Stair Treads and Risers
Treadis the horizontal part of the steps that the user steps on.
Riser is the vertical section that connects adjacent treads.
Sometimes, a permit is not required if the retaining wall remains below a certain height.
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These heights tend to be fairly low.
Check with your local permitting office forguidance on buildingthe retaining wall and the steps.
You may also be required to addrailings.
Dig stair steps into the soil, mimicking the intended shape of the retaining wall steps.
Plan for 6 inches of base material under each step and another 6 inches behind.
Fill with a minimum of 6 inches of landscape gravel.
Tip
The base trench is a gravel-filled ditch under theretaining wall.
When building steps into the wall, the base trench is also the base for the first step.
The base trench should be at least 24 inches wide and 6 or more inches deep.
If needed, the drain pipe should be placed at the bottom of the trench, toward the back.
Compact the gravel with the tamping tool or with a plate compacting machine.
set up the First Course
Set the first course of retaining wall blocks on the trench gravel.
Check the side-to-side level between the blocks.
Tamp down the soil.
Backfill the First Course
Add gravel behind the first course of stair blocks.
If you are using hollow retaining wall blocks, fill in the hollow cores with gravel, too.
Screed the gravel smooth with a scrap two-by-four.
Measure back from the first set, using the tread depth that you determined earlier.
Fill blocks if using hollow core blocks.
Continue to the Top
Repeat the earlier steps until you reach the top of the slope.
Thoroughly clean off the treads.
Apply landscape block adhesive to the tops of the retaining wall blocks and then add the tread covers.
Cleaner blocks ensure a secure bond for the landscape block adhesive.
Use the courses established with the steps as guidelines for the wall’s courses.
Can I Build Steps Into an Existing Retaining Wall?
Within that process, the steps come first.
Build steps for aretaining wallonly when the ground is dry.
Acheap retaining wallidea is to use broken-up concrete from a poured concrete pathway or patio as retaining wall blocks.
How Many Steps Do I Need?
Gentle slopes can be covered with an 8-inch rise backed by a tread of any length you need.
Call a landscaping company or a paving company for help with any of these advanced procedures.
Put 6 inches of gravel under a retaining wall.
It should be a clean, granular rock that drains well.
Tamp the rock to compact it before building the retaining wall.
A 10-foot-long, 3-foot-high retaining wall will take about 20 to 30 hours to build.
