What We Build
Stairs & StepsHow We Build Them
Front steps are the first thing anyone touches at your house, and the part of the stonework that gets walked on every single day. We build solid granite steps, bluestone steps with fieldstone, stone veneer or brick risers, block and paver steps, and the landings and porches that go with them. Here is how, step by step.
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Step 1
Measure every rise and run
Steps are only comfortable when every step is the same height and the same depth. We measure from the door or the landing down to the ground and lay out the steps so they match from top to bottom, then show you a custom 3D design of the finished entry.
You approve the stone, the shape and the landing before anything is torn out.
Step 2
The right base for the steps
What goes under a set of steps depends on the kind of step. Steps faced in stone veneer or brick are built like our walls: a six-inch base of poured concrete with steel rebar, and on it the step is framed in concrete block filled with concrete. Only then does the veneer or brick go on.
That solid core is what keeps a veneer or brick step from cracking, shifting or pulling away from the house. For other kinds of steps we tell you in the estimate exactly what will go under yours.
A step that rocks, sinks or pulls away from the house almost always started with the base.
Step 3
Solid granite steps
A solid granite step is one piece of stone, cut and set level. It is the most durable step you can put at a door, it does not have joints for water to get into, and it looks right on a Cape Cod home.
Step 4
Bluestone treads with stone or brick risers
For a softer, classic look, we set bluestone treads on the block-and-concrete core, with the risers faced in natural fieldstone, stone veneer or brick. The treads overhang slightly so the step reads clean from the street, and the stone on the risers can be matched to a chimney, a wall or a foundation on the same house. We can also set low-voltage LED lights into the risers, so the steps are safe and lit at night.
Step 5
Steps built into walls and patios
When a yard changes level, we build the steps into the retaining wall or the patio itself, in block, pavers or stone, so the steps and the wall read as one piece instead of two jobs.
See how we build retaining walls and patios.
Step 6
Landings and porches
A landing at the door gives you room to stand, open the storm door and set down the groceries. We build bluestone landings and porches with stone veneer bases, sized to the door and the house.
Step 7
Clean-up
We backfill around the new steps, bring in loam and seed where we disturbed grass, and take the old steps and the debris with us.
What we build
Steps we build
New steps can be built to match a walkway, a patio or the stone already on the house.
Ask any contractor
Four questions worth asking
Whoever you hire, these four answers tell you most of what you need to know:
Will every step be the same height?
They should be. Uneven steps are the ones people trip on. Ask how the steps will be laid out from the door to the ground.
What is under the steps?
Ask exactly what the steps will sit on and what is inside them. A veneer or brick step needs a reinforced concrete base and a solid block-and-concrete core under the stone. A step on loose fill will rock and sink.
Can the new steps match the house?
Stone on the risers can be matched to a chimney, a foundation or a wall already on the property. Ask to see the match before you commit.
Does this need a railing or a permit?
Some steps do, depending on the height and the town. You want that answer before the estimate, not halfway through the job.
Get in touch
Free steps estimate
No commitment. We will respond within 24 hours and schedule a visit to your property within 48.
Get a Free EstimateMain: (508) 360-2151 · Office: (508) 373-3495
Masonry and hardscaping contractor serving all of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Licensed and insured in MA.
(508) 360-2151(508) 373-3495contact@bridimasonryservices.comWhat We Build
- Custom Patios
- Pool Decks
- Walkways
- Retaining Walls
- Cobblestone Aprons
- Chimney Repair
- Foundation Repair
- Fireplaces
- Driveways
- Stairs & Steps