Garden Steps Cost

Do you want a nice set of garden stone steps, but not sure where to start?

We'll tell you about the average cost of stone steps, how to save money, find a stone step installer, and what questions to ask when they come to give you a quote in this guide.

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Outdoor Steps Cost Calculator

How Much Does Installing Garden Steps Cost?

Garden steps cost varies depending on their purpose, as steps in your garden may be functional due to two or more levels, or they may be part of a landscaping project. You may even require steps to access your front or back door.

Stone steps are an amazing addition to any home. Stone comes in various colours and types, and you can buy it already cut into a step shape or have it cut to your specifications.

Handling heavy materials is required when installing stone slab steps. A single misstep or slip of the hand can severely damage the material. It would be a shame if the steps developed cracks before you could even install them.

Which material would you prefer for your garden steps?

Brick steps

3 votes - 13%13% of votes

Natural stone

9 votes - 38%38% of votes

Cast/manufactured stone

3 votes - 13%13% of votes

Concrete

7 votes - 29%29% of votes

Other

2 votes - 8%8% of votes

24 votes See results Hide results

Handling the steps provided by the suppliers can also be challenging. For example, some steps are delivered in the form of large tiles. Installing them can be difficult if you are inexperienced.

So, how much does a brick/stone steps installation cost?

A set of four slate steps (one metre wide) will cost between £730 and £930, while a set of four Portland stone steps (one metre wide) will cost between £900 and £1,100.

A set of six granite steps (3 metres wide) will cost between £2,250 and £2,700, while a set of six cast stone steps (2 metres wide) will cost between £1,400 and £1,800.

Garden Steps Prices

Stone Step Prices

Brick Step Prices

Supply Only Costs

If you want to build garden steps into an earth slope, you can use various materials, from bricks to concrete slabs, wood to gravel, and concrete to big flat stones. The design is heavily influenced by the material used, the gradient, and the length of the slope. We will only go over the supply costs and what you can expect.

Slate will cost between £40 and £60, marble will cost between £50 and £70, granite will cost between £35 and £45, limestone will cost between £35 and £45, and York stone will cost between £45 and £63.

Sandstone costs between £36 and £45, Portland costs between £60 and £90, and cast stone can cost between £25 and £35.

A builder's line and pegs will cost £3 to £8, a tape measure costs £3 to £7, and a spade will cost you £8 to £15. You will need a spirit level to ensure your steps are flat and level. This will cost you £7 to £11. Stretcher bond bricks will cost £2 to £6, and an earth rammer will cost £28 to £33.

Labour Costs and Timescales

The most expensive aspect of a garden brick steps project is labour. Before beginning the laying and treating of the bricks, the area must be prepared. A skilled bricklayer will typically charge between £150 and £200 per day.

A typical day rate for an assistant can range between £70 and £100. Although it may appear to be an expensive extra cost, keep in mind that more people mean a faster completion of the project.

One metre wide, two steps to the doorway would cost £150 to £200 per day and typically take your labourers 1 day to complete. A tradesperson would charge you £150 to £200 per day for 2 to 3 days for 3 metres wide, three-step patio steps with 430mm treads. The semi-circular single brickwork step to the doorway would take 2 days and cost between £150 and £200 per day.

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Cost Factors of Fitting Garden Steps

The Number of Steps

The total cost of installing brick steps is affected by the number of installed steps. The more steps that must be installed, the more material that must be used and the higher the labour costs.

Brick Style

There are many different brick options, and you should do your research or consult with a professional to determine which type of bricks will work the best for the project you're working on.

• Handmade bricks — Because handmade bricks are made by hand they are more expensive than regular bricks.
• Wire-cut bricks — Made by pushing clay through a shaped die and cutting the columns into bricks with wire, wire-cut bricks are a type of facing brick, with most having holes running top to bottom.
• Reclaimed bricks have previously been used but have been cleaned and reused.
• Common bricks — Common bricks aren't as strong as other types of bricks, and they're mainly used for internal applications where strength isn't an issue.
• Engineering bricks — Engineering bricks are commonly used where strength is required. For example, they are commonly used in damp-proof courses or retaining walls.
• Facing bricks are by far the most commonly used type of brick. They can be found in houses all over the UK.

Taking Down Old Steps

Existing steps may need to be demolished and the waste disposed of. The builder could include this in the quote, but it will increase the brick steps cost. A bricklayer's labourer can do the work. Expect to pay between £40 and £55 if it takes half a day.

