have rules on step height and handrails, so check first.
When can we use the door again?
Light foot traffic after about a day. Go easy on the front edge of each tread for the first week, since that edge is the part most likely to chip while the concrete is young. Hold off on dollies and heavy furniture for a week as well.