Inspired by a brilliant UK DIY tutorial. This guide draws on "Building a £60 Raised Patio Step" by The Carpenter's Daughter — a popular UK home improvement channel that proves you do not need to spend a fortune to get solid, attractive results. The video is especially good at showing the breeze block riser and render approach, which is quicker than traditional brickwork for a single step.
1. Plan the rise and going
The "rise" is how high each step is; the "going" is how deep the tread is. A comfortable outdoor step has a rise of around 150 mm and a going of at least 300 mm. Get these wrong and the steps will feel awkward to use every day.
Sketch a simple side profile before you start. For a two-step flight, that means two risers of 150 mm and two treads each at least 300 mm deep. Mark everything out on the ground with spray paint or a line of sand before committing to any digging.
2. Dig out the ground and compact
Excavate roughly 100 mm below where the base of the lowest step will sit. For light domestic steps, compacted hardcore — MOT Type 1 sub-base — under a concrete pad gives a stable, frost-resistant foundation. Skip this and the steps will sink and crack within a couple of winters.
Compact the hardcore thoroughly. A plate compactor hired for a day is ideal. If you are doing a single step, a stout piece of timber used as a tamper will do at a push.
3. Pour a concrete foundation
Mix a 1:2:4 concrete (one cement, two sharp sand, four aggregate) or use a bagged ready-mix. Pour it over the compacted hardcore to a depth of about 100 mm and level it flat with a timber float. Let it cure for at least 24 hours before loading any weight onto it.
If the ground is soft or you are building more than two steps, consider a slightly deeper foundation. Steps carry a lot of point load from feet and they cannot flex the way a patio slab can.
4. Build the riser with bricks or blocks
Once the foundation has cured, lay the first course of bricks or dense concrete blocks on a mortar bed (1 part cement, 4 parts sharp sand). Keep the front face plumb and the top surface level. A breeze block laid on its side gives you a 100 mm rise in one go — efficient for a single step.
For a taller single riser, two courses of standard brick stacked in stretcher bond gives a solid, attractive result. Check level frequently — a riser that wanders out of plumb will make the tread sit unevenly and look poor.
5. Fill the void if needed
If you are building a step with depth behind the riser — not just a raised edge to a patio — fill the space between the riser and the ground level behind with compacted hardcore or broken concrete. This prevents the slab tread from flexing and cracking when walked on.
Compact this fill in layers. Loose fill under a slab is a recipe for a cracked tread after the first hard frost.
6. Lay the tread slab
Mix a slightly wetter mortar for the tread — 1:4 cement to sharp sand. Apply it in a generous bed over the filled void and the back of the riser. Set the slab onto the bed, check it is level front-to-back (a tiny fall of 1:60 away from the house is ideal for drainage) and tap it down with a rubber mallet.
The tread slab should overhang the riser face by about 25 to 30 mm. This small projection throws rainwater clear of the riser face and looks right.
7. Repeat for upper steps if needed
For a second step, allow the first tread to cure — 24 hours minimum — before building on top of it. The structure for the second riser sits on the rear of the first tread slab, so the bond between that slab and its mortar bed needs to be solid before you load it.
Same process: riser first, plumb and level; fill the void; tread slab last, with a gentle drainage fall.
8. Point the joints and render if required
Once everything has cured for at least 48 hours, point any open joints between bricks and tuck-point along the edge where slab meets riser. If you used breeze blocks, a thin sand-and-cement render tidies them up and gives a clean face ready for paint if you want it.
Leave the whole thing to cure for at least a week before heavy use, and keep it damp in hot weather to slow the cure down — concrete that dries too fast develops surface cracks.
When to call a handyman
Call Richard if the ground is on a slope and you are unsure about grading the foundation, or if you need more than three steps — at that point loadings and drainage get more involved. Happy to build a set of garden steps properly from scratch.
Need garden steps built?
The Sandwich Handyman can build brick, block, and slab garden steps to a tidy finish. Based in Sandwich, serving East Kent villages.
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