Recently we built a patio step on a door leading from the kitchen to the garden. Below is how we did it and what the results where like.
Material requirements:
2 x 25kg bags of ready mixed foundation cement.
3 x 25kg bags of ready mixed sand cement for bricklaying.
some old bricks / hardcore
12 x new house bricks
2 x patio slabs (these where already laid)
Water for mixing cement.
Tool requirements:
Fork
Trowel
Spirit Level
Rubber mallet
Step 1:
In step 1 we removed the paving slabs that where already laid and dug down by app 10 cm. This will be used as a foundation.
Step 2:
We placed some old bricks around the edge of our foundation hole, and also placed some in the middle, ensuring they where roughly level.
Step 3:
The ready mixed foundation cement was poured in to the whole dry and then level off. We then applied the manufacturers recomended water content using a watering can with a rose on it, and left the cement to set.
Step 4:
Once the foundation was dry we built a small brickwall around the outside of what will be our step using the new bricks we had brought. These where held together by the cement sand, which was mixed with water.
Once the are level they can be left to set.
Step 5:
Once the brick work is dry, I added some additional old bricks in the centre of the patio step, ensuring they where either level or lower than the external wall we had built.
Step 6:
We poured in a full bag of the sand cement mix and leveled it off, we then applied water using a watering can and rose.
Step 7:
When the based in step 6 has dried, we mixed the last bag of sand cement up with water and added it to our step, we then placed the patio slabs on to the base ensuring that they are level they can then be left to set.
Hope this is of use to anyone looking to build a simple patio step.
Pictures will be added shortly.