Handrail or New Balustrade

If you are installing multi-level decking, which is why you are building steps, you may also require a balustrade for security reasons. Alternatively, a handrail on patio steps may be desirable to make it easier for family and friends to climb and descend.

A metal handrail for a garden stairway will cost between £100 and £150, and installation will take about an hour and will cost between £50 and £75. Balustrades begin at £40 per metre and can cost up to £150 per metre, depending on the material used.

Skip Rental

If you have old steps removed or a section of your garden dug up for new steps, you may be required to remove the waste yourself. If this is the case, hiring a skip will be much easier. Skip hire costs around £150 but expect to pay more if you live in London. Provide a question about waste removal in your request for quotes. Perhaps the builder will also include this in the quote.

If you don't want to pay for a skip, you can always bag up any cracked concrete and keep any unbroken bricks. You could then post them on websites like Gumtree or Preloved, where people typically look for hardcore material or even used bricks.

Lighting

It is always good to have some type of lighting with steps to make using them easier and safer. A wall light can be installed for around £30. Solar lights can also be used to encircle your steps. They are a cost-effective option, with prices starting at around £10.

If you want security lights, you can install lights that can be turned on and off from inside your home or a motion-controlled light that will turn on when someone or something enters your garden or steps.

Types of Garden Steps

Bricks are the least expensive material for steps. They can be rough or smooth, come in various colours, and have a multi-coloured or mottled appearance. If you have an older home, you can even find used bricks with a weathered appearance that will blend in with your walls, though they are not cheap and may not be frost-resistant.

Bricks on the Face

They are available in a wide range of colours and textures. Facing bricks are the most common type of brick and are probably the ones you are most familiar with. Facing bricks face outward from a building and are visible to the rest of the world and are chosen mainly for their texture, colour, and overall appearance.

Pros

• ✔ Variety of colours and textures.
• ✔ Strong.

Cons

• ✖ Expensive.

Ordinary Bricks

These are often laid where they will not be visible because they are less expensive and less attractive than facing bricks. Despite their name, common bricks are actually the least commonly used brick in the UK.

This brick variant is made from basic clay and does not have any special appearances, surface treatments, or colour control.

Pros

• ✔ Affordable.

Cons

• ✖ Not aesthetically pleasing.

Bricks Made by Hand

The most expensive type of brick is handmade brick. They are best for achieving an authentic appearance and building in conservation areas. Handmade bricks provide an authentic look if you want to match existing bricks or build a home in a conservation area.

In addition, handmade varieties provide more flexibility because they can be built with standard or nonstandard-sized bricks, resulting in an instantly characterful and charming appearance.

Handmade bricks have a rougher, more open texture and an appealing creased face. You can achieve a more bespoke look with various colours and sizes, but this is built into the price, which is roughly four times that of machine-made.

Pros

• ✔ Provide an authentic look.
• ✔ Rougher texture.
• ✔ Variety of colours and textures.

Cons

• ✖ Expensive.

Recycled Bricks

If you're demolishing a house and constructing a new one on the same lot, you can reuse bricks from the previous structure(s) if you want to replicate the look or are required to do so due to a planning condition.

Another good source of used bricks is reclamation yards, but getting enough quality for a whole house or a big extension can be difficult. In addition, wastage is common, and you may need to discard some.

Pros

• ✔ Recycled.
• ✔ Cost-effective.

Cons

• ✖ Can create wastage.

Limestone Steps

Limestone is a sedimentary rock and has been used as a building material for generations, as it is strong and durable.

Pros

• ✔ Strong.
• ✔ Durable.

Cons

• ✖ Can be expensive.

Slate Steps

Slate is long-lasting and also looks perfect in any garden.

It's a great natural stone to create steps from as it's very durable.

Pros

• ✔ Very durable.
• ✔ Attractive.
• ✔ Great in all weather.

Cons

• ✖ Difficult to repair.

Sandstone Steps

Sandstone is an attractive natural stone that resembles sand and is very unique.

It comes in a range of different colours and is great to use for garden steps.

Pros

• ✔ Attractive.
• ✔ Durable.
• ✔ Unique.
• ✔ Great texture.

Cons

• ✖ Can absorb water if not treated.
• ✖ Can stain.

Cast Stone Steps

Cast stone is not a natural type of stone but a manmade stone that's durable and versatile.

Pros

• ✔ Simple and quick to install.
• ✔ Very resistant.

