How to Build a Garden Path (page 2 of 2)

Change Text Size

Change Text Size
|
Bookmark

Bookmark

Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
|
Print
|
E-Mail

Buying and Installation

Buying Stone
A visit to your local stone supplier is the quickest way to find out what types, sizes and shapes of stone are available in your area. Look for flat stones called flagstones that range in thickness from 2 to 3 in. to use for your treads. Ours are limestone, but you may find that another type of stone is more readily available. You’ll need some 6- to 8-in. thick blocks of stone, called wallstone, for the risers. Follow our instructions for figuring your riser height. Then pick out wallstones of this height to use for your risers. Try to find flagstones of consistent thickness. It will make it easier to keep the stone steps all the same height.

Since stone is usually sold by the ton, and the number of square feet a ton will cover depends on the thickness of the stone, figuring quantities is best left to someone with experience selling natural stone. Note the dimensions on the sketch and take it with you to order the stone. Order about 15 percent extra to provide more shapes to choose from and avoid having to pay for a second delivery. You’ll have no trouble finding uses for the extra stone.

Our project required about 3 tons of stone for the treads and landing and another 2-1/2 tons for the risers and wall. In our area, stone costs about $250 to $450 per ton plus $100 for delivery. In addition to the stone, order 1 ton of crushed gravel with aggregate 3/4 in. and smaller for leveling the treads and risers.

Start With Level Risers
With the tricky planning out of the way, you’re ready to dig in and start building steps. Spread out some of the stone so you’ll have many shapes to choose from. Then build one step at a time, starting at the bottom and working your way up.

The first step is the trickiest to build. After that you just repeat the process until you reach the top. Set the first riser in place. Remember to bury it a few inches so the first riser won’t be too tall. Now use the top surface of this riser stone to guide your shovel as you dig straight back into the hill to make a level spot for the first tread and the second riser. Be sure to dig out all of the sod. When the first two risers are in place, you’re ready to set stones for the first tread. Pick larger stones to overhang the riser. The extra weight will keep them from tipping. Then fill in behind them with smaller stones.

For a safe set of steps, it’s important to keep all the risers the same height. Compensate for variations in flagstone thickness by adjusting the height of the riser. If the stone you pick for the tread is extra thick—say, 3 in. rather than 2 in.—bury the riser an extra inch so the total rise will be consistent. The same goes for keeping the top surface of the treads even. Put a little gravel under thin stones to raise them, or excavate under stones that are too thick. If a stone tips or rocks when you step on it, shim it with stone chips. Take your time adding gravel and removing soil until your step is just right. Then move on to the next one.

To avoid moving stones more than necessary, we found it helpful to arrange the stones into the shape of the treads near the stone pile, and then move the pieces to their permanent location on the steps.

Blend The Steps Into The Landscape
Notching into the hill will leave bare ledges of soil along the edge of each tread. You can either remove soil to slope the surrounding landscape down to the steps or add stones along the edge to retain the soil. On the three steps leading from the landing to the top of the hill, we buried wallstone along the edge to hold back the dirt.

Filling the cracks between stones is the final step in the project. Experts we talked to had varying opinions on the best material to use. Sand is easy but it will wash out. Pea gravel looks good but tends to fall out and get under your feet, and it’s like walking on ball bearings. We settled on a 50/50 mix of compost and soil. It packs easily into the cracks and looks natural. And if you want, you can plant a durable creeping ground cover, like creeping thyme, in the large spaces. Besides looking great, it will fill in the spaces to keep out weeds and hold the soil in place.