Masonry step construction

[CaptainsLS]

Does anyone have any picts of the construction CMU steps? I have never made a set of stairs and landing from CMU, only framed & poured. I'm assuming you core all the units and fill with rubble and concrete, but what do you do? :noidea:

[mrusk]

I am pouring footing for a landing and 2 stairs tommorrow. I will take some pictures when we are laying block.

[CaptainsLS]

That would be great, The main reason I ask is because the way I envision doing it you would need to wait for each tier to stiffen before building the next. I think there is another way, but we have always just poured it solid to avoid it. Take as many picts of the process as you can, thanks Matt.

[cgland]

That would be great Matt! Thanks.

Chris

[mrusk]

There is nothing to it. Just like doing pedestal method out of srw, except you have a footign 42" down and more then one course burried.

[MuirView Design]

Think of it this way. All the CMU is doing really is creating a form. Pour your footer and get it pretty level. Build your box from the outside in. I like to build both corners first to make sure I'm square. I put up string lines, but I know guys that don't bother. You can draw square on your footer to. If you have a structure behind your stairs, then use a crayon and draw a marker (story) for each block height as you go up. Depending on how high your steps are, you can lay a course on top of your existing course even if it isn't completely set up. Just don't make your mud too wet. Keep it stiff and you'll be fine. Once you're done, let it set up for about an hour and then core it. (Doesn't have to be cored with concrete necessarily, sand and gravel will work also) Next day you're ready to lay your treads and risers. Draw back to this method is 8" risers unless you cut down the block. Most building codes require a max of 7 3/4" for steps.

[mrusk]

I am doing 6 inch stairs. Since I will have the concrete truck there anyways, I will just form and pour a top cap then do my granite treads.

[chardscapes]

Yeah post some during pics. This is what I really want to learn . We as hardscapers have to get away from using SRW products on every job and revert back to old school methods. Every customer does not want SRW new school products. :dance:

[MuirView Design]

Found this information from concrete network on building concrete stairs including estimating and design and lots of other stuff on concrete in general. I also found them on youtube with a bunch of videos on concrete design. Enjoy.

http://www.concretenetwork.com/stairsandsteps/

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=cntelevision&page=1

[custom patios]

I am pouring footing for a landing and 2 stairs tommorrow. I will take some pictures when we are laying block.

i was wondering what happened. you must be done by now

[mrusk]

here ya go

[kootoomootoo]

Matt, are you sick of that house yet...feel like you almost are part of the family. Takes about 7 days and I am ready to move on.

[mrusk]

LOL Koo. Those pics were taking in december. We have been back out working for a almost 2 weeks now. We are moving now. We put half the fence up today. Have the last 12-14 triaxles of dirt getting hauled out tommorrow. Beligum block going in thrusday/friday if the weather holds up. Then we start spreading top soil.

With larger jobs you do become part of the family. I started to run my business from their kitchen table. I set up my laptop in there today and starting doing paper work!

Hopefully I am out of there by April 15th. Hopefully, the front walkway/stoop comes in from South america so I can wrap everything up.

[MuirView Design]

Matt, what did you end up laying on the landing of those steps? Did you fill them to the top with modified....? Did you pour a little footer and then start the block below the frost line, then core fill with stone? I would generally pour a 36" footer then start the block at grade....seems like your method there would cut down on concrete cost. Please explain it a little more.

[mrusk]

I poured a footing at 42 inches below grade. Then I blocked them up with my foreman in 3 hours or so. Then we poured concrete on the top and on the stair treads. Then when my stone comes in from south america I will put the treads/ risers on.

[CaptainsLS]

What did you fill the stoop with? If you pour a pad on top of that stone, did you run rebar over the CMU walls?

[mrusk]

I filled the center of the stoop with 3/4 clean stone. I did not put rebar in the top pad.

[mrusk]

Pic after pouring.

[MuirView Design]

How thick was your footer? So you just core filled the block with cement and also poured on top of the clean....how thick was the landing pad?

[mrusk]

8 inch footing. I filled the course with 3/4 stone. I just kept dumping stone on top of it with the excavator until it was filled to the top.

Landing pad was 6 inches thick.

[MuirView Design]

So, are you going to use the South American stone to replace the existing treads and landing? What's going on the risers and the porch wall?

[CaptainsLS]

Not to rifle you with questions but, did you weep the CMU at the footer base?

[mrusk]

Not to rifle you with questions but, did you weep the CMU at the footer base?

I did not.

MV- Yes existing porch treads and risers are getting changed. We are leaving the foundation the way it is. Plantings will hide it anyway.

[MuirView Design]

Can't wait to see it Matt! Sounds like some pricey material.....is it the same marble used in the back?

Chris, popping some weep holes in the first course seems like a good idea.....I'd imagine they wouldn't be necessary as long as no water got down in the clean stone, which would require the top pad being poured right away. Being so far below grade, unless the weep holes where angled down pretty hard, they may allow ground water to seep into the center of the steps. .....just a thought if that was something you were thinking of doing.

[mrusk]

The stone is different from the back. Its a black stone. Sort of looks like black slate.

On both front walkways we are doing the stone dry laid with grass joints. There will be a 12 inch pebble tile boarder around both walkways with 2 slabs of stone against the driveway.

Here is a pic of the pebble tile.

[CMSStoneworks]

dont mean to dig up such an old thread but....matt did you compact the core fill at all? wondering if it would be better (but more expensive) to use flowable fill? if you didnt compact how were you not worried about settling?

[mrusk]

I filled the core with clean stone and compacted with the jumping jack. We then poured a rebar reinforced slab on top. I am not afraid of settleing.


I didn't even lay the stone on the front walks on that job. I was to fed up with grass joint issue to touch the front. HAHAH

[CMSStoneworks]

lol....ok thanks! im tackling my first set of steps soon on my mothers house shortly and have a couple clients asking for steps.

one more quick question....is there any way possible that CMU steps can be constructed that they DO NOT have to be core filled? spoke to a client on the phone friday...see said there is a hole on the one side about the size of a softball and that she can see through to the other side? the top tread is cracked and the sides are deteriorating. otherwise theyre solid...im thinking of cutting the landing out....core filling...resurfacing the deteriorated sections...covering entirely with cultured stone, and installing new treads. OR...think it will be easier to demo and start from scratch?

[mrusk]

Any pics???

[CMSStoneworks]

i'll have them tonight. meeting with the client this evening.

[Mark]

a simple example of one we did a few years back....we always leave weeps in the base of the block work

[CMSStoneworks]

ok nevermind. they are beyond repair and need to start from the ground up. question - if the footing is in good shape, does anyone see an issue with reusing it? or is this out of the question? I have not yet replaced stairs where they had to be demo'd first and rebuilt. Or should i just pour a new footing?