Cons

• ✖ Heavy.
• ✖ Hard to repair.

What's Involved in Fitting Garden Steps?

Take a look at the steps below on how to build brick steps:

Site Preparation

Your contractor begins by outlining the site with a builder's line and pegs. They'll fix two parallel lines down the slope to mark the steps' outer edge and two more to mark the top and bottom. Professional installers confirm that corners form a right angle with a builder's square.

To determine how many treads and risers are needed, your tradesperson measures the stairwell's height and horizontal spacing. They'll mark the back of the highest tread with a peg, then place one end of a long spirit level at the top. The contractor measures the horizontal distance to the first riser and vertical distance to the floor.

Foundation Work

Your installer divides the vertical height by the riser height and uses tread-riser pairings charts to determine required tread length. They'll remove any turf in the marked-out area and mark the back of treads with lines, setting them back an extra 50mm for working room. The contractor roughly shapes the steps with a spade, leaving 100mm of hardcore beneath concrete slab treads.

They dig a 125mm deep trench for the first riser's footing. Before pouring concrete, they drive in pegs levelled with a spirit level to mark the footing surface. The concrete is poured ensuring the floor is level with pegs, then left to dry for 24 hours before building.

Construction Process

Your contractor makes mortar by combining four parts sharp sand and one part cement. They construct the first riser on the concrete footing using two skins of stretcher bond bricks, always using a spirit level to ensure horizontal alignment. Professional installers install hardcore behind the riser and compact it with an earth rammer.

They then create a continuous concrete bed on the riser and hardcore, then place the first tread slab on top with a 40mm overhang. They check treads for slight fall towards the front edge and apply mortar to all joints. This process continues for each step, ensuring tread lengths are correct and treads remain parallel.

Specialised Applications

For freestanding steps built on flat floors alongside existing garden walls, professionals create supporting walls for flights up to five steps using concrete footing strips. Longer flights require a concrete pad under the entire structure. When installing brick steps parallel to existing brick walls, your contractor ensures the stairway bricks match the existing wall and are properly toothed in for security.

Can I Install Garden Steps Myself?

Building stone steps is an exciting and fun project. You'll be rewarded with a beautiful set of stone garden steps when you're finished. They look beautiful in your yard, garden, path leading to your patio, or in the middle of a steep bank path.

Most people leave it to the professionals, and to be truthful, it is not the easiest task to complete on your own, especially if you have no prior experience. Building brick/stone steps has some difficult sections that require expertise.

A professional bricklayer can lay approximately 600 bricks per day and you will not be able to come close to this efficiency. While choosing DIY might save money on installation costs, you must factor in the cost of necessary equipment and potential costly mistakes.

Why Hiring a Professional Is Important

Common DIY errors that professionals avoid include not adequately securing the overhanging treads on a full bed of mortar, not allowing a slight slope to the front of the steps for drainage, and inconsistent riser heights and tread depths. Any or all of these can spoil the look and performance of your steps.

Professional contractors have the skills and experience to avoid these issues and make sure your treads are properly seated and secure, drain properly, and have the correct tread depths and riser heights to look good.

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Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Fitting Brick/Stone Steps

When designing steps, it is critical to ensure that the tread and riser dimensions are consistent (i.e. each step has a rise of x mm and a tread of y mm). Larger flights of steps can benefit from the addition of extended treads known as landings, which provide a safe resting spot for non-mountaineers.

There are two common layouts for a flight of steps in most situations. The plain step has a constant width, whereas the wraparound step has a more pyramidal shape, with one or both sides of the flight increasing in width as the step descends.

A handrail is almost always required on a steep or long flight of steps. Galvanised steel tubing is the preferred material for most brick, block, flagstone, or concrete steps, and they are best fabricated to site dimensions by a local light-engineering company. Timber steps may include a wooden handrail.

Walling blocks, artificial stone blocks, or even house bricks can be used to replace engineering bricks, as long as they are frost-proof.

Hiring Contractors for Fitting Brick/Stone Steps Checklist

When you request a quote, make certain that it includes all costs and labour. Here are a few things to look for when hiring someone to fit brick/stone steps.

• Do they have any credentials? Some bricklayers may have learned their trade through an apprenticeship. They may also have a City & Guilds qualification or a building qualification. Any of these indicate that they will know what they are doing.
• View some of their work. Ask to see illustrations of walls they have built in gardens before, if possible, so you know what quality to expect.

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