Our latest DIY project came out of necessity. The path leading up to our front porch was fine 3 seasons out of the year but come winter it became an icy slide of terror.
Here’s the before pic:
We had a bunch of patio stones that we wanted to use for the project since they were free (yay) so our only cost was the pressure treated wood.
For our project we used the following materials:
2x6x8 pressure treated boards (we wanted to do 3 steps that were 2 patio stones each with each stone measuring 2 feet x 2 feet so we needed two boards per step)
Additional 2x6x8 pressure treated boards for the retaining wall (depending on your slop you may not need one)
2x2x8 boards (we just used scrap pieces we had laying around) for the inside braces
3 inch deck screws
2x2 feet patio stones
Tools needed for the job:
Shovel
Drill
Level
Mitre Saw
Measuring Tape
Pencil
How we did it:
My husband and I tackled this project together. He took care of the digging and lifting the patio stones and I took care of building the step boxes and retaining wall and helping with the levelling.
For each step we would start by digging down 7 inches (one inch deeper than required) and then adding loose dirt back in to level it.
To build the step boxes find a level surface where you can place two patio stones side by side. Next measure your sides (I did the short ends first and then the long ends so that the long ends would cover the cut ends of the short side). Screw your ends together around the patio stones to create the box.
Note: Make sure the box is not too tight around the patio stones as you will need to lift the box off once built and flip it over and then place the stones back in (it will make sense in a few steps).
Next measure the distance between the inside front and back of the box and cut 4 cross pieces in that measurement using 2x2s.
Next place your cross pieces in the box so that they are sitting on the patio stones and then screw them in. You have now created the platform for the patio stones to sit on so they will be perfectly level. This is now the bottom of your box - I recommend labeling it so you don’t get mixed up once you lift the box.
Now you can lift the box off of the patio stones and flip it over and put it in place.
Place the box where you have dug out and use a level to help you level it out. Add or remove dirt as needed to ensure the box is level all around. Note: make sure you have packed the dirt well before placing the box as it will settle a bit from the weight.
Once you have the box level fill the centre of the box with dirt just up to the level of the cross pieces. Make sure you pack the dirt well.
Once you have the dirt well packed you can place your patio stones in.
*Shout out to my dad for this awesome idea!
Repeat these steps for each of your steps.
If your steps don’t match the slope of your hill you may need to build a retaining wall like we did. We used the same pressure treated boards and secured them directly to the steps as well as securing them to wooden stakes that we attached to the backs of the boards.
The whole project took us about 8 hours to complete. As a bonus I was able to use the my cut off ends to make a cute little planter!
If you have any questions about how we tackled this project please feel free to comment. Happy DIYing!
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