Brick Front Steps- What to do, repair, replace...
Hi-
I have a predicament here... we have frequent problems with our brick front steps. The problem stems from the fact that we live in Massachusetts, in a NORTH facing home. The bricks NEVER see direct sun.
We have repaired the steps 2x now, and when repairing, both times the contractor said that its a mess underneath (loose sand??) and was afraid that if we really did a heavy duty repair job, the whole thing would fall like a deck of cards.
We do not have a huge budget for repair/replace, we were thinking something that is durable, can handle the frequent icing and storms, and the fact that its north facing (its often a thick sheet of ice in the winter and we have to go out our garage. We would like to eventually put up portico, but its not in the budget at this point.
Would love some suggestions on what to do, and approx budget we should expect. We also have a brick walkway, that is in good condition and we'd like to keep (?) Ideas? Suggestions?? THank you
Comments (6)
WendyB 5A/MA
13 years agodfaustclancy
13 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (2)There is a New to Gardening forum here, as well as Soil and Compost, Annuals, Perennials, Lawns, and Shrubs. Not to mention Trees. There are also regional forums that might be more relevant for your gardening conditions. You can rake out the surface rocks with a garden rake (metal, looks more like a comb). You shouldn't have to remove the soil unless it's contaminated with something nasty, but the more compost and other organic materials you add, the better. Unless the soil is really compacted, which I doubt because you just removed the old shrubs, or the area is too large to dig by hand, you probably won't need a tiller at all. A spade or spading fork will do to turn the compost or other amendments in. Go to the library and take out every book they have on gardening, and read them cover to cover. See if you can find some gardening friends or family who can share their experience. I've never had to deal with Bermuda grass, so I can't help you with that, but the Lawn forum will probably have information. Every forum has a "search" link at the top of the page, use it look for topics of interest to you....See MoreWhat to do with weird planter area next to front steps
Comments (12)I’m not sure about plants for your area ... maybe take a picture to a local nursery and see what they suggest for sizes, your soil type, etc. :) (I used a combo of ornamental grass, dwarf shrub, perennials. A dwarf Nandina might work there for the shrub — there are lots of varieties that have nice color all year.)...See MoreHow to repair brick steps/mortar?
Comments (5)The term your looking for is repointing. There are lots of good how to videos and the material you need can be found at a local hardware store. This is an excellent first project for learning how to do it. The hardest part is cleaning out the old stuff without damaging the brick....See MoreFront Steps- Repair or Replacement needed!
Comments (5)Might need a little more attention than a repoint. Second step looks to have a negative slope, which could be the cause of the cracking in the first place....See Morediggingthedirt
13 years agosqueaky13
12 years ago
barbbchicago
4 years ago
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)